Christine Korkalo, President
Christine has been a member of ART since 2002. She was drawn to ART by a need to do more for the animals in her community. She knew ART to be a reputable and respected animal rescue group in the South Hampton Roads area. Christine has fostered both dogs and cats for ART. The two cats that currently reside with the Korkalos were trapped ferals that the family grew to love and eventually adopted. Christine also has a wonderful dog adopted from another local rescue. Besides the dog and cats, Christine shares her home with her husband and two beautiful daughters. Christine and her husband, Chris, own their own business specializing in dimensionally accurate 3D models created from data captured via laser scanning. Christine can often be found working at her computer with one of her cats nearby.
Meagan Storey, Vice President
Meagan began volunteering in the local animal welfare community when she joined a work-related service day at Norfolk Animal Care Center. That afternoon kindled an underlying passion, and over the past 15 years, she found many ways to help local rescue and shelter animals. Meagan began working with ART in 2010 as part of its Spay Hampton Roads (SpayHR) program and is the current Program Manager. She loves that ART and SpayHR connect the community to vital resources and enjoys partnering with other local rescue groups to help more animals and people. When she’s not working or volunteering, Meagan likes to be outdoors running, walking, and hiking or indoors practicing yoga with her rescue cats. (Also pictured – Gump, who usually loves to have his picture taken but prefers to be the main character)
Tina Pittman, Secretary
Tina has been a member of ART since the fall of 2004. She is involved with ART not only as the Membership Secretary but answers emails sent to the group, works with Facebook as well as supporting at ART events. Tina feels that ART is a group of people that are genuinely dedicated to helping animals in the community in multiple capacities. Tina is an Executive Assistant for Shopping Center Management with S.L. Nusbaum Realty. When she’s not busy with her ART activities, she likes to also volunteer with Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary and devote time to renovating her home, photography, gardening, and crafts. Tina shares her home with her boyfriend and her rescue dogs, Ben & Jerry.
Julie Sokolowski, Treasurer
Julie has been involved with ART since 2010. Julie is a CPA and maintains the financial records for ART. As a CPA, she works with clients in a variety of industries but has a heavy specialization with nonprofits. Julie is a multi-year winner of Virginia Business’s “Super CPA” award in the area of Government and Not-for-Profit. Julie also serves as the secretary for the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies and is a Past President of the Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Society of CPAs. Julie has been an animal lover all her life but decided to become more involved with animal welfare organizations after discovering a momma cat and her litter of kittens living under her home’s deck. She was able to trap, spay/neuter and find loving homes for the kittens, including keeping a couple as her own. Julie lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her crew of rescued kitties.
Susan Corbitt, Member at Large
In 1999 Susan’s involvement with ART began when she agreed to foster a dog for founder Debra Griggs. Susan loves being able to make a difference in the lives of dogs, one at a time, as well as being a part of an organization who strives to improve the lives of dogs and cats in the Hampton Roads community. She is the foster care coordinator and manages ART’s Community Fund which aims to keep pets in homes by providing medical assistance for families going through a difficult time. Her other interests include reading, animal behavior, and walking her own dogs. For the past thirty years Susan has been entertaining children of all ages with her storytelling in libraries, churches, schools, and special events.
Debra Griggs, Founder
Debra Griggs is the Past President of the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies. She founded Animal Resources of Tidewater, and was the founding Chair of the Animal Welfare Coalition of Hampton Roads. Previously she was President of the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Chair of the Ryan White Care Consortium, Chair of the Women’s Multicultural Coalition and served on the Board of the Hampton Roads REALTORS Association. Her volunteerism was recognized when she received the 2010 Converse College Alumni Community Service Award.
Debra is a committed advocate for the underserved and has a personal passion for ending discrimination – whether it is based upon gender, race, ethnicity, or those marginalized by circumstance as in the case of homelessness and AIDS. In her current role as an animal welfare advocate, she is a leader in the effort to end dog breed discrimination.