Board of Directors
Our journey has been one of passion, love, and unwavering commitment. We cannot wait to open our doors and share this meow-gical space with you all.
Meet the team behind-the-scene working to make this dream a reality.
Director
Tallie Carter
Tallie is the proud Founding Executive Director of RubyCats. Her feline friends have been present as long as she can remember, starting with barn cats, family cats Nefertiti and Ming, and the fur-tastic Clifford at her grandmother’s home. In 2020, Tallie, her husband and kids added a third house cat named Kiki to their family, (after Cleo, Shema, and Lola.) Unfortunately, with just days until her scheduled spay appointment, Kiki decided one evening to go exploring and not come home. In an effort to locate her, Tallie joined numerous online groups for missing cats, discovering that despite the joint effort of many shelters and fosters there was still a great need in the Toledo area for cat shelters. The happy ending is that Kiki the kitten returned, pregnant with kittens of her own, and had a successful, healthy pregnancy and birth.
Director of Operations
Natalie Bostelman
Natalie is a proud native Toledoan and has had a soft spot for non-profits from a very early age. She is a fan of animals from all walks of life - but is especially fond of those of the feline variety. Her favorite pet was the family’s orange tabby, James. Natalie’s first visit to a cat cafe was in Japan! After visiting the cafe with her best friends, they all mused that it would be great if there were a cafe locally.
Lo and behold, a little over five years later, Natalie met Tallie through a mutual friend, and the rest is history.
Natalie currently works as an Administrative Assistant and is also part of the Toledo theatre community. She has a wide variety of interests. If she isn’t cheering on her alma maters, Toledo Central Catholic High School or The University of Toledo, she’s probably hanging out with her besties or husband. A self-proclaimed Blerd, Natalie is a lover of video games, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and the Golden Girls.
Director of Technology
Robert Draper
Robert comes from a family of animal lovers. As a child, his household was filled with dogs, cats, turtles, and various other critters.
In his 20s, his first major rescue was a beautiful cat named Columbia, who was kept locked in a cage for most of her early life. Helping her grow from a skinny, timid girl into a confident, healthy, beautiful cat was all it took to make him realize that animal rescue is something he cares deeply about. Many rescues later, he credits Columbia for leading him to Rubycats, giving him the ability to help animals on a larger scale. Robert loves all animals, but cats hold a special place in his heart. His family currently consists of four beautiful rescue cats named Peanut, Taco, Tater Tot and the baby of the family Charlie, who happens to be blind (not that she allows that to slow her down!) They work together to keep Robert and his partner Matt on their toes.
A former chef, Robert now works in IT, and looks forward to utilizing his combined skills to help bring the Rubycats dream to fruition.
Director of Business Development & Marketing
James A. Molnar
With extensive expertise in web management, digital media, and marketing, James A. Molnar drives strategic communications for The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, overseeing a vast website spanning over 2,000 pages and leveraging diverse media channels.
An accomplished professional with a background in communication and business, James also serves as a versatile freelance designer and marketing coordinator, empowering organizations of all sizes to meet their design, social media, and marketing goals.
He lives in Sylvania Township with his husband, Matthew, and three cats, Luckey, Sonoma and Kira.