Andrea Gandolfo serves as President of the Board of Directors. She is an Investment Counselor at Bailard Inc., where she works to help individuals and families with their financial planning and wealth management needs. Andrea was born and raised in Palo Alto, and has always had a family dog. The current family dog, Gigi, has had two ACL surgeries. Going through the procedures made Andrea acutely aware of the stress and concern we experience when our pets need help. Not all in our community have the ability to pay for the care their pet needs, so the PAHS Pet Help Program has become Andrea’s new passion. Andrea looks forward to helping PAHS’ leadership plan for the organization’s future.

Sue Klapholz, M.D., Ph.D. is the immediate past Board Chair. Sue joined the PAHS Board in January 2018. She is Vice President of Nutrition and Health at Impossible Foods. Sue also has a jewelry and nature photography business, Spritely Finch, which donates all of its proceeds to humane causes. She is passionate about animal welfare and recently adopted a sweet senior dog named Sebastian.

David Rutan has served on the PAHS board since 2011. He is the founder of the technology company Wizdom On Wheels and was one of the original Mac Geniuses at various Bay Area Apple Stores. His passion for technology and education is as strong as his compassion for people and animals. With more than 16 years of experience in the technology industry, David is bringing about creative ways of using technology to help fulfill our multiple missions in education and outreach.

David Dang is Vice President of Finance and Strategy at Zendesk. Prior to joining Zendesk, he has held various finance leaderships roles at GoDaddy (Global Finance), Intuit (Corporate Finance), LinkedIn (Tech/R&D Finance) and Amazon.com (Pricing/Promotions). David also volunteered for 10 years with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, escorting parade floats down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day. He received an MBA from the University of Southern California, a BS in Accounting from the University of La Verne, and a Certificate in Strategy/Risk from Stanford University. He is interested in helping PAHS manage its financial resources while growing its organizational reach within the local community through educational programs.

Dr. Leigh Glerum, DVM has lived and worked on the Peninsula since 2000. She is a partner at Sage Centers—a veterinary specialty and emergency clinic—where she is a board-certified small animal surgeon in the Redwood City facility. A fair amount of Leigh’s free time is spent volunteering in the community, ranging from the library to the open spaces. She hopes to contribute her perspective and knowledge as a local veterinarian to the PAHS board and the organization’s many initiatives. 

Jaci Kassmeier moved to the Bay Area more than 10 years ago to pursue a job in animal welfare, applying her skills in large-scale event planning and fundraising. The granddaughter of Nebraska farmers, she grew up loving every animal she saw. For the past eight years, Jaci has worked in the sustainable food tech space, with a focus on start-up scaling and people operations. Her introduction to PAHS came through her participation in planning the Daisy’s Day fundraiser for PAHS’ veterinary assistance program, a cause close to her heart, having seen firsthand the cost and value of providing extensive medical care for her beloved dog. Jaci is excited about contributing her skills and passion to helping people and animals share loving homes.

Jay Carter joined the PAHS board in March 2020. He is a corporate associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and has represented PAHS as outside general counsel since March 2019. In addition to PAHS, Jay represents several Bay Area non-profit organizations and individuals on a pro bono basis. Jay was raised in the Bay Area and has been involved in animal rescue from a young age. He brings experience representing non-profit organizations in a variety of legal matters and a passion for animal rescue, rehabilitation, and education.

Joe Camp is a celebrated Hollywood director and producer of the Benji film series and author of Soul of a Horse. Joe is passionately devoted to the welfare of animals and has generously supported PAHS’ work in advocating for their humane treatment.

Peter Drekmeier, Mayor of Palo Alto in 2009, is a passionate advocate for the preservation of natural spaces. Peter is a conservationist and environmental educator and serves as Bay Area Program Director of the Tuolumne River Trust.

Philip Giffin is an Emmy-nominated composer and is the producer/director of “If Animals Could Speak For Themselves,” a still-life movie about the work and history of the Palo Alto Humane Society.

Al Platt was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of PAHS in 2005 and served as its president until 2012. He continues to work with PAHS in an advisory capacity. Al was formerly director of the Centre for Living with Dying and, having served many philanthropies, brings a depth and breadth of experience and wisdom to the organization. Al and his wife Barbara are the proud parents of Cheerio, their cockatiel.

Jennifer Knapp is the former president of the PAHS Board of Directors, having served from 2012 to 2015, and was appointed to the Board in December 2008. She continues to work with PAHS in an advisory capacity as our pro bono legal council. Jennifer has been an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for more than 10 years, where she focuses on corporate and securities law and provides pro bono council to a number of organizations. She volunteers her time on a number of animal-related issues and is dedicated to promoting veganism and compassion toward all animals, including humans.

Dolores Arnold left the PAHS Board of Directors during the summer of 2016, but she continues to support PAHS as an advisor and a volunteer at events and other gatherings. Dolores has had a lifelong dedication to the welfare of animals. She is a founding member of Feline Friends (formerly the Stanford Cat Network) and has been actively involved in many of PAHS’ programs throughout the years. Dolores also has a passion for animal photography; her photographs can be found throughout our Web site and in our magazine Compassion, and they were featured when PAHS operated an animal art gallery.

Maureen Allen is former member of the PAHS Board of Directors and a professional educator now living in San Francisco. Her experience as a legislative aid in New York State provided the background she needed to work with local and state officials in California to promote the teaching of Humane Education in the California schools. Maureen’s contributions to the 2016 passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 144 (ACR 144), linking Humane Education requirement to Character Education, have been invaluable. Maureen and her husband David share their home with two rescued boys, Rookie, the emeritus spokes-dog for PAHS, and his pal, Yogi.