Executive Team

Cynthia King

Cynthia King
MSW, MPH Executive Director

Cynthia brings a rich history of community service to the organization. Through work in county and non-profit agencies over the past 20 years, she has developed expertise program development, data analysis, inter-agency collaboration, and strategic planning for sustainable outcomes that amplify the wellbeing of all.  With years of experience in human service and a master’s in social work and public health from UC Berkeley, Cynthia’s work ethic is grounded in compassion, empathy, and connection, and steeped in values of love, joy, and justice. Her training and experience position her perfectly to amplify and propel HSSC’s mission into a new era of protection for animals and the human/animal bond.  As a practitioner coach with Radical Transformational Leadership for Social Impact, she brings an exciting new level of leadership to the organization that has energized and inspired our staff. Cynthia lives in Santa Rosa with her wife Shannon, boys Sebastian (20), and Nico (17), and their dogs Maverick (terrier mix) and Hazel (Chocolate Lab).

Karrie + Flynn square

Karrie Stewart, RVT
Senior Director, Programs and Operations

Karrie began her career in shelter veterinary medicine at the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) in 2010 and has been a California-licensed Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) since 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and brings extensive experience from both private and corporate veterinary practice, where she served as an RVT Supervisor.

In 2019, Karrie returned to HSSC as the Healdsburg Shelter Manager, a role she held for five years while guiding the campus through significant growth and change. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Operations and Programs, overseeing internal operations across both campuses as well as community programs.

In addition to her work at HSSC, Karrie spent seven years as an adjunct faculty member in the Veterinary Technician Program at Santa Rosa Junior College, where she mentored and educated future RVTs entering the field.

Outside of work, Karrie enjoys spending time with her three adult children, friends and her orange cat, Mimosa Bellini. 🐾

Ada Norris, DVM Senior Director, Veterinary Medicine

Ada Norris, DVM
Senior Director, Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Ada Norris is our senior director of veterinary medicine and runs the Community Veterinary Clinic (CVC) and public Spay Neuter clinic at the Humane Society of Sonoma County with her wife and HSSC Veterinary Operations Supervisor, Registered Vet Tech, Melina Stambolis. The CVC is a low-cost safety net clinic providing surgery, dentistry, and urgent medical care for the animals of income qualifying families. They also regularly see referrals from our local emergency clinics. Ada was recently appointed President of the Redwood Empire Veterinary Medical Association (REVMA), where she works to foster community, cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and innovation among our local veterinarians.

Prior to joining HSSC, Ada worked in private practice in rural Oregon, providing family medicine, emergency care, and surgery for dogs, cats, horses, alpacas, and the occasional goat, chicken, or small mammal. She earned her DVM at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016, working closely with the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program. She spent summers on the road with Rural Area Veterinary Services, which was actively increasing Access to Veterinary Care in underserved areas before anyone else was talking about it.

Prior to entering veterinary medicine, Ada spent time in graduate school researching and teaching about the literature of social change. This served as a perfect prequel to animal welfare and shelter medicine, a world rich in stories of heroic, resilient animals and the individuals who hold them so dear.

Erica Munsel with her dog

Erica Munsel
CPA Senior Director, Finance and Compliance

Prior to joining HSSC in the fall of 2023, Erica was the Finance Director for a national nonprofit focused on financial counseling and education. Previously she worked as an auditor with a focus on nonprofit clients. She has a master’s degree in accounting from UC Davis and is a licensed CPA. Erica loves animals and is very excited to be part of the HSSC team. She currently lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and four pets: senior Chihuahua, Roland, Golden Retriever, Poppy, and two cats, Opal and Hazel. Erica enjoys hiking, taking her dogs to the beach, Frisbee golfing, and trying local breweries.

Priscilla Locke with her dog Harvey

Priscilla Locke
Senior Director, Development and Communications

Priscilla joined HSSC in October of 2018. Her background includes extensive experience in fundraising, board development, marketing, communications, public relations and performance improvement. Originally from the East Coast, Priscilla has been a Sonoma County resident since 1986. Her HSSC alums, cats Stanley and Francine and dog Harvey, kindly allow her to share their Santa Rosa home. A lifelong animal lover and animal welfare advocate, Priscilla feels honored to be part of an organization with such an amazing legacy and grateful to serve our community alongside such an extraordinary team.

Senior Leadership

David

David Kerwin
Director, Facilities and IT

Meagan Cirivello and her dog

Meagan Cirivello
Director, Community Programs

Melina

Melina Stambolis, RVT
Director, Veterinary Operations

Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie with her dogs

Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie
KPA-CTP Director, Shelter Operations

Management Team

Ali Sutch, CPDT-KA, CCUI Program Manager, Shelter Behavior

Ali Sutch
KPA-CTP CCUI , Shelter Behavior Manager

Jorge Delgado

Jorge Delgado
Community Programs Manager

Kathy Pescar

Kathy Pecsar
Youth Programs Manager

Linda

Linda Cordes
Senior Staff Accountant

Rebecca Plattus Site Manager, Healdsburg

Rebecca Plattus
Site Manager, Healdsburg

Kathryn McGovern Development Manager

Kathryn McGovern
Development Manager

Signe Ross

Signe Ross-Villemaire
Grants and Program Strategy Manager

Victoria Pereira Communications Manager Contact: Marketing, Social Media

Victoria Pereira
Communications Manager