Our Staff
Olivia Kristiansen
CEO
Olivia moved to Sonoma in 2021 and has three rescue cats Charlie, Lucy and Benny. She has nearly two decades of experience working in the tech industry, with expertise in strategy, operations and organizational growth. Her track record includes pivotal roles at industry giants such as Yahoo, Uber and Twitter, where she spearheaded various initiatives to scale operations and foster growth. Prior to her corporate career, she worked in television, hosting four national TV shows, and became a published author in 2012. Olivia served as a volunteer and mentor for BUILTBYGIRLS, an organization that connects girls with tech professionals in a 1:1 advisory program. Before Olivia was appointed CEO at Pets Lifeline in 2024, she volunteered and served as a Board Director.
Jody Purdom
Development Director
Jody joined Pets Lifeline in 2023 as the new Development Director. She brings experience as Sponsorship Director for the Sonoma International Film Festival and as Grants Administrator for the Mental Insight Foundation. Purdom has tremendous experience working in the nonprofit sector.
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Previously, Purdom also worked for Sonoma Media, the Sonoma Valley Sun, and Charles Pinot Publishing, among others. She lives in Sonoma with Remy, her 12-year-old rescue Standard Poodle.
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Ali Phillips
Operations Director | Programs Supervisor
Ali joined the Pets Lifeline team as Operations Coordinator in January 2022 with a passion for problem solving and a lifelong love of animals. She has lived in Sonoma since 1984 and raised her two daughters in the Valley. In her spare time, Ali enjoys spending time with her amazing family, including her beloved pets, as well as traveling to warm and sandy destinations.
Denise Asaro
Shelter Operations Director, RVT
Denise joined the staff of Pets Lifeline in October 2021 and is their Shelter Director. She has twenty-six years of experience as an Registered Vet Technician. She has practiced Emergency, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Oncology and now shelter medicine. She has two daughters. They are very involved in Soccer. They have four dogs at home ranging from a 7 pound to a 70 pound, 3 cats and 1 chameleon.
Amy Mertens
Shelter Manager
Amy is a native of Sonoma Valley and always wanted to work in Veterinary Medicine. She started volunteering at Pets Lifeline in 2011 and transitioned into working as a Kennel Assistant and Adoption Specialist. She studied veterinary science & became certified as a Veterinary Assistant. She worked at a local vet hospital for eight years and gained practical veterinary experience working as a Vet Tech Asst. Amy has 1 Pets Lifeline alumni at home along with 2 rescued cats and 2 rescued dogs.
Christina Leport
Community Clinic Coordinator
Sara, the Administrative Coordinator, also known as Admin Queen, was born and raised in the East Bay and moved to Sonoma in 2004. She began volunteering at Pets Lifeline upon her arrival in Sonoma and joined the staff a decade later in 2014. Sara shares her home with four PLL kitties and highly recommends having a catio for cats to safely enjoy fresh air and sunshine.
Rebecca Wallace
Certified Dog Trainer
Rebecca was raised on a ranch in Tomales, surrounded by various animals including beef cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats. She spent 14 years in the local 4-H club and 5 years in her high school's FFA, where she showed Polled Hereford beef cattle at fairs and raised market lambs. About two years ago, she pursued her passion for dogs by earning a degree in dog training from the Animal Behavior College. For the past year, she has been a certified dog trainer at Pets Lifeline, where she trains shelter dogs and holds training classes. She also runs a family business, Take A Hike Dog Adventures, in Sonoma, with her husband, daughter, and their dogs, River and Yogi, the latter being a rescue from Pets Lifeline.
