Our Board of Directors

Kati Aho, Board President

Kati is retired from the Earle Baum Center of the Blind where she was the Director of Operations and Programs. The EBC is a local community center and school for people with sight loss. Prior to the EBC, her focus was in the electronics industry. She was the COO at a small startup and was with Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies for 24 years. Kati is a native Californian, born and raised in the Sebastopol area, and a graduate of USF with a BS in Informational Systems Management. Kati is a member of the Santa Rosa and Montgomery Village Lions Club and a Board member of the Redwood Lions Memorial Foundation. Her passion focuses on organizational development and the creation of synergistic, self-managed work teams. Kati is an avid SCUBA diver and animal lover.

Kelly Stromgren, Board Treasurer

Kelly was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, eventually migrating west to the “City by the Bay”. She entered the world of Wall Street when she relocated to Santa Rosa in the late 80’s and is a Financial Advisor with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. She lives with her husband Brent and their miracle cat Cabo, who is a cancer survivor. Kelly’s quest for a dog brought her to HSSC as a volunteer dog walker because Cabo was just not interested in sharing her home with a dog. Along with her passion for animals, she is an avid golfer and a self-proclaimed DIYer. In addition, she is a past member of the Active 20-30 Club of the Redwood Empire.

Sandy Chute, Board Member

Sandy has a background in interior design and taught home economics in Washington DC. She opened a clothing store in Maryland which she quickly grew to eight stores. After selling her business to a multinational corporation, she moved to California and began a new career of building, remodeling and furnishing homes for resale. Here, she also fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning a horse and was involved with the early days of the natural horse training movement and the concepts behind horse communication. Sandy has volunteered with a wide range of nonprofits for over 40 years, including 35 years as a site manager for the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Festival and as co-chair for the Sonoma County Medical Alliance Garden Tour. She has two horses, a tuxedo cat, and a Havanese named Harley who enjoys playdates with dog friends and training in therapy classes with Canine Companions for Independence.

Steve Maass, Board Member

Steve Maass is the Founder and President of Oliver’s Markets, which locally owns and operates four supermarkets in Sonoma County. Steve’s vision when he opened the first Oliver’s Market location in Cotati in 1988 was to create a store where customers truly enjoyed shopping. Oliver’s proprietary combination of offerings includes food and wellness products produced in Sonoma County, along with a wide assortment of natural and conventional groceries. Oliver’s purchases goods and services from over 600 Sonoma County businesses and sells over $45M per year in Sonoma County products. Steve began his retailing career in 1972 as the Founder of Maass Produce that operated roadside produce stands around the San Francisco Bay Area. Steve was also the Produce Manager at the Santa Rosa Food 4 Less before opening the first Oliver’s Market in Cotati in 1988. Steve has lived in Sonoma County for over 40 years. He is a former board member of Redwood Empire Food Bank, and currently serves on the boards of Humane Society of Sonoma County and Green Music Center. A lifelong animal lover, Steve has two horses (one rescue), two dogs (both rescues and one born deaf), one friendly feral rescue cat, five chickens and one rescue rooster.

Eric M. Marton

Eric started his career in New York City, practicing law for a large Wall Street firm. He came to San Francisco in 1986, where he continued practicing law, both for private firms and as Senior Counsel for a large financial institution. Eric’s interest in animal welfare then became both personal and professional. After leaving the practice of law he worked for many years in the privately-held office of a high net worth family group, assisting with their financial, real estate, and philanthropic activities. Crucially, this family had dedicated much of its fortune to a variety of animal welfare projects. In this capacity Eric developed a keen interest in animal welfare, working directly with the family’s foundation and related charities. Subsequently, Eric became affiliated with Sotheby’s International as a real estate broker, assisting buyers and sellers of properties in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.

Having lived in Sebastopol for the last twelve years after decades in San Francisco, Eric feels a strong connection to Sonoma County. He and his husband, Jim Dugdale, are both unabashed cat lovers. They currently share their home with a rescue cat named Sam who began life as a stray on the streets of Fort Bragg. Eric enjoys international travel, particularly to Africa, and he is passionate about cooking and baking artisan bread.

Mark Rubins, Board Member

Mark Rubins is a retired partner of Moss Adams, an Accounting, Consulting and Wealth Management Company. Mark was at Moss Adams from 1994 until his retirement in 2020. Mark worked with Public, Non-Public and Not For Profits companies in his time in accounting. Mark has a BS in Business Administration from CSU Sacramento with a concentration in Accounting. Mark’s wife Demae adopted their first dog from the Humane Society in 2003. Our daughter Taryn has attended multiple kids camps at HSSC and Forget Me Not Farms and has raised money for HSSC. Mark is on the HSSC Finance Committee and is our Audit Committee Chairperson.