Naomi Covino
Executive Director

Naomi retired in 2013 from a software company and began her philanthropic effort to help dogs. She formalized her work by cofounding the non-profit, Brown Dog Coalition, in June of 2015 alongside her daughter, Annie. She lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband and a brown dog of her very own named Libby and a senior yorkie-poo named Bug. Naomi is a persistent leader who tirelessly pursues her mission.

Annie Covino
Assistant Director

Annie became fixated on helping dogs after seeing Lady and the Tramp at a very young and impressionable age. She has a hand in everything from operations, to creating online content, to managing communications and more. She is a jill of all trades with a specialty in dog-petting. Annie adopted her sidekick, Freckle, in July 2017 and they have been inseparable since. 

Katie Covino
Board Member

Katie memorized the encyclopedia of dog breeds when she was 10. She now provides technical and creative support to Brown Dog, and has a bonded pair of terrier mixes; Peach and Roo. Peach is blind in one eye, Roo is blind in both, and Katie wears contacts.

Caroline Warren, DVM
Board Member

Dr. Warren is originally from Connecticut and went to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for her training. Her professional interests include emergency medicine and shelter medicine. When she is not working, she enjoys hiking with her rescue dog, Mojo!

Val Couchon
Board Member

Val has been a lifelong animal advocate for all creatures. While living in Atlanta, she and Robin became aware of the plight of stray dogs, picking up several off the side of the road to rehabilitate and rehome. Since then, volunteering with rescued dogs has become an integral part of life. Fostering and/or adopting a dog who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance is a great joy! She lives with her three rescued dogs Nellie, Lila, and Oreo, a household of cats, and a variable number of fosters.

Robin Micherone
Board Member

Robin does it all. From being a nurse, to teaching work-out classes, to helping out at adoption days and more—Robin is like that pink bunny with a drum. She spends her free moments taking rescued dogs, Nellie, Lila, and Oreo, on hikes and adventures.

Stephanie LaCroix
Board Member, Cat Program Director

Steph joined Brown Dog in 2019 and has been pivotal in running our cat program. Steph is the Director of Ski Ward in Shrewsbury in addition to fostering and being adoption counselor for all our cats! She has a soft spot for the large orange males.

Danielle Bass
Board Member, Cat Program Director

Danielle has been with BDC since 2020. She works alongside Stephanie to run the cat program. She works for the Better Business Bureau as their community relations manager. She has a passion for nonprofit work and is proud to help find cats their forever home. Danielle and Stephanie have helped get hundreds of cats and kittens adopted over the years.

Debby Nelson
Intake Director - Emeritus

In 2007, after Debby retired from her career as a kindergarten teacher and then an interior decorator, she began her journey with animal rescue by meeting a very sick puppy and promising him she would care for him and find him a home. Little did she know, that sick puppy would find his forever home with her own family. Since that first rescue, Debby has been involved with animal welfare—to her, the most rewarding experience is seeing hope reignite in a dog’s eyes.

Lauren Cole
Board Member, TN Intake Director, + Adoption Counselor

Lauren’s love for dogs began at an early age; her family jokes she barked before she talked. After adopting her right-hand man, Brooks in 2015, Lauren found her calling in dog rescue. A year later, she made the move from MA to AL to experience and assist with the animal overpopulation problem first hand. These days, Lauren lives in Tennessee with her wife Brooke, their five dogs, four cats, and a variable number of foster dogs. When she isn't at the shelter or dressing her foster dogs up in this season's latest fashions, she works full-time as a bank branch manager.

Shari Mathews
Intake Director

Originally from New York, Shari now lives in Florence and is a one-woman powerhouse who manages the intake, rescue, foster, vetting and transport of the dogs. She works tirelessly to get dogs to safety. Working with multiple vet offices and shelters in the area, she is acritical link in getting the deeply deserving dogs to Brown Dog in MA.