Meet the Team

Zoey Knittel serves as the Community Animal Medicine Project’s Executive Director, overseeing the organization’s management, programs and development. Zoey joined CAMP in its infancy and immediately developed internal management procedures and participated in the strategic planning process defining CAMP’s long term goals and vision. With over ten years of development and non-profit management experience, Zoey successfully developed CAMP’s comprehensive fundraising plans which serve as a launch pad for the organization’s complex operations. She also serves as CAMP’s external spokesperson to raise awareness about under-served populations as well as to ensure CAMP continues to meet the needs of the ever-changing Los Angeles community. Zoey previously served as the managing director of a non-profit literary arts foundation and her award-winning writing has been widely published. Her screenplays have been produced by Rock The Vote for MTV, her short films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, aired on MTV, and were awarded the Peabody Award For Excellence in Television. Recently, Zoey, her partner and cats have fostered and found homes for a three-legged Pitbull, an eighteen year old senior kitty, and a litter of bottle baby kittens. She is proud to be able to support CAMP’s mission to provide the best quality care for those pets in need of the most help.

Janet has felt great compassion and love for animals ever since she can remember. She has 10 years of experience in animal welfare. She began her career with animals as a volunteer caring for puffins at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She later worked at an animal shelter, veterinary hospital and finally CAMP. She has simultaneously worked for several nonprofit spay and neuter organizations in Los Angeles. She recently became an RVT and is attending Cal State Fullerton earning a business degree. She is very proud to be a part of CAMP and create a positive impact on animals in her community.

Erin Thomas is the Director of Finance and Administration for CAMP and has been with the company for a combined 5 years. Erin completed her Masters of Business Administration degree in 2017 in addition to having over 13 years of experience in various accounting and human resource positions. With her immense love for animals, the opportunity to work with CAMP was an easy decision.

Dr. Elaine Lukic graduated from the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. After graduation, she practiced both general and emergency medicine in South Florida. In 2006, she moved to Southern California to pursue her passion for shelter medicine with OC Animal Care. She has been involved with non-profit, low-cost spay/neuter programs for almost 15 years both domestically and internationally. She has participated in numerous animal welfare projects abroad including programs with Christian Veterinary Mission in Bolivia, Project HEAL in Ecuador, and Animal Balance in Samoa as well as local efforts throughout Florida and Southern California. Dr. Lukic has been working with CAMP since July 2010. She believes in providing exceptional quality medicine and treating all animals with genuine care and concern as if they were her own pets. She shares her home with a spirited Golden Retriever and three affectionate and mischievous cats.

Since her promotion to Regional Director of Operations for the SouthBay region, Denise oversees both of CAMP's San Pedro clinics, including the new San Pedro Community Medicine clinic located at the Pedro Pet Pals Resource Center and the San Pedro spay/neuter clinic, established in 2009, which is a vital component of CAMP’s programming and is conveniently located adjacent to LA Animal Services’ Harbor Animal Care Center. With expert veterinary technician skills, a true love of animals and extensive experience, she plays an important role among CAMP's leadership team.

Adrian’s passion for animals started at a very young age. With over 15 years of experience in animal welfare, Adrian began his career in shelter medicine before joining CAMP’s very first spay and neuter team in 2008. His experience includes emergency care, general medicine, and spay and neuter. In his free time Adrian enjoys camping, hiking and spending time with his family.

As a lifelong lover of animals and proud mama of a former CAMP foster kitten, Ari comes to CAMP with a varied background in digital, film and event production, corporate management, ethnographic research and even a former life as a vet tech! She enthusiastically welcomes this opportunity to transform her volunteer role with CAMP into a full time career helping people and pets of Los Angeles.

Cristina is the Director of Administrative Services at CAMP. She began her journey with the organization in 2009, one of CAMP's original team members. After leaving in 2017 to pursue a career in human healthcare, she returned to CAMP in March 2022. Cristina has always been passionate about helping others, and she is thrilled to be back, serving the community and providing compassionate care to pets and people. Outside of work, Cristina cherishes time with her son and loves the joy of being a mother.

Dr. Zach Deegan is a veterinarian with 10 years of veterinary experience in shelter medicine, high-quality high-volume spay neuter programs, disaster response and animal welfare policy. He has been full time with CAMP since 2017. Dr. Deegan is a key member of the leadership team at our Mission Hills clinic, where he helps manage daily clinic operations, sees wellness and spay/neuter recheck appointments, and also trains staff and volunteers in HQHVSN best practices and procedures.