Sara Rusmisel
Administrative Coordinator
Sara, the Administrative Coordinator, was born and raised in the East Bay and moved to Sonoma in 2004. She began volunteering at Pets Lifeline upon her arrival in Sonoma and joined the staff a decade later in 2014. Sara shares her home with four PLL kitties and fosters many cats and kittens every year. She highly recommends having a catio for cats to safely enjoy fresh air and sunshine.​​
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Mary Serafini
Events & Marketing Coordinator
Mary Serafini is a Sonoma local and brings years of experience to Pets Lifeline, joining in May 2023. Her career includes film editing and post-production at Industrial, Light and Magic in San Rafael and San Francisco’s visual effects film facility, The Orphanage. She also worked with the Sonoma Jazz Festival, Sonoma International Film Festival and Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Market. She and her husband owned Sonoma Valley Music from 2005 to 2014 and raised two sons in Sonoma, now young adults. Mary has a dog named Albus, a beautiful black lab/golden retriever, and two awesome brother cats from Pets Lifeline, Ron & Neville.​​​
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Josh Kraft
Youth Education Coordinator
Joshua moved to Sonoma in 2004, and joined the team at Pet's Lifeline in September 2024. He has two kitties, Zoe & Cloe who are both 17 years old. Josh's wife, Maria brought Zoe home as a kitten from Pet's Lifeline in 2007. Joshua has also recently become the proud father of a veiled chameleon named Johnny Ringo, aka Bubba. Joshua brings his positive outlook, enthusiasm and compassion for all living things to the wonderful team at Pet's Lifeline. He also is the guitarist in the Bay Area band Tainted Love, Metal Street Boyz, and Super Dupes. Before joining PLL, Joshua was working with special needs adults as a Community Coach at Becoming Independent for 15 years.
Laura Anderson
Adoption Specialist & Cat Behaviorist
Laura joined the staff of Pets Lifeline in October 2022. With a lifelong love for all creatures Laura has been working in the Animal Care world for over five years with wildlife and domestic critters. She developed an interest in behavior sciences along the way, wondering what more we can do to help our animal companions feel happy and satisfied in their homes. If you can't find her, she's probably sitting with a cat. She has two rescue cats of her own, named Kai and Lizzie, who teach her about cat behavior every day.
Shoshana Brown
Cat Foster/TNR Coordinator
Pets Lifeline’s longest-serving employee, Shoshana Brown, began her journey with the shelter at just 15 years old. Nearly 30 years later, her dedication remains unwavering as she continues to make a profound impact on the lives of countless animals. Throughout her tenure, Shoshana has worn many hats and currently oversees the daily care of Pets Lifeline’s cats and dogs, managing feeding schedules, walks, medication, and much more.
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In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Shoshana plays a pivotal role as Foster Animal Coordinator, working closely with foster families to ensure they have all the necessary supplies and support. Her efforts help kittens thrive in foster care and prepare for their forever homes. Shoshana is also the Feral Cat Coordinator, collaborating with the community to reduce overpopulation by facilitating spaying and neutering efforts for Sonoma’s community cats.
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When not at the shelter, Shoshana keeps just as busy at home, managing the care of four children, one husband, and a household full of animals!
Kevin Dill
Shelter Assistant
Kevin is a part-time Kennel Assistant. Kevin began as a dedicated volunteer at Pets Lifeline. When a part-time position opened up, he applied to work at Pets Lifeline.
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Kevin is an animal lover and after each shift, he will make a cup of coffee and visit with the cats and dogs before going home for the day. Kevin has two dogs at home.
Misty Guy
Shelter Manager Assistant
Misty stepped into a new position at Pets Lifeline as Customer & Client Services Representative in Oct 2021. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Misty has been living in Sonoma since 2016 with her family. An animal lover since before she can remember, she has been working in the animal industry for 20+ years. She has either worked or volunteered with most of the local animal shelters/rescues. If you need help navigating the shelter system, she's your gal! Her passion lies in lost pet recovery and customer relations. She is drawn to the old and broken pets, and would love to one day be a dedicated fospice caregiver for aging animals.​
Judy Hall
Volunteer Coordinator
Judy joined Pets Lifeline in October 2023 as Volunteer Coordinator. Judy grew up in a large family with cats, dogs, bunnies and a pet crow, and is a lifelong animal lover. She moved to Sonoma in 199O. Judy adopted 4 cats from Pets Lifeline over the years, and is a long term donor. She adopted 2 senior cats from Pets Lifeline after joining the company. Judy comes with several years of experience in recruiting for a broad range of positions and companies including nonprofits, and in business development and client services positions. She is excited to combine her experience with her passion for animal welfare. ​
Rudy Moreno
Shelter Assistant
Rudy is a full time shelter assistant for dogs. Since working with us, he has discovered that the dogs love and respect him. Rudy is thrilled to be with the animals everyday and says he feels at ease when he’s with them. At home he lives with his wife, 4 children, 2 cats and 1 dog. Two of his pets happen to be Pets Lifeline Alumnus.
