Andrea Dobras

Growing up with 5 cats, surrounded by wildlife, and a mother who taught the value of putting bugs in a cup, rather than killing, Andrea felt a connection to animals very early on. 

In 2006 she finally had the opportunity to put her love of animals to work.  That’s when she joined Our Companions Animal Rescue as a helpline volunteer for cats during the early stages of the organization’s development.  Specializing in hoarding cases and advocating for FIV+ cats, she also helped place hundreds of cats in need.  During her time at OC, Andrea also served as Secretary on their Board of Directors for close to a decade.

Shortly after relocating to New Haven in 2017, Andrea established a grassroots effort to end the waterfowl hunting on the Quinnipiac River in New Haven. She worked tirelessly with the residents and politicians to build momentum on this long-term problem, resulting in the official ban of waterfowl hunting in the area. This campaign sparked her interest in politics, allowing her to combine this new-found passion with her love of animals. Andrea served on the Connecticut Votes for Animals Board in varying capacities from 2018-2024, before joining Connecticut for Animals Education Fund (CFA) as a founding board member. 

Andrea has close to two decades of experience in non-profit leadership of an education-based organization.  Currently on sabbatical, she assists CFA with the creation of educational materials, website development, and board leadership, where she serves as the organization’s Secretary.  In addition, Andrea volunteers at Halfway Home Animal Rescue, providing animal care to cats and various farm animals several days a week.  She has a strong passion for wildlife and farmed animals and dreams of a world where we can respect and peacefully coexist with all our planet’s beings.

Aside from animals, Andrea enjoys playing tennis and traveling.  She currently lives in East Haven with her partner, Daniel Kay, and their two adopted cats, Chester Bruiser Pants and Bucatini.