Dallas Companion Animal Project
President- Maeleska Fletes, City of Dallas Animal Advisory Commission
Vice President/Treasurer – Susan Gregory, former President, Dallas Animal Advocates
Secretary – Cindy Ethridge
Maeleska Fletes, President
Maeleska Fletes is a long-time resident of Dallas Texas and a professional web designer and small business owner. Maeleska is passionate about and very active in several local animal rescue organizations. She began her work in animal rescue over a decade ago volunteering with many of the area’s most recognized and respected animal welfare and rescue organizations.
Maeleska is also founder of the Little Forest Hills Animal Alert, a neighborhood-based organization funded by donations and whose mission it is to reunite registered lost pets with their families. The LFH Animal Alert operates a 24/7 Hotline, a link between Little Forest Hills residents who have lost a pet and those who spot a loose animal. Maeleska has assisted other neighborhoods establish their own ‘animal alert’ organizations.
Over the years, Maeleska has devoted much of her time and resources to several animal welfare organizations providing web site design and maintenance, hands-on rescue, fostering of animals, and coordinating and working adoption events and fund raisers. Her animal welfare volunteer experience includes work with Angie’s Friends, Paws in the City, DFW Rescue Me, Metroplex Mutts and DFW’s Furgotten Friends.
Maeleska is Co-Chair of ‘Wags and Waves’, the annual fund raiser comprised of volunteer representatives from six local animal rescue groups united for the sole purpose of raising money, support and awareness for animal welfare. In 2011 the California-based Classy Awards organization whose nominees impacted the lives of more than 200 million people in 71 countries around the world, nominated ‘Wags and Waves’ for its annual ‘Most Successful Fundraiser by an Individual or a Group’ Award.
Never too busy to lend a hand to any rescue group that needs it, Maeleska also enjoys volunteering in her community as Editor of the Little Forest Hills Neighborhood Newsletter and spending time at home with her beloved companion animal, chocolate lab ‘Charlie Brown,’ “Holly” his lab mix sister and many fosters pups.
Susan Gregory Wolchansky, Vice President/Treasurer
Susan’s passion for animals began early in her life; as a child she made friends with a large cast of four-legged characters. Susan began her work in animal welfare in 1989 as Founder of the Coppell Humane Society. In 1998, Susan co-founded the Feral Friends organization, now known as Feral Friends Community Cat Alliance. Susan has served on the Board of Directors for the Metroplex Animal Coalition (MAC) for the past six years and has chaired the organization’s ‘DFW Spay Day’ event for the last three years. She has served on the Board of Directors of Barn Cats Inc. for the last five years.
Susan’s twenty-year professional career is in the special events industry where she currently holds the position Director of Marketing for ACCESS Texas. She recently married the love of her life, Greg, and lives happily with him and her family of outspoken cats and three dogs.
Cindy Ethridge/Secretary
Cindy Ethridge lives and works as a graphic designer in old East Dallas. She began her work in animal rescue a number of years ago with abandoned neighborhood cats and kittens and has helped a number of animal welfare organizations with her design and print knowledge.
In her professional career, Cindy has worked for KERA-TV and radio, D magazine, North Texas Food Bank, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and Baylor Scott & White Health. She and her husband share their home with five cats and a feral cat colony.
Leigh Costa
Leigh Costa owns and operates a full-service advertising and sports marketing agency in the Metroplex where she resides with her three fur babies: Romeo, Juliet, and Georgie. When she is not placing radio and television buys for clients’ ad campaigns, scheduling athlete appearances and endorsements, or traveling to various sporting events, her main focus is on making a difference and positive impact in animal welfare.
Leigh has coordinated local news stories with the appearance of both media personalities, and professional athletes to Dallas Animal Services, and also constructed a calendar – featuring Dallas Cowboys players to help raise funds for Dallas Companion Animal Project.
She also serves on the committee for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society of North Texas. Leigh makes the effort every single day to network amongst friends and acquaintances, and further educate the importance of animal welfare, adoption, and spay/neuter.
Amber Robinson
Amber Robinson is a corporate attorney who provides a broad range of legal advice and business counsel for various companies, corporations, and individuals in Texas. She utilizes her combination of creativity, strategic judgment, and courtroom prowess to resolve her client’s needs diligently and effectively. Amber graduated from the University of Texas (Hook Em’!) with a Bachelor of the Arts in political science and obtained her law degree from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2013.
Recently, Amber became a certified Flybarre instructor at Flywheel and now has an outlet to pursue her other passion… fitness. While Amber currently does not have any fur children as she is never home, she is a revered aunt to many of her best friend’s dogs. Despite this, Amber’s passion and appreciation for animals has always been an important part of her life and she looks forward to being a part of DCAP and helping animals and humans alike.