Meet the Team

Chief Executive Officer

Susan Lee Vick

Susan Lee Vick brings to her role as CEO a lifelong passion for the human-animal bond and a diverse set of leadership, business, and management skills. In the course of her career, Susan has successfully led local, regional, and national nonprofits and socially responsible businesses serving sectors ranging from human services to conservation science, urban renewal, endowment management, and the arts. She attributes her achievements to shared inspiration, commitment to mission, and teamwork.

Prior to joining ARF, Susan served as Chief Operating Officer at Hugh Futrell Corporation, Chief Advancement Officer at Point Blue Conservation Science, and Chief Development Officer at Church Investment Group. As National Director of Advancement at Canine Companions, she oversaw 66% revenue growth in under three years, fueling collateral surges in mission and impact.

Susan takes particular pride in having raised a Canine Companions service dog who successfully partnered with a wounded U.S. Army Veteran of the war in Afghanistan. She has served her community in leadership roles with organizations such as the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Living Room shelter for homeless women and their children, Roseland University Prep, and Sonoma County Tourism. Susan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors in English from the University of California at Davis. She has two dogs, Sophie and Jax, and in her free time enjoys the company of her children, hiking, running, and trekking.

Chief of Staff

Wendy Taylor-Tanielian

Wendy’s background as a marketing and communication strategist includes creative engagement work for brands such as AT&T, DIRECTV, Tenet Healthcare, and a roster of political clients. A born storyteller (aka a Texan) she also is a dedicated problem-solver and passionately committed to our mission. When her nose isn’t in a pile of research or animal statistics, she’s often puzzling her teammates with obscure lyric references. Wendy and her husband share their Bay Area home with ARF rescue dog, Max, and rescue cats, Bella and Vougie.

Chief Financial Officer

Cheryl McKenna

Cheryl joined ARF in 2019, bringing with her 20 years of accounting experience. She spent 15 of those years as a CFO in the non-profit arena, cultivating strong financial, human resource, and information technology systems within her organizations. She thoroughly enjoys providing leadership and has served on local, state, and national committees. Cheryl loves doting on her grandkids, travelling, and exploring all that the greater Bay Area has to offer.

Community Solutions Director

Rebecca Katz

Rebecca is a licensed attorney who has devoted her life and career to public interest, social justice, and advocacy for vulnerable communities. She was a Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco, where she drafted animal welfare legislation that has since been replicated across California and the United States.

From 2008-2014, Rebecca served as the Director of Animal Care and Control (ACC) for the City and County of San Francisco, where she pioneered new policy initiatives and programs. This includes their highly successful WOOF program, which paired formerly homeless residents with difficult dogs requiring special training and attention.

In late 2014, Rebecca was hired to oversee the transition of Oakland Animal Services (OAS) into a standalone department under the City Administrator’s Office. She and her team made huge strides in advancing the quality of care for Oakland’s animals and people. Under her leadership, OAS saw great improvement in outcomes, including a jump in the live release rate from 56% to over 86%. The average length of stay for animals decreased dramatically, from an average of 31 days to 19 days. With better-trained, more knowledgeable staff along with an ever-growing pool of dedicated volunteers, OAS now operates well above industry standards.

Development Director

Stephanie Chew

Stephanie joined ARF in 2018, after 18 years of non-profit experience with Girl Scouts including community development, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, branding and strategic planning. She has been a recurring speaker at Girl Scouts USA’s annual Fund Development Conference and served on the Diversity Committee for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Her development team coordinates all of ARF’s marketing and fundraising campaigns, including our signature events and publications. Stephanie grew up in California’s Diablo Valley and earned her Bachelors of Arts in Photography from University of California, Santa Cruz.

For media inquiries, please submit a media inquiry.

Human Resources Director

Chris Mavroudis

Chris began his career in law enforcement as a Deputy Sheriff. After 15 years he decided to begin a second career and went to work in the casino industry; first as a trainer for the security department, then in human resources. Most recently, he was the Director of Human Resources at a Bay Area casino, where he spent 15 years assisting staff with their large teams. Chris knows building relationships is the key to success.

Chris and his wife adore their two rescue pups, Tiki, an 18-year-old Chihuahua / Pug mix, and Peanut, a 15-year-old Chihuahua / Dachshund mix. When not spending time with his two sons and two young grandsons, Chris can be found riding his Harley looking for new adventures.

Director of Philanthropy

Andrea Bell, CFRE

Andrea comes to our team with more than 20 years of non-profit development experience. Most recently, she led the major gifts program at SFJAZZ. Andrea has held leadership giving roles at Best Friends Animal Society and Cal Performances, and served on the Board of Directors of Cat Town and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Highlights of Andrea’s career also include high-profile, successful capital campaigns for the Oakland Zoo and Exploratorium. She managed the Exploratorium’s capital campaign to move to a new, nine-acre campus on San Francisco’s historic waterfront. And her efforts funded the Oakland Zoo’s veterinary hospital – which transformed the zoo’s capacity for animal care, collaborative research, and wildlife partnerships.

Andrea is thrilled to return to animal welfare in her role as ARF’s Major Gifts Officer of Leadership and Legacy Giving. A Bay Area native, she and her husband Erik live in Oakland, where they are raising two teenage boys and two rescued boy cats, Freddy and Francis. Being vastly outnumbered by all of these boys, Andrea enjoys long walks and hiking in the Oakland Hills.

Current Board of Directors

• Gregory L. McCoy, Esq., President,
  Gagen McCoy
• Jennifer Hall, Vice President
  Senior Vice President, Intuit (retired)
• Dayna Sayres, Treasurer,
  Community Philanthropist
• Morgan Forsey, Secretary,
  Office Managing Partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, San Francisco
• Steve Degnan,
  Chief HR Officer, Nestle Purina PetCare North America (retired)
• Kevin Fick,
  Chief Executive Officer, Worldwise, Inc.
• James V. Heim,
  President of Business Development, Central Garden & Pet
• Mark Jennings,
  San Francisco-based Investor
• Alice Tillett,
  Chief Executive Officer, Petmate

Hall of Fame Board

• Bradley N. Blake,
  Blake Griggs Properties
• Bill Blase,
  Senior Executive Vice President – Human Resources, AT&T, Inc.
• Sandy Block, DVM,
  Bollinger Canyon Animal Hospital, San Ramon
• Maria Brunner,
  Owner, Insight Mgt.
• Glenn Colacurci,
  Retired Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
• Brenda de la Ossa,
  Community Leader
• Michael Duffield,
  Maddie’s Fund
• Grant E. Finlayson,
  Managing Director, Pacific Ventures, LLC
• Bill Goldberg,
  Professional Wrestler and Actor
• Roger Haughton,
  Retired Chairman & CEO, The PMI Group, Inc.
• Frank Johnson III,
  Business Development and Consulting
• Timothy Krisch,
  Maze & Associates, CPA’s
• Mark McGwire,
  The Mark McGwire Foundation for Children
• Neal Mitchell,
  Community Leader
• Dan O’Brien,
  Olympic Athlete
• Steve Parish
• David Pratt,
  Owner, St. Louis Cardinals
• George Riggs,
  Publisher, San Jose Mercury News
• Dan Roberts,
  The PMI Group, Inc.
• John Schiavo,
  Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc.
• Marsha Servetnick,
  Community Leader
• Jim Sexton, DVM,
  The Sexton Clinic
• John Steiner,
  Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch
• Keith Thomas,
  President, KRT Marketing
• Amy Trask,
  Football Analyst CBS Sports, Former CEO of the Oakland Raiders
• John Watson,
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation