Who We Are

Kitten College is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of neonatal kittens.

We’re building a compassionate, knowledgeable community of animal lovers, caregivers, and professionals united by a shared goal: to give every vulnerable kitten a chance to thrive. We believe that with the right support, education, and resources, more lives can be saved—and more futures can begin.

Our Team & Board Members

Marnie Russ

Founder & Executive Director

Marnie Russ is the founder and visionary behind National Kitten College, a groundbreaking program dedicated to advancing the care and survival of neonatal kittens across the United States. With decades of experience in animal welfare, Marnie has become one of the nation’s leading experts in neonatal kitten care, working tirelessly to educate shelter staff, rescue organizations, and fosters on best practices for saving the most vulnerable feline lives.

Under her leadership, National Kitten College has grown into a nationally recognized training model, offering comprehensive education, hands-on mentorship, and strategic support to animal welfare professionals and volunteers. Marnie’s work has directly contributed to a significant increase in neonatal kitten survival rates and has reshaped how shelters approach infant kitten care.

Passionate, compassionate, and driven by data and impact, Marnie continues to lead transformative change in the animal rescue community—ensuring that even the tiniest lives are given a fighting chance.

Katie Hofschield

Chief Development Officer

Katie brings nearly eight years of animal welfare experience to her role as Kitten College’s newest team member. With a background in journalism, marketing, and development across both for-profit and non-profit sectors, she is passionate about storytelling, website management, graphic design, event planning, and fundraising. Her overarching goal is to make essential tools and information as accessible and user-friendly as possible, helping shelters maximize their impact even with limited resources.

Among her accomplishments, Katie designed and maintains the Living Library — a national resource utilized daily by shelters and their fosters — and played a key role in executing the inaugural and second-annual Mountain Animal Welfare Summit in Montana.

Outside of creating resources and managing the website, Katie enjoys exploring Missoula, MT, attending live music events, and hiking with her scruffy dog, Strega (and hopes to add a cat to the family as soon as Strega approves!).