Our Staff At Heaven Can Wait

Born and raised in upstate NY, Francesca attended Harvard University in Cambridge, MA before moving to Las Vegas in 2017. She was originally pursuing a career in academia before she focused on maximizing community impact with roles at local nonprofit organizations. She believes that the best way to make a positive difference is through transparency, collaboration, and effective community engagement. Francesca has always been passionate about animal welfare and was thrilled to join the HCW team as Executive Director in 2020. She and her husband have three cats at home - one adopted from HCW back in 2017 - and the best dog in the world, Mona.

Dr. Henderson graduated from UNLV in 1972 before attending Colorado State College of Veterinary Medicine. He has been a practicing veterinarian since he graduated in 1981. First practicing in Reno, he came to Las Vegas where he opened his own practice, Sunrise Veterinary Hospital, in 1983. He has been the owner and operator for almost 40 years. Dr. Henderson was one of the first advocates of Trap-Neuter-Return programming in Las Vegas as a solution to the pet overpopulation and euthanasia crisis in our community. He has been the Medical Director at Heaven Can Wait since 2002, and in his tenure, has performed over 100,000 spay & neuter surgeries on both pets and community cats.

Dr. Meyer grew up in Columbia, MO, home of the University of Missouri. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Truman State University in 2014 before returning to Columbia to attend the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated from veterinary school in 2018 and moved to Las Vegas. She worked as a small animal general practice veterinarian until 2021, when she decided to change course and join Heaven Can Wait, initially as a relief veterinarian, and then as Heaven Can Wait’s first full-time veterinarian. Her medical interests include surgery, preventive care, and accessible community medicine. She spends her free time hiking, traveling, horseback riding, and enjoying a good book and a cup of coffee. She and her husband have a cat, Charles, and two dogs, Ryka and Juniper.

Annika was born in Henderson and raised in Las Vegas, but is of German heritage. She actually started out her career to be a human nurse, but diverted into animal medicine after a year. She graduated and got her first job as a Veterinary Technician. She joined Heaven Can Wait in 2009, and became the Lead Vet Tech in 2010. She was inspired to become a Veterinary nurse because she loves all Animals.

Melina was born and raised in San Diego but in 2020 made the move to Las Vegas with her fiance and wheeling wonder dog Cameron. Having developed a deep seeded love for animals and rescue from a very young age she continued to volunteer throughout her life. As an adult she focused on pit bull rescue and senior canine rescue while working full time as an administrative professional in marketing and the department of defense. Melina is overjoyed to be combining her administrative career with her life long passion for animal wellness and rescue. She is excited to learn more about TNR and how we can better serve her new Las Vegas community and rescues.

Kelly began her career at Heaven Can Wait in 2021. She has taken care of animals from exotics to dog and cat companions since she was a girl. As a Las Vegas native, she was a veterinary assistant for 8 years at local clinics, owning family pups and finding furever homes for some others in need. Her experience in animal wellness and admiration for the incredible bond between human and companion inspired her to pursue a career connecting people who truly care, to the animals and causes that need them. In her leisure time, she loves Onewheeling, games with loved ones, dancing at shows, and beach adventures.

Nathaly is originally from Peru, and lived in Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas, where she's spent most of her life. She loves animals, and is affectionately called "the cat whisperer" by the rest of the staff. Nathaly started volunteering for a trap-neuter-return program when she noticed a feral cat colony in her backyard, which is how she got started with Heaven Can Wait. In addition to her kitties, she has a sweet dog named Goldy.

Kelli was born and raised in Las Vegas and graduated from CSN's Veterinary Nursing Program in 2013. She immediately joined the team here at Heaven Can Wait because of her strong interest in Trap-Neuter-Return and serving community cats. She has three cats of her own: Muffin, Yoda, and Kitten.

Taylor is a graduate from the College of Southern Nevada’s Veterinary Nursing program. She chose this career path so that she can give back to animals, providing the best for them in all opportunities.

Elizabeth is a Las Vegas native who joined Heaven Can Wait in 2010. She's a cat and dog lover, and has one cat called Eric who she found as a park as a kitten. Fun fact: she's an identical twin! In her free time she enjoys karaoke and a game of pool.

A lifelong animal lover, Leslie started working as a volunteer at Heaven Can Wait. She loved it so much she went back to school so she could become licensed as a vet tech. She's worked here for over 11 years. Leslie and her husband also adopt ex-racing greyhounds.

Amanda joined the HCW team in December 2014 as a volunteer before she was hired as a veterinary assistant in 2017. She joined the field because when she was younger, she wanted to open up her own shelter to help strays and give them a second chance at a forever home. Being able to work at HCWS to stop pet overpopulation and educate the community about spay & neuter has been a great learning experience for her. In her free time, Amanda loves spending time with her family, friends, and most of all her fur babies.

Jane emigrated from England in 1998 after meeting her American husband who was based in the UK with the US Air Force. She loves cats and dogs, and has pets of her own at home. Jane started volunteering at HCW's Sunday Clinics several years ago. When a job opportunity came up, she jumped at the chance to join the team.

Gloria was born and raised in Las Vegas! She's always loved animals and has a pup named Bella at home. Gloria started as a volunteer over 10 years ago and joined the team in 2012.