Meet The Team
HOLLY CAREY
Executive Director​
​Holly Carey joined the Cat Haven team as the Executive Director on November 1, 2021. Holly brings to Cat Haven more than 30 years of experience as a registered veterinary technician from both the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and private veterinary practice in Baton Rouge. Although she has worked with many species of animals in her career, Holly has a special passion for cats and has three of her own, along with two dogs, a leopard gecko, and two teenage boys. Holly is an active member of the animal welfare community, having previously served other local non-profits on the board of directors and in a volunteer capacity. Holly enjoys live music, relaxing at the beach, and time with her two sons and their menagerie of pets.
HARRIETT POOLER
Director of Marketing and Development
Harriett joined Cat Haven in January 2025 with 22+ years of professional fundraising experience. She has worked for LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the Nature Conservancy and Audubon Louisiana in addition to nonprofit consulting. Harriett is a lifelong nature and animal lover, having had a menagerie of cats and other furry, scaled, and finned pets in her life. She feels strongly about stopping animal overpopulation and loves Cat Haven’s work of promoting spay/neuter and finding homes for these spunky kittens and cats.
MARY RUBENSTEIN
Shelter Manager
MJ, a native of New Orleans, is a LSU student who is working towards an undergraduate degree in psychology. She has a 4-year-old cat at home named Nova. She was a rescue from Cat Haven! When MJ isn't working, she enjoys playing the piano and ukulele, reading, and playing video games. Her favorite thing about working at Cat Haven is that she gets to help make a difference in the lives of so many cats who are in unfortunate situations.
BRIANA TUMMINELLO
Operations Director
Briana is a Louisiana native who cares deeply for animals. She recently graduated from LSU with a degree in Animal Science. She has her own rescue cat at home named Stella. Briana came to Cat Haven to learn more about felines and to advocate for those who don't have an owner to advocate for them! Briana started working for Cat Haven as an Animal Care Specialist and was then promoted to Shelter Manager. Briana will also be taking over as Volunteer Coordinator.
KYRSTIN LEBOUEF
Adoption Manager
Kyrstin LeBouef is from Lafourche Parish and moved here to Baton Rouge in 2023. She has over five years of experience working in animal care, both canine and feline, but has a special place in her heart for cats. She is very passionate about neonatal kitten care, spay/neuter, and cat behavior. Kyrstin has three cats and two dogs at home and loves to spend time with her animals. In Kyrstin’s spare time, she enjoys clay sculpting, photography, and collecting trinkets/oddities!
ABBY SANTINI
Administrative Assistant
Abby is originally from South Carolina, where she received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of South Carolina. In 2012 she moved to Louisiana and has made a life here with her 2 young kids and dog and cat. She has worked in the animal rescue field for over 15 years, 4 of those years being with Cat Haven as the Operations Director previously and another 3 years with Project Purr. She even helped start up the only feline-only veterinary hospital here in Baton Rouge, Cat Care Center. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors in nature, live music and eating good food.
LAUREN CHEMIN
Animal Care Specialist
Lauren Chemin wants to ensure that every cat receives the love and attention they deserve until they find their family. She is a proud cat mom to two rescue cats, both of whom unexpectedly wandered into her life after living on the streets. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys polymer clay sculpting, and playing video games.
LAUREN BECKER
Animal Care Specialist
Lauren is a New Orleans native who holds a Bachelor’s of Science from LSU and a degree in Practical Nursing, and worked caring for humans for years before coming to care for our kitties. She is a cat lover who is passionate about making sure every kitten and cat gets the best love and care possible here at Cat Haven. Lauren is mom to her adopted senior cat, Aimee, and also a mom to a little human of her own. She’s an avid runner and active in handful of community service organizations in Baton Rouge for humans and cats alike.
MADDIE DRUEN
Animal Care Specialist
Maddie is a Louisiana native, and studies Wildlife Ecology at LSU. She came to Cat Haven to further her experience in working with animals. She has a cat named Sammy, who she rescued from a local shelter. Outside of school and work, Maddie enjoys being with animals the most! She also loves being outside and spending time with friends. She hopes that she can make a difference in animals’ lives - especially the sweet cats she works with here!
Grace is a Baton Rouge native and recent LSU graduate with a bachelor's degree in Criminology. Since 2018 Grace has volunteered and fostered over 20 cats for Cat Haven. She is a lifelong cat lover and has two Cat Haven alumns of her own: Bonnie, who she adopted in 2023, and Lawrence, a foster fail in 2024. Grace has a soft spot for senior cats and tuxedo cats. In her free time, Grace likes to read, workout, and walk the LSU Lakes.
Animal Care Specialist
MAGGIE MULLINEX
Animal Care Specialist
Maggie is a Mid-city Baton Rouge local, plant mom, and LSU graduate with a bachelor's degree in social work. She has a passion for community service and outreach and LOVES cats! She started working at Cat Haven in the role of Animal Care Specialist in January 2025 and is a nanny in the afternoons. She has two cats of her own: Pumpkin and Mimi. Maggie's greatest strength is her compassion for all things.
