Andrea Gandolfo serves as Chair of the Board of Directors where she leads the organization’s strategic planning to ensure Palo Alto Humane’s mission success. 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. Her family’s current dog companion is Gigi — who has had two ACL surgeries. Going through the procedures with her beloved Gigi, Andrea became acutely aware of the stress and concern we experience when our pets need urgent or critical care; this is why Andrea is a fervent advocate for Palo Alto Humane’s Vet Help Program and all services that ensure the wellness of animals throughout our community.

David Rutan has served on the Palo Alto Humane Board since 2011. He is the founder of the technology company Wizdom On Wheels and was one of the original MacGeniuses at 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 tech, David helps to drive Palo Alto Humane’s focus areas in community outreach and youth engagement. David has great fondness for community cats; he volunteers his time helping to trap, spay/neuter, and care for these animals in greatest need.

Brooke Bueno joined the Palo Alto Humane Board in 2023 and serves as Treasurer. She is currently a Senior Revenue Analyst at Adobe and has held various Finance positions in the high-tech industry over a 23-year period. Brooke also worked as the Accounting & Finance Manager for Humane Society Silicon Valley, and she previously served on the Board of Town Cats as Treasurer and Director. Brooke volunteers fostering bottle-baby kittens and puppies, and she recruits, mentors, and transports animals to new foster parents. Brooke’s 18-year-old tabby-cat-queen graciously shares her home with Brooke, her husband Aaron, their two sons, a senior Labrador retriever (Jambo) and chicken (Buster Posey).

Jay Carter joined the Palo Alto Humane Board in March 2020. He is a corporate attorney and has represented Palo Alto Humane as outside general counsel since March 2019. In addition to Palo Alto Humane, Jay has represented 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.

Dr. Leigh Glerum, DVM has lived and worked on the Peninsula for more than 23 years. She is a partner at Sage Centers (a veterinary specialty and emergency clinic) where she is a board-certified small animal surgeon in the Sage Centers Redwood City facility. A great amount of Dr. Glerum’s free time is spent volunteering in the community, ranging from the library to open spaces. As a local veterinarian, she contributes her extensive knowledge and perspective to Palo Alto Humane’s many veterinary care programs, services, and initiatives.

Sue Klapholz, M.D., Ph.D. – Sue has served on the PAH’s Board of Directors for 5 years, including 3 years as board chair. In her professional career, Sue was Vice President of Nutrition and Health at Impossible Foods. She also has her own jewelry and nature photography business, Spritely Finch, which donates all its proceeds to humane causes. Sue has been actively involved in animal welfare for many years, and her lovely dog, Daisy, was the inspiration for Palo Alto Humane’s annual Daisy’s Day event to fund Palo Alto Humane’s veterinary assistance program.

Maureen Allen – Maureen is a professional educator living in San Francisco. Her experience as a legislative aide in New York State provided the background to work with local and state officials in California to promote the teaching of Humane Education in California schools. Her contributions to the 2016 passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 144 (ACR 144), linking a Humane Education requirement to Character Education, have been invaluable. Maureen and her husband David share their home with two rescued boys, Rookie, and his pal, Yogi.

Dolores Arnold – Dolores continues to support Palo Alto Humane as an advisor and a volunteer at events and other gatherings. She has had a lifelong dedication to the welfare of animals, and she is a founding member of Feline Friends (formerly the Stanford Cat Network) and has been actively involved in many of Palo Alto Humane’s programs throughout the years. Dolores also has a passion for animal photography; her photographs can be found throughout Palo Alto Humane’s website and numerous communication pieces.

David Dang – David has held various finance leaderships roles at Zendesk, GoDaddy (Global Finance), Intuit (Corporate Finance), LinkedIn (Tech/R&D Finance) and Amazon.com (Pricing/Promotions). He 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. David is interested in helping Palo Alto Humane grow its financial resources and expand educational programming in the community.

Jaci Kassmeier – The granddaughter of Nebraska farmers, Jaci grew up loving every animal she saw. Her introduction to Palo Alto Humane came through her participation in planning the Daisy’s Day fundraiser for Palo Alto Humane’s 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 originally moved to the Bay Area to pursue a job in animal welfare, applying her skills in large-scale event planning and fundraising, but has since worked in the sustainable food tech space, with a focus on start-up scaling and people operations.

Jennifer Knapp – Jennifer served as President of the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2015, having joined the Board in 2008. Jennifer is an attorney with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati where she focuses on corporate and securities law. She provides pro bono council to several organizations, and she volunteers her time on a number of animal-related issues. Jennifer is dedicated to promoting veganism and compassion toward all animals, including humans.

Al Platt – Al served as President of the Board of Directors from 2005 through 2012. He was formerly director of the Centre for Living with Dying and, having served many philanthropies, provided a depth and breadth of experience and wisdom to Palo Alto Humane. Al and his wife Barbara are proud parents of Cheerio, their cockatiel.

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 Palo Alto Humane’s 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 Palo Alto Humane.