Danna Stillman serves in her third year as an appointed member of the Miami Beach Animal Welfare Committee, which advises the Mayor and City Commission on issues affecting stray and abandoned animals. In this role she works directly with the City to advance proactive, effective resource distribution aligned with nationally and internationally accepted best practices. She has prepared key data on the City’s outdoor free-roaming cat population in collaboration with internationally recognized expert Stacy LeBaron, drawing on City public records, and advocates for expanded, sustained targeted Trap-Neuter-Return through grassroots mobilization and expanded high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services as the most humane and cost-effective path forward.

Her hands-on commitment includes six years volunteering with SoBe Cats and operating a monitored backyard feeding station that follows best practices. Over the past three years she and a small team of other badass women quietly completed a large targeted TNR effort that is now 98 percent finished. Danna personally helped TNR more than 30 cats from her own block and brings nine TNVR certifications plus deep experience as a free-roaming cat population expert trained by national leaders. Her early work as an unlicensed vet tech performing euthanasia at a Florida Humane Society fuels her passion for prevention-focused solutions that reduce suffering for animals and strengthen neighborhoods.

My work has included both routine colony management and emergency response. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, I actively participated in rescue operations alongside Miami Beach Animal Advocates and retired Miami Beach Police Officer Mary Garcia, helping to locate, trap, and protect vulnerable community cats before, during, and after the storm. This experience reinforced my commitment to proactive, community-based animal welfare and the importance of having strong local networks ready to respond in times of crisis.

For the last six years, I have volunteered as a City of Miami Beach/Sobe Cats Registered Feeder with and maintain a monitored backyard feeding station which follows national best practices. For Cat Solutions 305, I developed their website strategy and built their website to attract and train a network of TNR trappers.

I currently volunteer as a TNR trapper for Street Cat Clinic, focusing on humane, targeted Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) efforts across Miami-Dade County. I have helped manage and reduce multiple cat colonies through consistent trapping, sterilization, and colony monitoring, including running our tri-county cat colony geolocation database to improve coordination and data-driven decision making.

My ties to protecting the choice less and voiceless in our community run deep. Through these partnerships, I have gained extensive field experience in cat behavior, safe trapping techniques, colony dynamics, and post-disaster animal rescue. I continue to collaborate to support high-volume , targeted TNR, medical case support, and long-term colony stabilization throughout South Florida.

During the four years I volunteered as a Puppy Raiser for Canine Companions for Independence, I raised two separate guide dogs in training. I provided a safe home, nutrition, vet care, and daily exercise while supervising them or using crate training. I socialized them extensively in public while they wore their capes and taught basic obedience, house manners, and focus through positive reinforcement and puppy classes.

This early foundation is critical because the first 18 months shape a dog’s temperament and future success. The socialization and manners I built greatly increased the chances a dog will pass screenings and advance to professional training for advanced tasks. By giving each dog the best start, I helped improve their odds of becoming service dogs that give people with disabilities greater independence.