Meet Our SARA Board Members & Directors
Board Members
Kathleen Prasad
Kathleen Prasad is founder of Animal Reiki Source and president/co-founder of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA). A Reiki practitioner for over 22 years, Kathleen Prasad teaches and shares the healing benefits of Reiki meditation for animals and their caregivers. Kathleen has created the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki, based on traditional Japanese Reiki meditations and specific techniques to build trusting, respectful relationships with animals. This method represents the world’s first specialized, extensive and professional curriculum in Animal Reiki and meditating with animals for healing.
Leah D’Ambrosio
Leah D’Ambrosio is a meditation teacher, animal advocate, and co-founder of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA), a global nonprofit dedicated to supporting animals and their caregivers through the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki. Since launching in 2008 with just 28 members, SARA has grown into a worldwide community of over 400 practitioners who have helped thousands of animals through meditation, volunteer hours, and charitable giving—contributing nearly $1 million to shelters and sanctuaries.
Leah has been teaching Animal Reiki for over 17 years and is a Let Animals Lead® Teacher of Excellence and certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher. She has taught at organizations such as the Humane Society Silicon Valley, The CARE Foundation, Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, Keepers of the Wild, and Pregnant Mare Rescue. Her approach empowers people to build peaceful, healing relationships with animals, both domestic and wild. Leah donates 25% of her class fees to animal welfare organizations and lives in Portland, Oregon with her two dogs, Nica and Shrek.
Dr. Sally Lane
Dr. Sally Lane has been practicing integrative and holistic veterinary medicine for over 18 years and has been active in animal rescue work for a wide range of species for many years. She is currently working with a non-profit organization to help establish an elephant sanctuary in Nepal for retired working elephants.
Dr. Lane is active in caring for wildlife and exotic animals in sanctuaries and zoological facilities and enjoys the uniqueness and challenges of this work. In addition to working with local veterinary clinics, Dr. Lane currently owns and operates a veterinary practice offering holistic and integrative health care options for companion, farm, wild and exotic animals. She is currently writing a book on companion animal wellness and health.
Dr. Lane utilizes diverse integrative and holistic therapies in her practice. She is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and Canine Rehabilitation. She also obtained a Graduate Diploma in Chinese Veterinary Herbal Therapy through the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies in Australia and completed a fellowship in Pain management. Recently, Dr. Lane obtained certification for Levels 1 & 2 of the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki training and is excited to offer this work to her animal patients.
Dr. Marc Malek
Owner/ Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and Therapeutic Laser Clinician/ Level III Reiki practitioner and instructor
Certified Fear Free Veterinarian
Known as Dr. Doolittle by many clients, Dr. Malek lives his dream everyday helping the animals he loves and the people who love them. He graduated from U.C. Davis with a B.S. in Environmental Toxicology in 1986 and in 1990 from the School of Veterinary Medicine. Immediately after graduating Dr. M began practicing with a mixed animal practice (large and small animals) in the Marysville/Wheatland area. When the owner of the practices sold the large animal component of the practices Dr. M moved to Sacramento and began a new challenge as the managing veterinarian for a fast paced small animal clinic in 1993. The opportunity to purchase Foothill Farms Veterinary hospital trumped a potential surgical residency in 1994.
Dr. M is an accomplished surgeon and internist having worked in solo and group practice for over 26 years. Over the last 5 years Dr. M has dedicated much of his continuing education to Integrative practice. Therapeutic laser treatment has been a staple at FFVH since 2011 due to Dr. Malek’s early adoption of this rapid physical medicine healing therapy. He received his Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (large and small animal) certification in April 2014 from Colorado Veterinary Medicine Association’s OneHealth SIM Acupuncture course. He and many of the staff have been learning and practicing Animal Reiki since 2012 and he received his level III Animal Reiki instructor certification in June of 2014.
Kelly McDermott-Burns
Since 2004, Kelly McDermott-Burns of HeartSong Reiki and HeartSong for Animals has been bringing heart-centered healing to people and animals in central Vermont and around the northeast. Kelly has trained in the Let Animals Lead® Method of Animal Reiki with Kathleen Prasad and is a Certified Online Teacher and a Teacher of Excellence. Kelly has also trained with Frans Stiene of the International House of Reiki and Hyakuten Inamoto of Komyo Reiki do. She is a certified End of Life Care for Companion Animals Doula and a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher. In addition to volunteering Reiki at Rutland County Humane Society, Kelly has taught the Let Animals Lead® Method at many shelters in the Northeast.
