Jen Self-Aulgur has been a driving force at Harbor Humane Society since September 2016, bringing with her a lifetime of passion and nearly two decades of expertise in animal welfare. Before joining HHS, she served as Director of Education and Programs at the Humane Society of West Michigan, where she launched impactful initiatives—from humane education programs and youth camps to low-cost vaccine clinics and large-scale community engagement events.

Involved in animal welfare since 2002, Jen has developed a broad, national (and even global) perspective on the field, always working to keep HHS progressive and practicing gold-standard animal sheltering. She holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management and is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) through The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

At HHS, Jen blends strategic vision with hands-on leadership—creating, implementing, and overseeing innovative projects that grow both revenue and recognition for the organization. Outside of work, she cherishes time with her daughter, husband, five rescue cats, four rescue dogs, and a handful of farm animals…proving her home is just as full of love (and fur) as her work.

As Harbor Humane Society’s Director of Finance and Facilities, Jake Sucaet brings a unique blend of creative insight and operational expertise to the organization. In his multifaceted role, Jake oversees general shelter administration, manages all financial record keeping, and helps maintain the smooth operation of the facility.

Before joining the Harbor team full-time, Jake gained valuable experience in facility management at e2open and served as a property manager for Westshore Mall. He also served on Harbor's Board of Directors for nearly two years, giving him a deep understanding of the organization’s mission and operations.

Jake holds a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design. While his background is rooted in the arts, his passion for efficient systems and compassionate service brought him into the world of nonprofit management—especially when it means helping animals in need.

When he's not crunching numbers or problem-solving behind the scenes, you can find Jake immersed in a board game, leading a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or diving into the latest Magic: The Gathering set. If it’s nerdy, he’s probably into it.

Megan Winters has been a proud member of the Harbor team for the last decade, currently serving as Director of Shelter Operations. With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, she is passionate about creating a supportive environment for the people who care for our animals and leading innovative cat programming. When she’s not at the shelter, Megan can be found fostering kittens, diving into board games with friends, or working on her latest craft project.

Melanie is the Human Resource and Administrative Manager at Harbor Humane Society, where she brings a strong focus on communication, teamwork, and positive energy to support both people and animals. She is passionate about creating a collaborative and uplifting workplace culture. She earned a management degree from Michigan State University and also completed a Human Resource certification through Davenport University. Outside of work, you'll find her picking up trash from the shores of Lake Michigan as a way to give back to her community and the environment. She also adopted a cat, Artemis, through Harbor Humane’s Working Barn Cat program—who has become an essential team member at home, keeping the mice population in check with great enthusiasm.

Jen Nuernberg joined the Harbor team in October 2018, and is currently the Director of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and advertising, Jen spent many years in the marketing field, but made the switch to animal welfare when she realized her passion for community education, animal rights and fighting for the “underdogs” was something she wanted to turn into a career. Jen started out in the field as the Executive Director for Al-Van Humane Society in South Haven. She feels lucky to have had that experience, learning “all the things” from the start, and then focusing more on her skills as a fundraiser, event planner and partnership builder for Harbor.  Jen spends her life with her partner, Steven, and their (current!) 2 dogs, Finley and Dax, and 3 cats, Trip the tripod (Sir “Trips” a Lot - get it??), Moos, and Zita.  They have owned and fostered many pets over the years. They plan to fill their life with more pets and fosters, their love of travel, family, music and exploring the best local dive bars wherever they go. 

Alayna Kelty is the Social Media and Event Coordinator at Harbor Humane Society. Alayna started at Harbor Humane as the Development Associate in 2022 and has carried her current title as of January 2024. In her role, she assists with creating and planning social media posts for Harbor as well as assisting with a multitude of fundraising events. 

One of her favorite parts of her job is interacting with former adopters and hearing their adoption success stories. It warms her heart to hear about the love these families have for their pets!

Alayna has four pets, two dogs named Mabel and Daisy and two cats named Boots and Ellie. Both Mabel and Ellie are Harbor alumni! When she’s not at work, Alayna likes to spend her free time cooking and baking, reading, spending time with her husband and pets, and relaxing at the beach.

Cindy has been serving as Harbor Humane’s Customer Service Manager since 2018, bringing years of animal welfare experience to her role. Her interest in animal welfare sparked when she first got involved as a dog foster parent with Harbor, while working full time for Ottawa County Dispatch as a Communications Specialist. Fostering helped her discover her passion, which lead her to part ways with dispatch after ten years and work for a variety of limited intake facilities and rescues prior to coming to Harbor. She now strives to help animals find their best-fit forever home (just as her own 3 Harbor adoptees have had) and create great adoption experiences here at Harbor!

Tayler has been part of the Harbor Humane Society team for over five years, growing alongside the organization and taking on a variety of roles—from Kennel Technician to Customer Service Representative to Development Assistant. Now as the Customer Service Manager, she brings a well-rounded perspective and a deep passion for both people and animals.

Tayler is dedicated to making every visitor feel welcome and every animal feel at home, with the ultimate goal of creating lasting matches between pets and loving families. Her favorite part of the job is seeing animals leave for their forever homes, often with happy tears and wagging tails!

Outside of work, Tayler shares her home with a small zoo of beloved pets and spends as much time outdoors as possible. She loves camping, hiking, cooking, baking, and hosting friends and family, especially when good food and furry companions are involved.