Lelio Lis (Eli)
Kennel Assistant
Hailing from France, Eli first started at Pets Lifeline in the Fall of 2021 as a volunteer, mostly cleaning, washing and doing various physical labors. He received his work permit in February of the next year and applied for a job the very next day. Eli chose to work at the shelter due to his appreciation for all life forms unburdened by human consciousness and that also enjoy belly rubs. He has no pets at home to call a part of his tribe although a cat with a chocolate coat of fur occasionally visits his household garden and demands attention.
Clarissa Escobar
Animal Care Technician
Clarissa has been working at Pets Lifeline for more than six months. She has had a passion for working with plants and animals since she was 15 years old, beginning her journey at her school barn where she raised a pig. Not long after, she interned as an "enviroleader" for the Sonoma Ecology Center. Over the years, she also volunteered at the Sonoma Garden Park. Now, at this stage of her life, she is very happy to be part of the team at Pets Lifeline.
Nancy King
CEO Emeritus
Nancy began with PLL in 2009 taking the helm as Executive Director in 2010. Nancy is an active member since 2011 in the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement. Under her leadership the organization solidified its presence as a respected animal welfare organization, created a robust humane education program and fundraised and completed a capital campaign to secure a future facility for the organization. She lives in Sonoma with her dog Doc and three cats, Cowboy, Michael and Spudnik.
Our Board of Directors​
Marchelle Carleton
President
Marchelle lives in Kenwood (since 1998) with her husband Curt, their Golden Retriever Crystal “the pistol”, and 2 rescued cats – Chipper and Harrison who was recently rescued from the Paradise fires. They have an adult son Greg, his wife Marianne, and 2 granddaughters - Katelyn (studying Biomedical Engineering at USC) and Sarah (a senior at Napa High School). Marchelle has always given back to her community having served on Boards and volunteered for many organizations. She previously served on the Board of Boys & Girls Club for 12 years and is a Past President and Sweetheart. Marchelle is a founding member of the Cha Chas who for 14 years have volunteered their time for the youth at Valley of the Moon Children’s Center.
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Marchelle’s professional experience includes starting Carleton Group Healthcare Interiors with her husband Curt. For over 30 years they’ve worked with large customers such as Kaiser, Sutter Health, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the UC System medical facilities. She is fluent in all aspects of business from owning their company. Prior to that she was a partner in an event company producing large events, PR and marketing.​
Larry Krieger
Vice President, Strategic Planning Co-chair
Larry lives in Sonoma (since 2000) with his wife Virginia and two Pets Lifeline superstars, Baxter (beagle mix), and Lulu (miniature Schnauzer). Larry is currently serving on the Board of Directors of The Boys and Girls Club, is a past board President plus was honored as Sweetheart in 2017. Previously, he was Board President of the International Health and Racquet Sports Association and member of the Tennis Hall of Fame Advisory Board.
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Larry’s career encompassed roles providing leadership to drive staff accountability, financial responsibility and ethical practices. Most recently Larry was with the San Francisco based, The Bay Club Company. Prior to relocating to the Bay Area, while based in Boston, he was President of The WellBridge Company, an upscale wellness and fitness organization. After WellBridge, he joined the then Boston-based Virgin Lifecare Company as VP.
Larry has been an avid tennis player and competitor from early childhood and now enjoys the challenges of golf. He loves reading, a good bottle of wine and a good hamburger that he doesn’t get at home.
