WHAT IS
OPERATION INDY ANIMALS?

Jen Hancock is the Executive Director of FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic and has been part of the organization for the past 10 years, helping to advance its mission of providing accessible veterinary care. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Jen brings a deep commitment to community service, organizational leadership, and animal welfare. Jen is an alumnus of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

IndyHumane’s mission is to improve animal welfare in central Indiana. We are committed to ending the cycle of pet overpopulation, providing affordable pet ownership, and ensuring the well-being, health and safety of all animals in our care. We strive to promote the human animal bond and the powerful impact this mutually beneficial relationship has on individuals, families, and the Indianapolis community.

Dawn Benefiel is the Executive Director of Indy Neighborhood Cats, one of Indianapolis’ leading community-cat organizations providing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), medical care, rescue placement, and community education for free-roaming cats. Under her leadership, INC serves thousands of cats each year through strong partnerships with Indianapolis Animal Care Services, IndyHumane, FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic, FIDO Indy, S.O.A.R, and Hotel Bravo. Dawn brings a collaborative, data-driven approach to animal welfare and serves on the board of Operation Indy Animals to advance a unified, city-wide strategy for improving animal outcomes.

Darcie has served in a variety of roles in Indianapolis animal welfare for over 25 years. She began as a volunteer dog-walker at two local animal shelters and later chaired the Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS) advisory board. 20 years ago, Darcie founded FIDO Indy to address the unmet needs of dogs in our community who are kept outside chained or penned. 15 years ago, Darcie made the decision to leave her clinical research position at Eli Lilly to take a job at IACS as kennel manager. Darcie has subsequently held leadership positions at the FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic, Southside Animal Shelter, and the Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic in Noblesville/Brownsburg. After years of serving as a volunteer and board member with FIDO, she became FIDO’s first Executive Director in 2017. Since then, Darcie has worked to grow FIDO’s staffing and budget to expand and enhance the animal welfare programs and services FIDO provides to the community. In 2023, Darcie initiated the development of the citywide 5-year animal welfare strategic plan, serving on its steering committee for the first year, and continuing on as the co-chair of Operation Indy Animals, charged with implementation of the strategic plan. Darcie is motivated to ensure that Operation Indy Animals succeeds in fully implementing the strategic plan so that Indianapolis is once and for all a humane community for animals.

Brett Miles (formerly Kruger) is a current employee of FIDO Indy and is on the board of Indy Neighborhood Cats. Brett has extensive animal welfare experience first as a volunteer at IACS, Hamilton Humane, and mainly IndyHumane where she focused on dog behavior. She went on to be employed at IndyHumane for almost 10 years culminating in managing the Feline Team. Brett was briefly Cat Program Manager at Cincinnati Animal CARE, before returning to Indianapolis and joining FIDO. Brett has been on the IACS Advisory Board/ IACS Board for a total of 5 years.

Peaceful Souls was founded in 2019, and I have been trapping dogs since 2012.
Peaceful Souls Animal Rescue and Recovery is a small nonprofit dedicated to assisting our community with trapping and recovery of lost and stray dogs. We are a resource for guidance regarding found animals, and the only outreach partner assisting our animal care agency in containing lost or at-large animals. I have worked in some form of animal welfare for the last 20 years while also working in the private sector in IT Program Management.
This coalition means an opportunity to do it right. To make a difference in Marion County. To speak for those that can’t speak for themselves. Truly concentrating on saving one soul at a time, we can address overpopulation, abuse/neglect, and our community at large. I believe that by partnering with other organizations and helping to address the underlying issues we can solve animal welfare issues in a collaborative effort.

A small town girl with great big dreams, Kristin Hancock is the executive director at Friends of Indy Animals and is leading the organization into a new era of community leadership. Through creative solutions and strategic fundraising, Kristin is working to create a community of support for animal welfare improvement in the City of Indianapolis. With a professional background in corporate communications and employee engagement, Kristin has had the pleasure of working with organizations like Ronald McDonald House and Make-A-Wish. She believes strongly in leaning in, giving back, and community over competition. In Indianapolis by way of Canada, Kristin immigrated in 2019 and continues to enjoy learning how to be a Hoosier.

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