About Us

Our Mission

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office Humane Emergency Animal Rescue Team (H.E.A.R.T.) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping animals and their owners in the community who need rescue and evacuation during an emergency.

Sheriff's Heart also aims to create more resilient communities by educating animal owners on animal emergency preparedness and provide supportive resources online, at local events, and at our community workshops.

Our Team

Stefanie Geckler

Stefanie Geckler is the Nevada County Animal Control Supervisor with extensive experience in animal welfare, law enforcement, and disaster response. She has completed National Animal Control Academy Levels I, II, and III, FEMA emergency management courses, and specialized training in equine investigations, large scale investigations, and disaster planning. Stefanie holds Large Animal Rescue Technician certification and has served as a Field Training Officer. In 2015, she received the Nevada County Officer of the Year award. She serves as a CalAnimals Board Member, CalCARTs Board Advisor, and Cal OES Animal Evacuation Advisor, and is a member of the Code 3 Associates Animal Control Officer Coalition. Her leadership and specialized expertise contribute to HEART’s animal emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Katie Adams

As the Senior Animal Control Officer with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, I have dedicated the past three years to serving our community through animal welfare, public safety, and emergency response. In my role, I work with both domestic animals and wildlife, helping to protect animals while supporting the safety and well-being of the people in our community. In addition to my animal control responsibilities, I assist with the training and day-to-day operations of our Animal Control team and the Nevada County Sheriff’s HEART volunteer team. I help prepare and train volunteers to respond effectively during emergencies, particularly when animals and their families are impacted by disasters and evacuations. I am passionate about building a well-trained, compassionate, and dependable team that is prepared to serve our community when help is needed most. Through Animal Control and HEART, I am proud to be part of an organization dedicated to protecting animals, supporting their owners, and strengthening Nevada County’s emergency preparedness and response.

Dr. Elaine Krieg

Dr. Elaine Krieg is a Nevada County veterinarian and graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with extensive experience in animal disaster response. She has provided veterinary care to animals affected by the Nuns, Tubbs, and Cascade fires, including housing and caring for more than 80 animals with severe burns. A CVET Lead Veterinarian and certified in Large Animal Technical Rescue, Dr. Krieg promotes fire preparedness and evacuation planning for animal families. She also serves as Breed Standard Committee Chair for the National Pygmy Goat Association.

Mitch Boothe

Mitch Boothe is a retired AT&T Advanced Technical Support Specialist with 40.5 years of service and extensive experience in disaster response. He has responded to floods, earthquakes, storms, and fires, including incidents in Napa, Santa Rosa, Paradise, Butte, Nevada, and Placer Counties, as well as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Mitch is trained in emergency response and emergency management, with certifications in first aid, CPR, defensive driving, and FirstNet driving. He has also completed safe towing courses, animal science courses, and Large Animal Technician certification. His diverse disaster response experience and specialized animal rescue training bring valuable expertise to HEART.

Sheriff’s H.E.A.R.T. 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Tax ID (EIN) 93-2769904 (2).png

Julia Roegiers

Julia Roegiers joined the Sheriff’s H.E.A.R.T. board in October 2025, bringing a lifelong passion for animal welfare and strong operational expertise to the team. In her professional role as an Administrative Assistant at the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Julia focuses on community connection—a skill she translates directly to H.E.A.R.T. by driving program development, spearheading community outreach, and providing critical administrative and technology support.

Suzanne Koster

Suzanne is proud to be involved with the Nevada County Sheriff’s H.E.A.R.T. (Humane Emergency Animal Rescue Team), where she helps prepare for and respond to animal emergencies and disasters. She is especially passionate about ensuring that pets, livestock, and their owners are not overlooked during wildfires, evacuations, and other emergencies. Through HEART, she works to strengthen community preparedness, develop partnerships, provide education, and make sure Nevada County has the resources and knowledge needed to protect animals when disaster strikes.

Cassie Triplett

Cassie Triplett is a Nevada County Animal Control Officer II and Field Training Officer with specialized training in animal disaster response. She has completed FEMA Incident Command System and emergency management courses, National Animal Control Academy Levels I and II, and holds Large Animal Rescue Technician certification. Her professional development includes the Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Conference, Big Useful Livestock Lessons training, and PC832 certification in arrest, search, seizure, and firearms. Cassie also holds a master’s degree in English. Her combination of law enforcement, animal control, and emergency response training brings valuable expertise to HEART.

Ted Melden

Ted Melden is a retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant and former Yuba County Deputy Sheriff with extensive experience in incident command, emergency response, and training. He is a state certified Incident Command System and Hazardous Materials Instructor, as well as a Railroad Emergency Spill Response Specialist. Ted has authored two training manuals covering ICS and hazardous materials response and has served as a Driver Safety Instructor and instructor in marine mammal rescue. His background in law enforcement, emergency management, and specialized rescue brings valuable expertise to HEART.

