Sophia Coleman
Richmond,VA
Summary
Dynamic animal care professional with proven ability to lead teams, enhance operations, and implement effective care strategies. Skilled in problem-solving and time management, ensuring optimal animal welfare and operational efficiency in a fast-paced environment.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead Animal Care Technician
Richmond SPCA
Richmond, VA
11.2023 - Current
- Help manage a staff of 20-30 techs, keeping them up to date on policies, cleaning procedures, and trainings.
- Work closely with other leads and management to develop strategies for improving animal care operations.
- performed daily checkouts of staff in their spaces.
- Cover office operations as necessary.
- Clear animal files on PetPoint and updated them on Excel with relevant info from IVS, trainers and enrichment specialists.
- Facilitate animal movements to public-facing spaces, ensuring all animals have their time to shine.
- Log dog and cat behavior and medical concerns.
- Cleaned rooms and kennels to maintain comfortable animal housing areas.
- Assist with other departments questions and concerns.
Animal Care Technician
Richmond SPCA
Richmond, VA
05.2022 - 10.2023
- Monitored cat and dog behaviors and alerted trainers to any concerns.
- Wrote medical alerts to IVS involving weight loss/gain, appetite, injuries and other health concerns.
- Walked a wide variety of dogs, small to massive, calm to wild.
- Responsible for following animal diets, keeping up-to-date with any changes.
- Responsible for cleaning rooms and kennels, including using high-pressure hoses in dog rooms.
- Facilitated cat and dog movements to public spaces, including safely toweling cats to be moved to their new space.
Owner
Sophie's Dog Walking & Pet Care
Washington, D.C.
06.2015 - 04.2022
- Used marketing and self-promotion tactics to gain a loyal client base of 50 people in the DMV area.
- Walked between 10-20 dogs in one day, starting from 8am to 7pm, some solo walks and others in packs up to 7.
- Maintained a timely schedule and managed to fit in each clients particular needs and timeframes.
- Dog-sat for clients in their homes, following their dog’s schedule and ensuring their comfort and happiness.
- Managed two part-time employees, including their schedules and payroll.
- Used Quickbooks to file quarterly taxes.
Intern
Voice of America
Washington, D.C.
07.2015 - 10.2015
- Edited videos on Final Cut Pro.
- Sourced story ideas by staying up-to-date on the latest news in politics and culture.
- Helped promote VOA’s stories using social media.
Intern
Chicago Ideas Week
Chicago, Illinois
06.2013 - 10.2013
- Required to produce at least five articles a week on local happenings in arts and culture.
- Helped Groupon founder (and founder of CIW), Brad Keywell with social media outreach.
- Kept stats on social media and gathered a database of contacts for potential stories.
- During the event week of CIW in October, I produced around five stories a day that were centered around the various Talks around the city.
Managing Editor
The Columbia Chronicle
Chicago, Illinois
05.2012 - 05.2013
- Along with our Editor-in-Chief, I managed a staff of 45 writers, photographers and graphic designers.
- Copy edited using the AP Stylebook and fact-checked approximately 30 stories a week in time for the Friday night deadline.
- Proofread approximately 40 files on InDesign.
- Other duties included approving story pitches, coming up with backup solutions in the event of a story falling through and writing a weekly fashion column.
- Under my management The Chronicle won over 30 state, regional and national awards: 2012/2013 National Winner in Best All-Around Non Daily Newspaper Large by the Society of Professional Journalists; 1st place Online News Site at ICPA 2013; 1st place Entertainment section at ICPA 2013.
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
The Columbia Chronicle
Chicago, Illinois
08.2011 - 05.2012
- Wrote two articles weekly on a variety of local topics, including: local bands, fashion, restaurant openings, food trends, theatre and dance.
- Regularly wrote feature articles of approximately 1,200 words.
- Created newspaper page layouts on InDesign
- Created online article layouts on WordPress.
Education
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Journalism
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL, US05-2013
Skills
- Animal handling
- Writing
- Emotional intelligence
- Creative thinking
- Flexibility
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Multitasking
- Kennel cleaning and sanitizing methods
Timeline
Lead Animal Care Technician
Richmond SPCA
11.2023 - Current
Animal Care Technician
Richmond SPCA
05.2022 - 10.2023
Intern
Voice of America
07.2015 - 10.2015
Owner
Sophie's Dog Walking & Pet Care
06.2015 - 04.2022
Intern
Chicago Ideas Week
06.2013 - 10.2013
Managing Editor
The Columbia Chronicle
05.2012 - 05.2013
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
The Columbia Chronicle
08.2011 - 05.2012
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Journalism
Columbia College Chicago