Nicholas Pearson
Nicholas Pearson is an award-winning author and Reiki teacher. He has trained in traditional styles of Japanese Reiki, including Usui Reiki Ryoho, Jikiden Reiki, and Komyo ReikiDo, as well as traditional and non-traditional forms of Western Reiki, like Usui Shiki Ryoho and Usui/Tibetan Reiki. Nicholas strives to offer Reiki training, practice sessions, and other events that unite practitioners of all lineages by helping us understand how and where Reiki developed and where it can take us. He is also a Certified Medical Reiki Master and a member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals. His seminal Reiki book, Foundations of Reiki Ryoho, is available in English and Italian. Nicholas is also the author of Crystal Basics and five other books, and he also offers training in crystal healing, flower essence therapy, and other esoteric topics across the United States and abroad.
Gail Pope
Gail Pope is the President and Founder of BrightHaven Center for Animal Rescue, Hospice and Holistic Education in California, and for over 30 years she has helped senior and special needs animals on a journey of holistic healing, all the way through hospice care and transition.
Gail’s work in the world of animal healthcare, hospice and natural dying is widely acclaimed. She has an international consultation practice and is contacted by many vets and animal caregivers regarding BrightHaven’s natural methods and protocols. She is also a founding member of the Animal Hospice Group.
Gail has authored six books available on Amazon addressing various aspects of animal hospice and caring for older animals. BrightHaven’s comprehensive education program includes online self-paced courses about animal hospice.
Gail has proudly served on the SARA Board of Directors since October 2016. She is also a faculty member of Holistic Actions! for Companion Animals.
Directors
Kathleen Prasad
SARA President – San Rafael, California
Kathleen Prasad is founder of Animal Reiki Source and president/co-founder of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA). A Reiki practitioner for over 22 years, Kathleen Prasad teaches and shares the healing benefits of Reiki meditation for animals and their caregivers. Kathleen has created the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki, based on traditional Japanese Reiki meditations and specific techniques to build trusting, respectful relationships with animals. This method represents the world’s first specialized, extensive and professional curriculum in Animal Reiki and meditating with animals for healing.
Leah D’Ambrosio
SARA Teacher – Portland, Oregon
Leah D’Ambrosio is a meditation teacher, animal advocate, and co-founder of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA), a global nonprofit dedicated to supporting animals and their caregivers through the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki. Since launching in 2008 with just 28 members, SARA has grown into a worldwide community of over 400 practitioners who have helped thousands of animals through meditation, volunteer hours, and charitable giving—contributing nearly $1 million to shelters and sanctuaries.
Leah has been teaching Animal Reiki for over 17 years and is a Let Animals Lead® Teacher of Excellence and certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher. She has taught at organizations such as the Humane Society Silicon Valley, The CARE Foundation, Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, Keepers of the Wild, and Pregnant Mare Rescue. Her approach empowers people to build peaceful, healing relationships with animals, both domestic and wild. Leah donates 25% of her class fees to animal welfare organizations and lives in Portland, Oregon with her two dogs, Nica and Shrek.
Kelly McDermott-Burns
SARA East Coast Operations Director – Vermont
Since 2004, Kelly McDermott-Burns of HeartSong Reiki and HeartSong for Animals has been bringing heart-centered healing to people and animals in central Vermont and around the northeast. Kelly has trained in the Let Animals Lead® Method of Animal Reiki with Kathleen Prasad and is a Certified Online Teacher and a Teacher of Excellence. Kelly has also trained with Frans Stiene of the International House of Reiki and Hyakuten Inamoto of Komyo Reiki do. She is a certified End of Life Care for Companion Animals Doula and a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher. In addition to volunteering Reiki at Rutland County Humane Society, Kelly has taught the Let Animals Lead® Method at many shelters in the Northeast.
Alison McKinnon
SARA International Operations Director – Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Alison McKinnon is the SARA International Operations Director and member of the Board. She has studied animal Reiki for the past few years with Kathleen Prasad. Alison had practiced Reiki before studying with Kathleen but found the results with Kathleen’s techniques were instant. She is very proud to be able to pass those techniques on to her students. Alison has many years experience in the field of complementary healthcare and natural therapy including aromatherapy. Her experiences working with essential oils led her to explore other subtle healing systems and energy work including Reiki. Her own animal family always benefited from her therapies, but in 2002, she decided to begin offering therapies for animals on a wider scale and set up a business to offer holistic healing to pets which led her to become involved with The Tree of Life for Animals (Tolfa) in India several years ago. Alison has taught the Tolfa staff and volunteers Animal Reiki. We are proud to say Tolfa as an official SARA shelter. Alison offers classes and retreats in the UK, India and Egypt. Alison lives in College Milto, East Kilbride, Scotland where she offers in person and distant Animal Reiki.