Who We Are
Andrea Davis – Director
From an early suburban life of cats, dogs, hamsters, lizards, horses, butterflies, and even leeches from the creek, or really any animal who would let me get my hands on them, it’s rare to find a childhood picture of me without an animal cameo.
I started my work with large animals going into the dairy industry. I had big dreams of being a world famous cheesemaker, but quickly realized my true passion was still caring for animals. After a couple of years running my own slaughter-free dairy model, it was clear that my heart was planted firmly in rescue. I donated the business, land and home I had worked so hard for to the sanctuary that was already sprouting up around us as we had begun rescuing several species even before closing the dairy in 2017. And it was the best decision I’ve ever made, bringing me to my true self and reflecting my desire to do truly good work in this world.
As the Director of Broken Shovels, I am combining a life’s worth of experience in animal husbandry, running a small business, outreach and education, and sales, coupling that with my bad sense of humor, workaholic tendencies and unstoppable idealism about what I can do to be of service to all species. But really, I think they gave me the job because no one else wanted to
do it! I am forever indebted to my mother, Joyce and my daughter, Emma, as well as my tireless co-workers, without any of whom this journey would not have been possible.
Amber Heine – Sanctuary Manager & Board Secretary
Following a hiatus of gainful employment, Amber found herself volunteering over 8 years ago at Broken Shovels when it was still a dairy. Time spent at the farm helped Amber to realize she didn’t want to be part of a tradition or culture that eats animals or uses animals for human gain any longer and has been vegan for over 5 years and has followed Andrea down the rabbit hole of farm animal rescue and care. Drawing from an organizational, administrative and training background, Amber’s attention to detail (read: anxiety) suits the Sanctuary and the Board’s need for systematic planning and record keeping well as helping to educate visitors on the need to rethink our current human/animal relationships for the animals, the planet and our health. In the handful of hours she has before going to bed and doing it all over again the next day, she enjoys cross-stitching, reading fiction and staring into space.
Dr. Jason Cordeiro – Board Member, Veterinary & Volunteer Committee
Jason has been a veterinarian since 2003 and specializes in end of life care and soft tissue surgery. His passion is rescue work and he has worked at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Denver Dumb Friends League, Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance and the Maxfund. He performs surgery for numerous rescue groups at Animal Care Center of Aurora & Downtown Animal Care Center in Denver, and regularly goes on volunteer spay/neuter trips to Spain (Spanish greyhounds or galgos are horribly abused and discarded) as well as impoverished areas of the US. In 2009, He started One Last Gift, an in-home euthanasia practice and has had the honor of helping thousands of pets get their wings in their homes and their humans’ arms. Just to understand himself better, Jason also obtained his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2000 and late. Jason has been (consistently) vegan for over 10 years because he doesn’t eat his friends and patients. He began volunteering at Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary in 2018 and has learned more about farm animal & avian medicine from Amber & Andrea in a few hours than in 4 years of veterinary school. Jason enjoys writing, playing guitar and drums, snowboarding and sleeping but mostly hanging and making out with his dogs.
Cari Schweitzer – Board Member, Fundraising & Event Committee
Cari’s passion for animal welfare spilled over into becoming a vegan activist. Leading by example, Cari’s kindness and compassion shines through her heartfelt social media posts about the cruelties of animal agriculture as well her amazing skills as a loving, rehabbing chicken mama. She takes care of her chickens, cats and dogs and in addition to running a successful entertainment and event venue in the RiNo District of Denver, she still finds time to volunteer at least one full day a week at Broken Shovels.
Joyce Welsh – Board Member
One of the most important things about me, and one that I am so very proud of, is being Andrea’s mom. I feel that a deep love for animals is in our DNA. I grew up on a small farm in Nebraska where almost every one of our animals had a name and distinct personality. They were cared for like family, but some ended up as food, and that was the hardest part of farm life growing up. I guess I felt that if that could be changed…farm life would be utopia.
Anne Alonzo – Board Member, Volunteer Committee
A Wisconsin native, Anne comes to Broken Shovels with over 30 years of experience advocating for and supporting animals that are neglected or in need of assistance. Living in Dallas for many years, she assisted with animal welfare laws there, as well as animal rescue care and sanctuary. She has helped with fundraising, events, conferences, volunteer management and grant writing, but her real love is hands-on care of animals. She has her FEMA disaster certifications and has volunteered since 2015 with AIR, the only mobile animal response unit servicing Texas that assists authorities with large-scale animal cruelty cases and disaster response. She is also a member of the AIR board of directors.
In 2021, Anne made the move to Colorado to live near the mountains and get back to a place where she could play in the snow again. Shortly after moving, she began volunteering on Weekends at Broken Shovels. She fell in love with the animals, as well as the caring staff. She’s a morning Animal Care Assistant and helps with transport and other projects whenever she can.
Anne works in the tech industry as a manager for a manufacturer’s rep firm. In her free time, she loves to travel and be outdoors and enjoys hiking, kayaking, sow shoeing and rock hounding. Anne and her boyfriend have two rescue cats, her foster failure, Olivia and her adoptive sister Rosie.
Vikki Otero – Board Member, Caretaker, Volunteer Committee
Vikki became vegan in 2010 after reading The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams as part of a feminist studies class, and their commitment to animal welfare has continued to increase since. Having volunteered at Broken Shovels since May 2021, Vikki is a weekly Animal Care Assistant as well as a regular barn scraper, public events volunteer, and animal chauffeur. Vikki lives in Denver with Sparkle, a black lab mix, and works professionally in academic advising at CU Boulder. For fun, Vikki enjoys international rugby, performing arts, hiking, old TV shows, and craft beer.
Deb Demic – Board Member
Deb’s love of animals began early on living with multiple dogs, cats, and guinea pigs. She even moved to Colorado from NYC in order to have a backyard so her adopted pups can play. Deb has been a volunteer at Broken Shovels for 4-1/2 years. “Originally a volunteer for a dog rescue, I first came in contact with BSFS while dropping off some foster puppies for the rescue. I had never seen a sanctuary much less for farm animals. I was in awe. I immediately knew I needed to be around these beautiful animals.”
After the obligatory barn scrape, Deb was selected to clean the outside water feeders, which she did for 3 years. In 2023, Deb became the merchandise sales force. Having experience in jewelry making, she makes earrings for BSFS to sell at events.
“I know what a special place the farm is. When I open the red gate, i immediately feel the love, dedication, and kindness that is the way of BSFS. Being in the presence of all the magnificent animals is life-affirming for me. I am eternally grateful to Andrea, Amber, and all the volunteers for allowing me to be a part of this amazing community. Missing my good friends Dijon the goat and Lilah Moo. May their memories be a blessing.”
