People

Kristen and her husband David own HeadgearPlus Promotional Marketing in Petaluma where she handles human resources, payroll and credit card reconciliation. She has a BS in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis, where she attended because of her love of animals. Animal Science was her first major but required visits to the slaughter house which resulted in a change of major as well as a dietary change. Kristen volunteered with Canine Companions for Independence in the East Bay for 33 years - she helped raised a dozen puppies, started up and led a local chapter of volunteers and was responsible for annual fundraisers and community outreach events. When Kristen moved to Sonoma County five years ago, she decided to look for other ways to give back to her community where her love for animals and volunteer experience would be useful. Although a relative newcomer to Sonoma County, Kristen has fallen in love with the beauty and culture that make this area unique. Kristen and Dave have three grown children and live in Sebastopol with their dog Lilac, a rescued feral cat Shadow and a horse named Coco.

Born and raised in Northern California, Sophia grew up on an Arabian horse ranch and can’t remember a time when she didn’t have at least one dog. The family farm also included pigs, chickens, cows, goats and cats, which all contributed to Sophia’s love of animals and drove her to obtain a B.S. degree in Animal Science from UC Davis. After a long career as a veterinary technician in general and specialty practices, Sophia has recently left the field to pursue a career as a writer. When she isn’t at her computer writing Sophia can be found on her five acre farm in Santa Rosa with at least one of her five dogs by her side.

Vee is a local commercial banking specialist with Bank of America and sits on the corporate's volunteer board for Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties where she is able to help several nonprofits around the area. Prior she managed several banking centers around Sonoma county. Vee acquired her love for animals while growing up on a farm in rural New Hampshire, bringing home strays and injured wildlife, visiting animal shelters on the weekends. After graduating with an art degree, she moved into accounting and banking shortly before moving to California ten years ago. Vee resides in Santa Rosa on a small orchard overlooking the county with her husband, their four children, her grandparents, chickens and five dogs.

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.

Kati is the Director of Operations and Programs for the Earle Baum Center of the Blind. 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. Her passion focuses on organizational development and the creation of synergistic, self-managed work teams. Kati is an avid SCUBA diver, animal lover and loves to garden.

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.

Johnny Drake was born in SF, the youngest of 14 children. Johnny’s big family were loving and firm believers in the merits of hard work. These values were instilled in Johnny early in life and have carried him through his various careers, pursuits and passions. When Johnny was 18, he moved out of the family home to go to college at Sacramento State to study Poly-Sci. While not studying Political Science, Johnny started a carpet cleaning business. Four years later he and his brother began a baking company that eventually turned into Johnny’s Java. Johnny moved to Sonoma County in 1989 and developed Johnny’s Java into a storied Sonoma County coffee shop with 9 locations and over 80 employees. After twenty successful years, Johnny was ready for a new challenge, so he pursued his long time interest in real estate. While Johnny is a heart centered business man, talented marketer and an experienced entrepreneur, his real passion is helping people create community. Johnny’s history of service and giving back to the community includes contributions of time, money and support to Canine Companions, the Sonoma Humane Society, the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sonoma County High School Athletics and Little League. Whether cleaning carpets, running coffee shops, selling homes at Artisan Sotheby's International Realty or doing community service, Johnny takes a collaborative, hands-on and focused approach to his endeavors. He is an active member of NorBAR, California Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Sonoma County Alliance and the former Vice President of The Volunteer Center Board of Directors. He is a lover of animals, especially dogs. He has two mini-schnauzers, Roxy and Milly.

Chris has been a professional photographer for the past 40 years specializing in unique and meaningful portraits of animals and their families. She has a BA from The University of Michigan. For the last 26 years she has been deeply involved, and continues to be involved, with Canine Companions For Independence, but several years ago she decided to devote additional time and her expertise to helping animals whose lives were less fortunate. Chris and her husband, Bob, live in Santa Rosa with their three Labrador retrievers, Adah, Taya, and Dory, and two fun loving rescue cats, Sully and Sawyer. She has been an HSSC Board Member since 2014.

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.

Bob is a shareholder with the law firm of Clement, Fitzpatrick & Kenworthy in Santa Rosa, with a practice focused on business and real estate transactions. Bob previously served as Vice President/General Counsel for a large winery based in Sonoma County and has lived here since 1994, where he and his wife, Julie, raised two daughters around too many cats, dogs and horses to count. Bob also serves as an advisor to the board of KRCB Public Media, the PBS and NPR affiliate in the North Bay, and is a former member of the Oak Grove Union School District Board of Trustees and the Boards of Children & Family Circle of Sonoma County and the Lattice Education Foundation. Bob has been an HSSC Board Member since 2009.