Yvonne Hall
Secretary, Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair
Born in New York State, Yvonne has been a resident of California for more than 50 years, the last 15 in Sonoma County. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. degree in psychology. Her 26-year professional career was spent with Levi Strauss & Co. After starting with the company as a secretary, she went on to hold positions in Merchandising, Production and Product Development. Subsequently she served as President of Levi Strauss de Mexico SA de CV in Mexico City. She was the first woman of any nationality to head a company in Mexico. Her last position with Levi’s was V.P. of Merchandising and Product Development for the 14 segments of the Levi’s brand in the U.S. Yvonne uses her skills and experience to support the non-profit community in Sonoma. This has included board positions with La Luz Center, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and Pets Lifeline. She rejoined the La Luz board in 2018 and currently serves on the Development and Strategic Planning committees. She currently resides in downtown Sonoma, reads voraciously, travels extensively and enjoys the great experience of living in the wine country.
Frank Espina
Treasurer
Frank Espina’s professional experience spans over four decades as the founder of his own CPA firm as an audit and tax partner. He retired in 2018. His financial accounting and tax consulting experience lends well to the role of Board Member.
Over the years, Frank has served on several volunteer boards as President and Chairman of the Board of Family Service Agency, San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and Suicide Prevention and Crisis Center. Also, for 20 years he was on the Board and CFO of Pets in Need. Currently, he is on the Board and CFO of the Wine Country Marines. He has both a BA and MBA from San Francisco State University and spent time in the United States Marine Corp. He is married to his wife Andi for the last 18 years. He has two dogs, Hambone and Coco Chanel. He currently serves on the finance committee for Pets Lifeline.
Toni Casamento
Governance & Events Committee
Toni was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts, moving to Southern California is the mid 80’s and finally to Northern California in 2000. She practiced law for over 20 years in both Massachusetts and California, concentrating on civil litigation and real estate. She has been and continues to be involved in a number of non-profit, charitable organizations including the Anti-Vivisection Society, the Cha-Chas (providing support to The Valley of the Moon Children’s Home for abused, abandoned and neglected children), 4Paws where she and her pup Winston volunteer at the local Library for Read to the Dog Days, and finally to Pet’s Lifeline where she joined the Board of Directors in 2017. Toni lives in Kenwood with her beloved husband Chuck and her labradoodle Winston. She enjoys photography, travel and cooking.
Deborah Emery
Governance & Events Committee
Deborah grew up in the East Bay and was an actress and model spanning 20 years. She was also an Oakland Raiderette. Deborah married John Emery in San Francisco and helped start his medical spa in the city. She was an active member of the Junior League and helped co found the Child Abuse Prevention Society in San Francisco.
Deborah and John started their move to Sonoma in 1985 and Deborah became involved in many community efforts including Salute to the Arts, Children's Home Auxiliary, Sonoma Valley High School projects mentor and President of the board of Boys and Girls club of Sonoma Valley. There she spearheaded the much needed start of the new Teen Programing. After serving 10 years she was looking for a new place to serve. Having adopted several pets for her family she saw a need to serve the unheard. Deborah joined the Pets Lifeline board four years ago, and is looking forward to help drive the future of this worthy service to our community and the wonderful pets that are lovingly taken care of.
Cyndi Frank
Program Development Committee
Cyndi lives in Sonoma with her husband Lars and their beloved cat Mia, a.k.a. Creamy. She is a lifelong animal lover and is proud to serve on the Pets Lifeline Board of Directors so that she can express that love through helping to do good for our local cats and dogs. Cyndi’s other passion is travel and hopes to eventually visit every continent so that she can learn more about the languages and traditions of all cultures on our planet.
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Cyndi has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years for many different organizations: The Sierra Club Foundation, San Francisco Food Bank, Jewish Community Center, Sports4Kids, National Gaucher Foundation, Friends of San Francisco Animal Care & Control, and currently the Gaucher Community Alliance where she is the Co-Founder/Co-President and The Cultural Conservancy, where she serves as their Chief Development Officer.
Bob Holloway
Resource Development Committee, Program Development Committe
I’ve lived in Sonoma for 18 years with my husband Tom. Recently I retired from a 30 year career with the National Park Service assigned to Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
I worked with volunteers, led guided tours for guests of all ages and managed the historic preservation of facilities. As a volunteer I’ve served on the Public Advisory Team for the Developmental Center. I am a founding member of Gaydar. Tom and I are the dedicated owners of a 10-year-old rescue terrier mix Dusty Springfield.
