Our Staff
Stephanie Kotick
Stephanie, M.P.A. is our Co-Creator & Branch Director! She is a Fighting Texas Aggie class of '13 (B.S. in Sociology) and '15 (M.P.A., concentration in Nonprofit Management). While she currently works for a local business in website support, Stephanie's dream job is to run a nonprofit organization - which she does in her free time as a volunteer for Long Way Home. Stephanie first fell in love with the bully breed when she was 3 years old and her family got their first pit bull, Woody. When she first arrived in College Station fall of 2010, Stephanie sought out an organization that loved the breed as much as she; but sadly at the time both shelters euthanized upon intake and no specific rescues were that well-known.
After the case of Esperanza, one of two "bait dogs" set on fire and left to die in the summer of 2011 (both made full recoveries), Stephanie finally came across Long Way Home Pit Bull Rescue when they were still in their formation stage. She quickly volunteered to foster a 5-month old puppy named Gandhi, and the rest is history - and by "history," we mean: Stephanie quickly ADOPTED Gandhi and went from volunteer to foster mom to adoptive mom to volunteer coordinator to program director and now to our president!
As our President and Program Director, Stephanie maintains and oversees our intern and adoption programs, in addition to fostering our most challenging pit bulls. Stephanie combines her enthusiasm with her education and skills and has taken Long Way Home Pit Bull Rescue from an organization that adopted 3-5 pit bulls a year to roughly 100 in 2014 & 2015 combined. Her passion for the breed and love of the cause motivates her to partake in this important work and we are so grateful to have her on board! Have a question about LWH Pit Bull Rescue, interning, or adopting? Send Stephanie an email today!
Amanda Dowell
Amanda Dowell is our Program Director! She is the owner of Sitting Pretty Personalized Pet Care and volunteers with Long Way Home in her free time. Amanda has always had a love for various animals and knew that she was meant to be working with them in some capacity for the rest of her life. While she grew up with several breeds of dog in her family, Amanda's life changed when she adopted a 3 month old pit bull puppy named Cash!
Still the center of her world, Cash has inspired Amanda to advocate for this breed! As fate would have it, she came across Long Way Home Pit Bull Rescue when she attended a community event and her booth was set up right next to Long Way Home's! Amanda began as a foster for Long Way Home in 2011 became an adopter in 2012 (and again in 2014!), and has continued to work for the Long Way Home mission statement.
As our Vice President & Program Director, Amanda oversees and maintains our foster program and has taken it to the next level with her skills, organization, and social personality. She is working hard to establish a flush foster roster, a solid donated supplies stash, and fun & rewarding events and activities for our foster families to partake in. Amanda's enthusiasm and dedication to Long Way Home has made her a wonderful asset to our team and we couldn't imagine doing our important work without her! Have a question regarding fostering? Email [email protected] today!
Bree Frasier
Bree is our Fundraising & Events Coordinator! She is currently a junior at Sam Houston State University studying Ag Business. Bree has always had a special place in her heart for animals, always bringing home strays and nursing them back to health since she was young. She always had pets growing up - dogs, cats, hamsters, rats, fish and turtles - but she first fell in love with rescuing animals back in high school when she found 4 kittens in a ticket booth one summer. In fact, the kittens were only a few days old and she took on the responsibility of bottle feeding! Bree only lost one kitten out of the four, found two homes, and kept one kitten as her own!
But Bree's passion for and love with pitties began when she was a senior in high school. Her big sister adopted a pit bull puppy, Cash, and brought him home over winter break - Bree immediately fell in love! While living in San Angelo, Bree adopted her pit bull mix, Tuff, from the San Angelo Animal Shelter. Not long after adopting Tuff, Bree quickly noticed how others perceive the breed and after she was told that Tuff was not allowed at baseball game due to his breed, she became a very passionate advocate for the breed.
As our Fundraising & Events Coordinator, Bree plans and executes events and works with local businesses on sponsoring our events. Bree has an energetic and creative personality that makes her a great asset to our Long Way Home team. She is constantly coming up with great event ideas and works hard to make them reality! Interested in becoming a Long Way Home sponsor or have an event idea? Email Bree today!
Maddie Murphy
Maddie, a volunteer-turned foster-turned adopter, is our volunteer & donations coordinator! She is currently a Junior at Texas A&M University studying Special Education, one of her various passions. Maddie first fell in love with animals at a very young age. She always had hamsters, fish, dogs, or hermit crabs throughout her childhood that helped her to fall in love with helping others. She first developed a passion for rescue when her family adopted Digger, a hound mix from a local shelter. Then came Trapper, another rescue, and she knew then that she had found another passion: rescue.
She fell in love with the bully breed by discovering Pit Bulls and Parolees on Animal Planet and began researching all about pit bulls and pit bull mixes. As soon as she moved to College Station, she sought out Long Way Home to begin volunteering with the amazing breed she had grew to love. Not long after, she began fostering and in August 2014, Violet first entered her home and she never left. Violet is the reason Maddie continues to fight for the bully breed everyday as she has seen first hand the damage that society has done.
As our volunteer & donations coordinator, Maddie maintains and oversees our volunteer group - The Pit Crew - and manages our Pay It Forward program where we give food, treats, and toys to other rescues & shelters who may have a great need for these supplies. Maddie has an upbeat, bright personality and is truly an asset to have on our team. She works hard to increase the number of volunteers in The Pit Crew and is constantly thinking of new ways to give back to our volunteers, other rescues & shelters, and the bully breed. Interested in joining our Pit Crew or have items you would like to donate? Email Maddie today!
