
Chair, Andrea Gandolfo
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 Pet Health Assistance Program and all services that ensure the wellness of animals throughout our community.

Secretary, David Rutan
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.

Treasurer, Brooke Bueno
Brooke Bueno joined the 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 and mentors new foster parents. Brooke’s 18-year-old tabby-cat-queen graciously shares her home with Brooke, her husband Aaron, their two sons, and chicken (Buster Posey).

Sue Klapholz
Sue Klapholz, M.D., Ph.D. has served on the Board for 6 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 the annual Daisy’s Day event to fund Palo Alto Humane’s Pet Health Assistance Program.

Colleen McCoy, DVM
Colleen McCoy, DVM specializes in small animal surgery with SAGE Centers for Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Care. She has lived and worked in the Bay Area for the last 11 years. She joined SAGE Centers in 2013 for her surgical residency and became an associate in 2016. In her free time Dr. McCoy is most likely hiking with her dog Delaney, gardening or learning a new recipe. Giving back to the local community along the peninsula has also been important to Dr. McCoy. As a local veterinarian, she contributes her extensive knowledge and perspective to Palo Alto Humane’s many veterinary care programs, services and initiatives.

Patti Yanklowitz, M.D.
Patti Yanklowitz, M.D. joined the board in 2024. For 35 years she has been a primary care physician in Internal Medicine at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. She is now focusing on the compassionate care of non-human members of our community. PAH’s mission aligns with her values of preserving the human-animal bond by supporting pet care which helps to keep animals out of shelters and with their families. Her beloved labradoodle, Kona, still kicking beyond age 16, continues to teach Patti many things — including the value of daily exercise, how to thoroughly enjoy her food, and how to age gracefully.

Robert Armbrust, President and CEO
Emeritus Board

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 California officials to promote the teaching of Humane Education in California schools. Her contributions were invaluable to the 2016 passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 144, linking a Humane Education requirement to Character Education. Maureen and her husband David share their home with two rescues, Rookie and Yogi.

Dolores Arnold
Dolores has been actively involved in Palo Alto Humane’s programs and services for numerous years. She has had a lifelong dedication to the welfare of animals and is a founding member of Feline Friends (formerly the Stanford Cat Network). Dolores also has a passion for animal photography; her photographs can be found throughout Palo Alto Humane’s communication pieces.

Jay Carter
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.

David Dang
David has held finance leaderships roles at Zendesk, GoDaddy (Global Finance), Intuit (Corporate Finance), LinkedIn (Tech/R&D Finance) and Amazon.com (Pricing/Promotions). 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.

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

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 Pet Health 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 works in the sustainable food tech space, with a focus on start-up scaling and people operations.

Jennifer Knapp
Jennifer served as PAH Board President 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 PAH Board President from 2005 through 2012. Having served many philanthropies, Al provided great depth and breadth of experience. This included his skills in development work that helped grow Palo Alto Humane at a critical time in our history.