Jane Hutchinson
Governance Committee Chair, Program Development Committee
The summer of 2018 was a big one for Jane – she retired, moved to Sonoma and married her husband, Bill. Prior to that, Jane’s career as an independent school business officer spanned over thirty years, working at Hanahau`oli School in Honolulu, HI, The Park School in Brookline, MA, and most recently as the CFO at The College Preparatory School in Oakland. During her professional career, Jane served as the president of Cal-ISBOA, a professional association with 250 California independent school business officers, was the founding president of HAISBO (Hawaii Association of Independent School Business Officers), and was a member of ABOIS (Association of Business Officers in Independent Schools). Jane has also served on the board of directors of NBOA (National Business Officers Association) and was the recipient of the Ken White Distinguished Business Officer Award in 2018. Since moving to Sonoma, she has chaired the Finance Committee of the First Congregational Church of Sonoma and volunteered with Impact 100 Sonoma. Jane and Bill share seven grandchildren between them (two set of twins!) and are looking forward to future travel to see family and friends, as well as exploring some new adventures together.
Sue Maloney
Resource Development Committee Chair
Sue lives in Sonoma with her husband Pete and Norwich terrier, Franklin. After attending several Pets Lifeline events and volunteering for PLL events, she enthusiastically joined the Board in 2023. Sue now chairs the RDC committee supporting marketing, fundraising and events. From 2008-2018, she served two terms as a board member for Safe & Sound, an organization dedicated to preventing and reducing the impact of child abuse, neglect and trauma in San Francisco where she supported marketing, Web site and messaging for the non-profit. Sue currently works as an Executive Creative Director at Ketchum, a global marketing and communications agency.
Dr. Tiffany Newman, DVM
Animal Welfare Committee
Tiffany grew up in Sonoma Valley, attending El Verano Elementary, Altimira Junior High and Sonoma Valley High School. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, spent 2 years teaching English in Japan, and completed her degree in veterinary medicine at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island where she met her husband, Gordon. They moved back to Sonoma in 2016, where they currently live on a hobby farm with their 3 elementary school daughters, 6 alpacas, 2 goats, 2 bunnies, 2 dogs, cat, guinea pig, numerous chickens and racing pigeons. Tiffany currently practices small animal veterinary medicine at Sonoma Veterinary Clinic with Dr. Howard Rosner. Sonoma Veterinary Clinic with Dr. Howard Rosner.
Gary Umholtz
Facilities and Investment Committees Chair, Resource Development Committee
I’ve lived in Sonoma for 24 years, moving up from Newport Beach in 1999, I’ve been in the Mortgage business here in town for over 18 years. I love Sonoma and like to give back to my community as best as I can. I’ve been a Mentor with the Mentoring Alliance for 16 years and a Rotarian for 10 years. My favorite charities typically revolve around children and animals.
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​I am an avid snow skier, mountain biker and all-round outdoor man. I live with my longtime girlfriend Linda Zaiss along with our two dogs Bear and Teddy.
Laura Zimmerman
Program Development Chair
For 20 years, Laura graced television screens in northern and central California as an anchor and reporter. Best known for nearly five years as a news anchor at KTVU in Oakland during the first several years of the station’s then-new Mornings On 2 newscast, she later joined KGO-TV in San Francisco to serve as co-anchor of the station’s Marketplace financial program with Rosie Allen.
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After leaving television, Laura and her family relocated to Sonoma from the East Bay in 2000 and went into non-profit work. In 2007, Laura became the Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. Now, Laura is sharing her enormous talent with Pets Lifeline.
Our Partners & Friends
Over the 30 years of Pets Lifeline's history, local people and businesses have continued to make major contributions to the Shelter. Their dedication, generosity, and hard work provide us with not only skills
and services we would find difficult to afford, but they also provide inspiration to continue our work.
Below are our partners and friends to whom we owe a special thanks.