Katie Westerfield

CEO & Founder
Born and raised in Irondequoit, New York, Katie moved to Ohio in 2004. She attended school in the area for Fire Science, and was an Intern with Dayton Fire’s Investigation and Prevention Department. In 2011, while traveling out in the Bad Lands of South Dakota in the middle of a snow storm – the name of her next adventure came to her: Homeward Bound… How perfect! She has built the company from the ground up, and carefully selects her team to represent everything she has worked for. Today, Katie and her husband, Matt, live in Centerville with their four children. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, and coaching soccer for local leagues. She loves coffee, calamari, and is a sucker for a good cheeseburger, too!

Willow, Cypress, and Juniper are her huskies who have very unique names. Willow, is actually named after the unity tree they used in their wedding ceremony. Their dog Paxson was buried beneath the willow tree, and it was a wonderful way to commemorate him when they welcomed her into the family. Cypress is named after the bald cypress trees in the bayous of Louisiana – a special place for Katie and Matt. Juniper got her name by being a ginger girl! They also have three kitties named Siggy, Tucker, and Tootsie!

Fun Fact: If you hear her say, “If its all right by you…” she is really saying “bayou” and thinks she’s hilarious!

Elaine Ashworth

Director of Management, Lead Care Specialist

Elaine has been an asset to Homeward Bound since 2021. She quickly excelled in the company, and now oversees our entire team. She loves her career with us because of the long term relationships she has been able to form with so many clients and especially their pets. She enjoys getting to love so many as she would her own, and giving exceptional individualized care to each one. She grew up locally in Xenia, and now resides in Kettering. She is a graduate of Wright State University with a bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science and Psychology. On her days off you can definitely find her hanging out with her dog, reading, taking a hike, catching a concert with friends, or refinishing her home. She loves spending time with her friends and loved ones, and they’re often where she heads on her vacations.

Fun Fact: She aims to visit all 63 National Parks in her lifetime. She’s already been to almost half of them at an astonishing 30 Parks! She loves finding the beautiful lesser known places to see when she is there, and hikes to find unique views off the beaten path. She will surely pitch a tent and rough it, bringing only what she can carry on her adventures!

Allison Fennig

Management Team, Lead Care Specialist

Alli has been a treasured part of our team since 2022. She is a highly valued member of our management team, and also a lead care giver. She grew up in a small country town in Indiana, and moved here for college several years ago. Working for us combines many of her passions and hobbies like being outdoors, working with animals, and putting her photography skills to work! She really enjoys trying to capture your pets in frame worthy pictures on your journals. She loves checking out local bakeries and small coffee shops, and favors going to Gem City Catfe on the regular. She has her own dog and 2 kitties who are deeply adored. On her days off from our team you can catch her at conventions, video gaming, or catching up on her favorite shows if she hasn’t headed home to Indiana for family time.

Fun Fact: She has met the entire cast of Supernatural not just once, but twice! Definitely a favorite of hers!

Marisa Quintana

Management Team, Lead Care Specialist

Marisa grew up in a small town near Arcanum, and now resides with her husband and twin boys in Xenia. She loves working for Homeward Bound because of the fun way she gets to connect with the animals in our care, and the unique way we operate as a team. She enjoys her job with management making sure our team is operating at its full ability to seamlessly pass care from one team member to another. She truly stands by this unique trait of Homeward Bound because it allows our staff to still have down time and a semi normal schedule which is rare in this field. Her family has two dogs and a kitty, and between the boys and the pets – they surely keep her on her toes. Outside of work in her free time she truly treasures time with family, reading, kayaking in the summer/skying in the winter, and having game nights with friends.

Fun Fact: She has three consecutive generations of twins in her family! Her mother has a twin, Marisa has a twin sister, and she had twin boys!

Katie Marie Kirby

Management Team, Lead Care Specialist

Katie Marie has been with us since early 2025, but has quickly worked her way on to our management team. She grew up in Northern Michigan and went to school at Michigan State University for Animal Science/Agribusiness Management. She has two dogs of her own at home; one spaniel and one German Shepard. She loves hiking, traveling, and any outdoor activities when she and her family go up North! She has previous veterinary experience as a Veterinary Assistant from an internship and while working in Tennessee Animal Clinic after graduating from MSU. She has fostered for shelters before and loves to give back to the community and help pets or wildlife in need! She is a passionate animal lover, but dogs have her heart! Katie Marie also loves working for Homeward Bound because she feels it is highly rewarding caring for pets as if they were her own and giving them dedicated individualized attention! She loves being outside and getting to see new faces everyday!

*You may also see me referred to as Katie K. and I answer client text messages as Marie to avoid confusion with our Founder.