​Allison Cardona is thrilled to serve on this board and make an impact for animals and the people who care for them. She joined the Koret Shelter Medicine Program in January 2022 as California State Director. Prior to this, Allison worked for nearly five years as deputy director for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. In that role, she oversaw two full-service animal care centers, a communications center, public relations, adoption partners, behavior and enrichment, and volunteer programs. ​ Allison also served as liaison to the County’s Homeless Initiative ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have options and resources for their pets as well as participating in the County’s Anti-racism, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, assisting with the implementation of an anti-racist policy agenda. Before that, Allison spent fourteen years as a senior program director at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in a variety of departments including adoptions, spay/neuter, disaster response, large-scale cruelty operations, animal hoarding cases, cruelty intervention programs and community engagement.  ​ She serves on the Leadership Council and volunteers on-site at the Downtown Women’s Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed care to unhoused women in Los Angeles. She received a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs from Empire State College and is a graduate of the USC Price School of Public Policy Executive Leadership Development Program and Southern Utah University Certificate in Executive Animal Services. The proud daughter of Colombian immigrants, Allison is deeply committed to racial justice and equity work. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner, Yvonne and beloved dog, Emma.

Maria Hall is an employment and housing rights lawyer. She directs the Los Angeles Incubator Consortium, a legal incubator that increases access to justice by supporting solo lawyers as they build community law practices. In addition to serving on the board of HEART, she is a member of the boards of the LA Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, the Mexican American Bar Foundation, and the Friends of the Los Angeles Law Library. She is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service Advisory Panel and its Access to Justice Committee.

Born and raised on unceded Tongva land in so-called Los Angeles, Miguel's identity as a queer, Trans, working-class child of Mexican immigrants has been instrumental in shaping their life journey. Navigating the intersections of these identities has given Miguel a profound understanding of the challenges faced by historically marginalized and systematically oppressed communities. It's this understanding that fuels their commitment to building connections and uplifting those who have been underserved for far too long. ​ Over the past seven years, Miguel has been deeply involved in animal well-being, dedicating their time to developing programs and working directly with marginalized communities. In this role, they've become a certified community counselor and mediator, honing the skills necessary to build connections and uplift those who need it most.​

Mr. Batt joined Inner City Law Center (ICLC) as Director of Development in February 2010. Prior to joining ICLC, Harry worked for ten years as Associate Director of Development, at Public Counsel, the largest pro bono law office in the nation. Harry trained at the Midwest Academy, where he received a degree in community organizing. Harry previously owned, operated, managed and consulted for restaurants throughout the world and has contributed to the success of a diverse portfolio of brands, as well as national theme restaurants. He studied politics at Hebrew University and Brandeis University, and holds a B.S. in Information Systems from the University of Phoenix.

Nathaly Medina is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Phillips, Spallas & Angstadt LLP. She represents individuals and entities in a broad range of disputes, including real property, personal injury, and products liability. Ms. Medina received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Art History and a Bachelor of Science in Film and Television from Boston University in 2010. She earned her Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she served on the Trial Advocacy Board. ​ Prior to joining the firm, Nathaly worked as a staff attorney at Housing Equity and Advocacy Resource Team, a non‐profit organization dedicated to keeping people and pets together, and as a supervising attorney at the Eviction Defense Network, a non‐profit organization dedicated to closing the access to justice gap in eviction proceedings. During her career, Ms. Medina has excelled in jury trials and has an outstanding record of success. She has also excelled in negotiations, reaching favorable settlements in countless cases. Born and raised in Los Angeles by Ecuadorean parents, Ms. Medina is fluent in Spanish and enjoys dancing salsa and cumbia.

Mr. Kristovich was a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, specializing in complex civil litigation. He has substantial trial court, jury trial and appellate court experience, including an oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court, in a variety of areas, including business/commercial, banking, insurance, environmental, toxic tort and products liability. Steve has been the successful lead trial lawyer in multiple two-month jury trials where plaintiff asked the jury to award billions of dollars in compensatory damages plus punitive damages, and in a one- month arbitration where the plaintiff claimed nearly $200 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages.   Mr. Kristovich was also the lead pro-bono counsel in an affirmative slum housing litigation case, representing 14 families, for a total of 80 plaintiffs against the former and current owner of a building in deplorable conditions. The case settled for over $4 million dollars and also caused for the current owner to sell the building and no longer be in the rental housing business.

Nadia Oseguera joined the Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP) in September 2022 as California Program Manager. Prior to joining the KSMP, Nadia received a Bachelor of Art degree in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her desire to help animals combined with her profound understanding and appreciation for people’s diverse experiences and motivations encouraged her to pursue a career in animal welfare.  Nadia’s professional background in customer care and education enabled her to approach animal sheltering with compassionate communication and collaboration, open-mindedness and solution-driven problem-solving. During her five years with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Nadia managed a high-volume feline foster program in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC). Her proudest accomplishments while at the ASPCA included: developing programs to help vulnerable felines, removing barriers to fostering, providing learner-centered trainings for foster caregivers, and supporting felines with behavioral challenges.  Nadia attributes her insight and appreciation for the challenges and successes that animal sheltering professionals experience daily in high-volume animal shelters to her time working on the ground at DACC animal shelters and her collaboration with DACC team members.  In her new role at KSMP, Nadia looks forward to working alongside shelter leaders to brainstorm and implement innovative, lifesaving operations.