Dr. Kristina Naef was thrilled to join the CAMP team in early 2024 and to contribute to a mission that deeply resonates with her professional and personal values. Dr. Naef graduated from Purdue University with her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2017, after completing a Masters in Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University in 2012. Dr. Naef brings a unique blend of skills and passion to CAMP’s Community Medicine department with her experience in small animal general practice, urgent care practice, soft tissue surgery and shelter medicine. She has a special love for kitties with a passion for feline friendly practice. She believes in low stress, fear free handling of all pets seen at the clinic, in order to ensure that patients receive the best care in a comforting environment. Dr. Naef’s journey in veterinary medicine has been marked by a focus on community outreach and education. She believes that informed communities can make a significant difference in the lives of animals. Whether managing a team of veterinarians or engaging in hands on practice, Dr. Naef’s goal is always to provide exceptional care, while nurturing the human-animal bond.

Dr. Michelle Lopez is CAMP’s staff doctor at both the San Pedro and South LA clinics. She joined Team CAMP in 2021 and provides expert, compassionate care to all of her four-legged patients. Dr. Lopez is an inspiration to her staff at CAMP who enjoy working with her and admire her focus on teamwork and love of all animals.

Dr. Jennie Nguyen is one of our staff veterinarians at our CAMP South LA location. After spending several years in Michigan obtaining her veterinary degree and working for another non-profit, Dr. Nguyen is excited to return to her home state to continue providing quality medicine to her patients, and serving the community she grew up in. She is especially interested in shelter and community medicine, and is passionate about providing access to veterinary care to those in need. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two senior rescue pups, Sydney and Dexter.

Dr. Jennifer Artinian is so excited to be a part of the CAMP Mission Hills team. She graduated from Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine in Glendale AZ. She enjoys both the medical and surgical sides of the veterinary field, especially spays and neuters. On her off time she enjoys spending time with family and friends and all of their furry and scaly pets.

Dr. Jennifer Allen is one of CAMP’s staff doctors at both the San Pedro and South LA clinics. Dr. Allen has spent her life around animals both large and small. After spending a decade in Louisiana for school and discovering her career in veterinary medicine, she returned home to southern California as a veterinarian. She is most passionate about client education, preventative medicine, and access to care. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and being outdoors.

Joann has over 10 years of administrative experience and, since 2012, she has been a social media entrepreneur—helping many small businesses grow. With her love for animals and background experience, it has been a dream to merge the two by becoming CAMP's Social Media Manager. You can find Joann with phone and camera in hand, capturing photos and videos of our wonderful patients and staff at all CAMP clinics and Mobile events.

Maribel has dedicated her life to veterinary medicine for the past 20 years, specializing in general practice, emergency and critical care, and most recently academia. She obtained her Animal Science/Pre-Vet degree at Cal Poly Pomona in 2010 and RVT license in 2012. Mentoring and teaching is her passion and she is excited to bring forth her skills at CAMP to further assist the community. During her down time, she likes to travel with her husband and two dogs, Obi and Finn.

Cynthia's lifelong love of animals has kept her in the veterinary field for over 15 years. She received her license as a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2012. Her career has led her to clinics specializing in oncology, general practice and emergency medicine. She was also a regular volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for almost a year. Cynthia is so excited to bring all of her experiences to this role in community medicine and making medical care more accessible to animals and their owners.

Brianna started in the Veterinary Field in 2016 and has explored General Practice, Emergency Medicine, Speciality and now Community Medicine. She is originally from Monterey County and moved to the area in the middle of 2023. She has a strong passion for helping animals and their humans. In her downtime she loves being outdoors, spending time with her chihuahua and painting.

Mireya Alejandro Ruiz is the Manager of San Pedro Community Medicine Clinic. With a deep love for animals and a strong commitment to her community, Mireya ensures that the clinic provides the highest quality care to all its patients. Her dedication and compassion have made her a respected leader in the field, always striving to enhance the well-being of both animals and the people who care for them.

Angie Martinez is the Manager of CAMP's San Pedro Spay/Neuter Clinic. With a particular love for neonatal kittens and a dedication to her community, Angie is committed to providing exceptional care at CAMP's flagship San Pedro clinic. A long-time member of the CAMP team, her expertise and passion have been instrumental in managing the clinic and helping families and their pets stay happy and healthy together.

Maritza Rodriguez is the Manager of CAMP’s Mobile Clinic. Deeply committed to community service, Maritza ensures that CAMP's mobile clinic delivers top-quality, compassionate care to pets in need. She emphasizes the importance of access to care, striving to make veterinary services available to all. She is dedicated to expanding veterinary care across Los Angeles.

Adela loves educating and being a resource to owners as well as working to improve the health of animals in our low income communities. She has been an RVT since 2019, and working in the field of veterinary medicine since 2017. She has a variety of experience including veterinary neurology, ER, and HQHVSN.

Lori Reyes has had a love for animals for as long as she can remember. She graduated college with a degree in Veterinary Technology and has worked at CAMP since 2013. When she is not working, she spends quality time with her four beloved dogs.