Leadership
Nicole Brose, Executive Director
Meet Our Staff
Luis Olmazo
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Meet Luis. Luis is responsible for the overall health and wellbeing of all our animals, as well as overseeing operations at Guayabo Animal Rescue. He works closely with Dr. Jorge and the team to ensure our animals are healthy, safe, and happy. Luis is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to operations, animal health, and we are lucky to have his expertise.
Growing up in this area, Luis knows many of the community members and is excited to offer educational tools, as well as assistance with animals when able to do so. He and his family live on the property where they can keep a close eye on the animals and offer assistance to guests.
Luis can’t wait to meet you and continue to save lives because of your support.
Dr Andrey Araya Montoya
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Dr. Andrey has always known what he wanted to do as a career – work with animals and help save lives. Anyone who has worked with Andrey is sure glad he chose this profession – he is a wonderful veterinarian with a passion to not only medically save lives, but also to conduct large-scale spay and neuter campaigns.
Andrey’s medical experience is vast, having worked at Elanco Animal Health, Dos Pinos, and with private veterinarians. He is now our Guayabo Animal Rescue Veterinarian as well as a professor for Paravet, a veterinary school in Guanacaste, training students to become the next generation of veterinarians. Dr. Andrey also works with Agrospay, who conduct national spay and neuter campaigns across the country. He is passionate about these efforts as it is the only way to eliminate the suffering of dogs and cats on the streets due to overpopulation.
Andrey is from the Upala area and has advanced degrees in media and animal production. He attended Veritas University School of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery San Francisco de Asís, earning his Degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from 2007–2012. Andrey is always learning and is currently taking courses from the Animal Reproduction Institute in Córdoba, Argentina, and is a representative for SENASA, the animal welfare governing body ensuring laws are in place to better protect all animals.
Dr. Andrey’s ability to adapt to any situation makes him an asset in animal welfare, being able to work in any condition and with any personality type. His team-building skills and ability to create and execute projects are also highly valued at Guayabo Animal Rescue due to our growing and evolving impact in this space.
Andrey values compassion, listening skills, honesty, and hard work for his career success. His expectations for his work at Guayabo Animal Rescue are to help build upon our good work to date, providing high-quality service, respect, and love for all animals.
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Andrey Araya Montoya to our team!
Mailyn Alfaro
Guest Relations & Facilities Manager
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My name is Mailyn Alfaro, and I am proud to be from Guayabo de Bagaces. I am the mother of three wonderful children—a boy and two girls—who inspire me every day.
I had the opportunity to live abroad for seven years, which allowed me to learn English while gaining valuable life experiences. However, my heart has always been here in Costa Rica, where my native language is Spanish, and my passion lies in helping animals.
I consider myself a cheerful, hardworking, and humble person who values kindness. In my free time, I love spending quality time with my family, exercising, and dancing. Being part of Guayabo Animal Rescue is a privilege, as every animal I care for becomes a part of my heart. Each one gives me unconditional love, and I cherish the time I spend helping them until they find their forever homes.
Here, I’ve learned that dogs depend entirely on us—to love them, care for them, and ensure their happiness. Saving lives is more than just a mission; it is the most rewarding experience, and I am grateful to be part of it.
Ronald Barboza
Operations Assistant
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Meet Ronald. Ronald Barboza is our Operations Assistant and extremely knowledgeable in the area of horticulture, landscaping (anything to do with the outdoors), plumbing, and construction.
Ronald has a love of chickens and watches over our large chicken coop, as well as lends a helping hand with all our precious animals.
Ronald is married to Beverlyn and they have a daughter, Brittany. Another interesting thing about Ronald—he has a beautiful voice and can often be heard singing around the property, which is a treat for anyone lucky enough to hear him sing.
Ronald’s fun-loving attitude and big smile will surely brighten everyone’s day. Please help us in thanking Ronald for all his hard work to help save lives!
Jose Ramirez
Large Animal Behavioral Specialist
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Meet José. José Ramirez, known as Flaco since childhood, has lived his entire life in the Guanacaste area and has been married to Elizabeth for nearly 30 years. He has two grown sons, Maykel and Geiver.
His love of horses and large animals began while working on a farm at a young age. He later worked at the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity for 24 years, where he gained valuable skills that now benefit Guayabo Animal Rescue. Over his career, he fine-tuned abilities in construction, building, electrical work, painting, welding, and more.