Jacquelyne is the current Kennel Manager at Harbor Humane. She began her animal welfare journey in 2018 doing volunteer work for another shelter and was thrilled to be able to continue this journey with Harbor Humane after moving to the west side of Michigan to pursue her education. Jacquelyne worked tirelessly as an integral part of the kennel team while pursuing her degree; she was hired as a beginner kennel technician in late 2020 and was quickly promoted to Kennel Manager in 2022. She graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2023 with a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish. In her spare time, she enjoys fostering animals, antiquing, and reading. Her passions in veterinary medicine include programs to support her community, such as low-cost vaccines or high volume spay/neuter clinics. Jacquelyne is currently pursuing her DVM to continue working to cultivate happy, healthy communities through providing quality care, education and resources!

Emma Helrigel (she/her) is the Community Outreach Manager at Harbor Humane. In her role, Emma oversees the Pet Food Pantry, Community Vaccine Clinics, and Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics. She also fosters broader outreach efforts, including connecting with local organizations, supporting unhoused community members with pet care resources, and working to keep beloved animals in the homes where they are happiest through intake diversion strategies.

Emma holds a Master of Social Work degree from Michigan State University, where she specialized in organization and community leadership and received certification in human services management. She brings a strong commitment to equity and access in animal welfare, combining her background in social work with a deep love of the human-animal bond.

Emma shares her home and her heart with Rudy the cat and Frankie the dog, a Harbor Humane alumni and foster fail. Together, they enjoy hiking, camping, napping, and advocating for all the furry friends who can’t speak for themselves.

Dr. Hayley Barkoviak joined the Harbor team as Director Of Shelter Medicine in 2023. After graduating from Kansas State University, Dr. Barkoviak completed a specialty internship in Shelter Medicine which focused on high quality/high volume surgical techniques, population medicine, shelter consultation, community outreach, and public health. Her professional passions include behavior, community cats, and all things surgery. In her free time, Dr. B enjoys hiking with her dog, yoga, and gardening.  

Sarah Rapisarda has worked in her current position as Behavior Manager at Harbor since January 2017. She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Writing and has become a certified Canine Good Citizen Instructor. She is an IAABC Affiliate Member of the Shelter Division and has attended many conferences on animal behavior as well as taken continuing education credits to further her general and applied knowledge of animal behavior and behavioral modification. She has been teaching general group dog obedience and puppy socialization classes at Harbor since Spring 2018. In addition to helping animals find homes, her goal is to help animals stay with the families already dedicated to their success. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys hiking and spending time outside with her dog and cat. She is an avid writer and reader who also enjoys playing video games in her spare time.

Ashton is the Programs Manager for Harbor Humane, joining us in August 2019. She’s a West Michigan native who graduated from Alma College in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and continued her education at Grand Valley State studying education. She spent her post grad working with AmeriCorps, assisting and running after school and summer programs prior to joining Harbor! She loves spending time with her seven pets: four cats and three dogs. On the weekends, she enjoys hiking local trails with her pups or putting a dent in her never ending “TBR” list.

Chelsea began working at Harbor Humane in November 2016 as a Kennel Technician, but her work in animal welfare began at a small dog rescue in 2013. With her animal experience, Chelsea was promoted to Assistant Kennel Manager, then to Kennel Manager, and more recently to Vet Services Manager. Her passion at Harbor is the feral cats. After work, Chelsea can often be found releasing (fixed) feral cats back to where they were found as part of our RTF program. When she is not at work, Chelsea is often hiking, at the beach, or relaxing in the sun with her reptiles, cats, or dog. Chelsea is currently in school part time and aspires to be a Veterinarian one day soon.

Ashley joined Harbor in October 2023 as a Customer Service Representative and began her role as the Customer Service Manager in February 2026. She graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Her studies helped her develop the ability to listen carefully, understand diverse perspectives, and communicate with clarity and empathy. In her everyday work, these strengths allow her to support our community, guide adopters, and ensure every interaction reflects our commitment to compassionate animal care. She loves getting to advocate for the animals in Harbor’s care while making a welcoming and positive environment for the people who walk through the doors. In her free time, Ashley enjoys reading a good book, baking delicious treats, and spending time with her many cats, who are the lights of her life.

Laura joined Harbor Humane in 2019 as a Kennel Technician and now serves as Foster Manager, overseeing both dog and cat foster programs. Along the way, she has held roles as Kennel/Customer Service Lead and Feline Foster Coordinator.

She is passionate about educating and empowering foster families, ensuring they and the animals in their care are set up for success. Laura is continually inspired by the generosity of Harbors foster families and the transformative impact they have on shelter pets.

When she’s not at the shelter, you can find her hiking, kayaking, serving her community, or adventuring with her kitten.

Jennifer DeBoer is the manager of Harbor Humane Resale Store. Jennifer started by volunteering at the resale store and accepted a customer service position in 2012 and was promoted to manager in 2017. She has served as a foster parent for 12 years. She has worked hard in leading her team to reorganize the layout of the store, to increase quality donations and to increase profits while maintaining a clean and customer-friendly environment. Jennifer graduated from Baker College with a bachelor’s degree as a medical administrative assistant. On her days off, Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors with family and cuddling with her dog Flynn and her two cats, Libby and Nile. She is also an avid thrifter!