Ann Michitsch joined URI in May as our first URIPALS coordinator. Based at Urban Women’s Safe Haven (UWSH) where the URIPALS program (People and Animals Living Safely) operates, Ann will be instrumental in coordinating the program as well as helping to expand it to other URI sites.
Ann has more than 20 years of wide-ranging experience in the field of social services, including counseling adolescents in crisis, addressing the multiple complex needs of older adults, and working on housing issues. An animal lover, Ann returned to school to study veterinary technology and has worked in several veterinary offices and pet stores and with many animal welfare organizations, establishing strong relationships with many of the community partners that we are actively working with as part of URIPALS.
“One of the qualifications of being the URIPALS coordinator is to be a bridge between the human welfare and the animal welfare communities. I feel all of my life’s work and education have been a testament to this,” Ann said. We are very pleased to have such a dedicated animal welfare and social service advocate as part of our team.