José’s two passions are horses and soccer. Training horses is something he does both for the rescue and for others in the area. He looks forward to meeting you soon and taking you on a great horseback ride.
Please help us in thanking José for all he does for the animals.
Meet Our Board
Dennis Dadey
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Dennis was raised in the south hills of Pittsburgh, PA with six brothers and three sisters. After completing his education, he worked various jobs in the process control industry. Following an industrial downturn, he moved to Florida where he worked as a personal computer consultant. Eventually, he joined the IBM PC division as a test engineer, where he worked with Stan and Cindy Merkin, the founders of Guayabo Animal Rescue.
In the mid-1990s, when personal computer development was moved to North Carolina, Dennis relocated to Austin, TX to join Dell Computer, where he currently works as a Network Development Principal Engineer.
In his free time, Dennis enjoys traveling and outdoor activities including camping, hiking, road and mountain biking. He is also an avid practitioner of yoga. During the 2020 shutdown, he created a website and a YouTube channel to keep fellow yogis active.
Cindy Merkin
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Cindy was born in Seattle, WA and has two sisters. However, as a child, Cindy traveled all over as her father was an Aerospace Engineer.
Cindy graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. She started work for IBM as an Electrical Engineer and worked in several divisions including hardware diagnostics, ATM machines, and BIOS.
She received her master’s degree from the University of Virginia, also in Electrical Engineering. Cindy and Stan met in a bar called the Apple Tree in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. Cindy later moved to Dell as a Senior Technology Leader.
Cindy has written or contributed to twenty-one patents.
Becky Tolbert
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Becky was born in Johnson City, NY. She and her twin sister, Debbie, are the first-born children of our founder, Stan Merkin. Becky graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993. She has two daughters, Sarah and Abby. Becky has worked with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC for over 30 years.
This experience includes Financial Advisor, Richardson Private Wealth Advisors, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC (2001–Present); Paraplanner, Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC (1996–2001); Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC (formerly a division of American Express Financial Advisors, formerly IDS Financial Services, Inc.); and Registered Principal (licensed security dealer) with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC.
Volunteerism has always been important to Becky. Some of her volunteer activity includes The Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC (2011–Present); Vice President and Board Member, Yates Mill Elementary PTA (2014–2015); and Vice President of Facilities, Beth Shalom (2022–Present).
Allison Schaeffer
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Allison Schaeffer was born in Phoenix, AZ and is Cindy Merkin’s sister. She spent over 25 years in the food service industry after obtaining her degree from the University of New Hampshire, working as a chef in hotels, bed and breakfasts, independent restaurants, and private schools.
She made the move to municipal and state election work in 2016. Allison has had many adopted dogs and currently shares her home with MC, a long-haired dachshund who came to her in 2011 and whom she loves every day.
Dr. Jorge Venegas
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Dr. Jorge serves on the NGO board of Guayabo Animal Rescue as the government representative. He was born in Nicoya, Guanacaste in 1986, in a town called Nandayure. In 1999 his family moved to Cobano, Puntarenas. In 2004 he finished high school and started studying as a technician in computer science, during that year he also had some informal jobs.
In 2006, he made the decision to study Animal Care at the Escuela Centroamericana de Ganadería thanks to his parents’ support and teacher Luis Fernando. In 2009, Jorge decided to study Veterinary Medicine at The National University of La Plata in Argentina. He returned to Costa Rica and continued his studies at San Francisco de Asís University in San José.
After graduating, Jorge worked as a veterinarian with small animals (canines and felines) and later with larger animals (cattle, horses, and small ruminants). His inspiration to become a veterinarian came from his grandparents, who gave him the opportunity to grow up in the countryside surrounded by animals. His deep love of animals was instilled by both his parents and grandparents.
Jorge values honesty and responsibility. His expectations for his work at Guayabo Animal Rescue are to help everyone who needs it, providing quality service, respect, and love for all animals.
Johel Vega Palma
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Johel serves on the NGO board of Guayabo Animal Rescue as the municipality representative. He is married and lives in Guayabo de Bagaces, Guanacaste. Johel is an air conditioning and refrigeration technician, as well as a motorcycle mechanic with his own business.
He also has years of experience in the care and handling of animals of all sizes as well as with agricultural work. Johel is hard-working, dependable, and loves being on the board of Guayabo Animal Rescue.