Lisa Smith

Lisa is currently the General Manager for Durham School Services where she has have worked for the past 15 years, servicing the community and getting kids to and from school. For 10 years she ran a non-profit horse rescue. I have also fostered older dogs as well as horses for the county and Sammie’s Friends. She has been involved in animal rescuing for disasters for over 14 years and has worked many fires as well as other natural disasters. She is a mother of 2, and a grandmother of 2. My main hobby is barrel racing where I have now been to finals 3 years in a row. She is proud to be part of the HEART team and enjoy helping others!

The Story of H.E.A.R.T.

From Stefanie Geckler

I had been working as an Animal Control Officer since 2009. Over the years, I had handled animal rescues and evacuations, sometimes on my own simply because there weren’t enough officers available to help. I had responded to fires and emergencies before, but nothing prepared me for what I experienced while working Animal Search and Rescue during the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County.

Nothing.

I saw things that no human being should ever have to see. And unfortunately, I can’t unsee them. I saw the devastation left behind. I saw animals that had been abandoned, injured, trapped, or left to fend for themselves. I saw the consequences of people being forced to evacuate with little warning and the impossible choices they had to make.

I saw what happens when an emergency overwhelms the systems that are supposed to respond to it. When the incident was over, I came home.

But a part of me was still there.

I was scared. Really scared. Because I started thinking about Nevada County.

Our terrain and topography are remarkably similar to Butte County. We have the forests, the canyons, the steep terrain, the winding roads, and the communities tucked into areas where a rapidly moving wildfire could change everything in a matter of minutes.

And we hadn't experienced a catastrophic incident yet. But I knew it was only a matter of time.

At that point, Nevada County had only two Animal Control Officers.

Two.

And I kept asking myself: What can two Animal Control Officers realistically do when a major wildfire hits?

The answer was painfully obvious. Not much.

We did have a small local volunteer group that had been around to help care for animals during evacuations. They were well-intentioned people who genuinely wanted to help. In many ways, they were small but mighty.

But when I looked more closely, I realized that good intentions weren't enough.

They weren't properly vetted. They weren't adequately trained. There wasn't the structure, command system, accountability, or operational readiness that a major disaster requires.

And I had seen firsthand during the Camp Fire what happens when those things are missing.

Animals went missing. People and animals were injured. Communication broke down.

People showed up wanting to help but didn't necessarily know how to help safely.

And in a disaster, untrained help can sometimes create another problem for the people who are already trying to manage the first one.

I knew we needed something different. We needed something substantial. And we needed it before we needed it. I knew exactly what I wanted to build because I had seen both sides of disaster response. I had seen what worked. I had seen what didn't. And I had seen the consequences when there wasn't enough preparation, structure, training, or accountability.

The idea of building the team I envisioned was daunting.

I was already working full-time as an Animal Control Officer. I wasn't particularly technology-savvy. I didn't have a large staff behind me or a big budget. And frankly, I didn't have a roadmap.

What I did have was a very clear picture in my head of what was needed.

For years, that picture stayed mostly in my head. Then, in September 2022, something changed.

I began working with my new partner, Cassie Triplett. Cassie had a gift that I didn't have. She could take the things I was trying to explain, the things I could see in my head, and turn them into something other people could see too. Together, we began putting the vision onto paper.

And then, more importantly, into video. We created a ten-minute video that explained what I had seen, what Nevada County needed, and what H.E.A.R.T. could become.

It wasn't just a presentation. It was a vision.

In November 2022, we sat down with Sheriff Moon and her command staff and showed them that video. For ten minutes, we waited. And when the video ended, they didn't tell us why it couldn't be done. They didn't tell us we were asking for too much. They didn't tell us to come back later.

They said: “Yes. We want you to do that.” That was the moment the vision became real.

On January 1, 2023, the Nevada County Sheriff's H.E.A.R.T. Team was created. And then we got to work. We built the program from the ground up. We created training. We created protocols. We developed operational procedures. We established expectations. We built a system to properly vet and train volunteers.

And that first year, we fully vetted and onboarded 125 volunteers.

But H.E.A.R.T. was never really about creating a volunteer group. It was about creating a professional emergency response capability for animals. It was about taking everything I had learned from the worst days of my career and using it to make sure that, if that day ever came to Nevada County, we would be ready.

Ready before the fire.

Ready before the evacuation order.

Ready before the phone starts ringing.

Ready before someone has to ask, “Who is going to take care of the animals?”

Because I know what happens when you're not ready. I have seen it. And I never want to see it here. That is why H.E.A.R.T. exists. It was born out of tragedy, but it was built out of hope.

Hope that we could do better.

Hope that no animal would be left behind simply because there wasn't a plan.

Hope that the people who showed up to help would be trained, prepared, and equipped to do so safely.

And hope that when the next disaster comes, and someday it will, we won't be standing there wondering what to do. We'll already know. We'll already be there. We'll be ready. That's H.E.A.R.T.