Meet Our Board & Leadership Team

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Fur & Feelings began as a shared belief among friends: that healing often happens in the quiet presence of the animals who walk beside us. Each of us has experienced, personally and professionally, the grounding power of pet companionship and the profound role animals play in emotional regulation, resilience, and recovery.

What started as conversations around lived experience grew into a collective vision — to bridge mental health care and animal connection in ways that feel accessible, innovative, and deeply human. Fur & Feelings exists to explore new pathways of healing, expand how support is offered, and create services people may not have realized were possible. Together, we are building something rooted in compassion, informed by experience, and led with intention.

Guided by Empathy, Connected Through Care

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Analecia Nickel, LMFT — President/Executive Director

Aylin Rivera, LCSW — Vice President

Josh Nickel — Chief Financial Officer

Jenni Garcia— Treasurer

Monique Jacobi, LMSW — Secretary

All team members also serve as Directors of Fur & Feelings.