Staff

CEO, Robert Armbrust, will lead Palo Alto Humane Society in our mission, preparing the next generation of animal welfare advocates and shaping compassionate communities. With a lifelong passion for animals, Robert is continuing a long career in nonprofit leadership and partnership building. He has held fundraising, operations, and leadership roles at Humane Society Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz SPCA & Humane Society. At these organizations, he led fundraising initiatives that continue to raise millions in proceeds today and spearheaded the effort to build a new animal shelter facility in Santa Cruz. He has also worked with youth and voluntary health organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, JDRF, and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. A long-time resident of California, Robert enjoys hiking the redwoods, being by the ocean, and believing we all have great capacity to build a more humane world. Click here to read a Q&A with Robert Armbrust.

Carole Hyde serves as the organization’s Director of Programs. Carole served as the organization’s Executive Director from 1991 through 2021. She has been an integral part of PAHS, giving a constant, compassionate voice to animals in our community. Carole is a founding member of the Stanford Cat Network and creator of Mow Wow Animals, an innovative humane education program for California schools.

Jilliann Matteucci joined PAHS in 2022 as our Director of Development. Being an animal lover her whole life, Jilliann entered the nonprofit world with a passion for generating change in animal welfare. Her experience at Town Cats solidified her love for charitable work (especially in sharing programs and service successes that highlight the connection between animals and people of all ages). She continues to serve the needs of animals in our community by building relationships to grow PAHS’ mission impact. Jilliann comes to us with more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and fundraising; she received her B.S in Health Sciences from CSU East Bay. In her free time, Jilliann travels, bakes, and spends time with her family — including her two dogs and rescue cat. 

Susan Stienstra is our Community Outreach Manager. When concerned pet owners call to find out how to get help for their animals, Susan initiates a referral to a veterinary office, and once care has been completed, she arranges for the bills to be paid. Susan has more than 20 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations and will work to broaden the scope of PAHS’ community partners. She is also a licensed humane educator with House Rabbit Society, and in that capacity, has taught children and adults about rabbits and how to care for them. Her special passions are horses, rabbits, and wildlife. She is also an accomplished nature photographer. Susan also writes the Rabbits as Companions articles.

Souroor Milani is our Development Assistant. Her years working in Information Technology as a software developer, QA analyst, and project manager, as well as her attention to detail, problem-solving, and mathematical and analytical skills have all proved invaluable. Souroor has been completing the implementation of our donor database as well as driving our donor acknowledgment processes. Her experiences in a variety of technology companies, along with her success with non-profit fundraising and event management, provide her with a unique perspective and ability to contribute to successful collaborations with numerous PAHS partners.

Meg Minto serves as PAHS’ Office Assistant where she assists with our veterinary and community support programs, development projects, and many other aspects to ensure the success of our mission. In addition, if you’ve made a contribution to PAHS over the past few years, you may have received a lovely handwritten note of gratitude from Meg for your generous gift. She wears multiple hats here at PAHS and is meticulous and dedicated.