Heidi is an engineer in the aviation industry with experience in project management, federal regulations and process improvement. Her recent past experience as a Director of Operations for a non-profit in Chicago will benefit SASF with their near and long term goals. Heidi loves animals/wildlife both small and large and is excited to help the animals at the Seattle Animal Shelter. She wishes to give back because she believes that animals make our world a better place and we need to be there for them as much as they are here for each of us. Heidi has an MS in Quality Assurance and BS in Aeronautical/Mechanical Engineering. In her free time, Heidi enjoys Mountain biking, Snowmobiling and exploring the PNW and Canada with her husband and their 2 dogs – Skeena and Darcy.
Category: Personnel
Julia Alegre
Julia is a tax technology professional currently working in the tech industry. She was an active volunteer at the shelter for many years as a dog walker and foster dog program coordinator and is excited to continue giving back through the SASF Board! In her free time, Julia enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, watching sports (Go M’s/Dawgs/Hawks!), and constantly learning about animals. Her desire to learn pushed her to go back to attend University of Washington in 2020 to receive her Certificate of Applied Animal Behavior. Julia lives in Issaquah with her husband, daughter, and twin boys! Julia’s dogs (Nana and Corky) crossed the rainbow bridge during the pandemic but were both adopted from SAS.
Katy Thweatt
Katy is a marketing professional who is thrilled to combine her digital optimization background with her passion for animal welfare. Her marketing experience is heavily influenced by customer-first methodologies focused on maximizing motivation and value while reducing anxiety and friction. Though she has a soft spot for old dogs with graying hairs, she’s a true cat person at heart – having volunteered with cats at the Baltimore Humane Society before moving to Seattle to foster over a dozen cats with the Seattle Animal Shelter. In her spare time, Katy enjoys reading books of any genre, watching Disney movies, and playing trivia with friends.
Tamara Lange
Tamara is a corporate accountant working in Seattle’s thriving aerospace community. She is passionate about animal welfare and began volunteering with SASF in 2019 as a Development Committee member. Growing up in a home filled with rescue pets ranging from dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and reptiles, her family has long been active in caring for homeless and discarded animals. Tamara is an MBA graduate of Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in finance from Portland State University, and also holds a Certified Public Accountant license in the state of Washington. Tamara lives in Seattle with her husband and is dog mom to their rescue pibble, Piglet.
Andrea Christensen
Andrea Christensen’s love and respect of animals started at an early age. She has shared her life with many cats over the years and feels honored to have been the recipient of their love and companionship. Andrea’s 25+ year career in non-profit and fund development work has focused on matching donor interest with the funding needs of programs in arts, public radio, conservation and higher education. As a SASF board member, she is thrilled to offer her professional skills to encourage support for SAS to enrich and enhance the lives of animals in preparation for adoption.
In 2021, Andrea and husband Jon became proud parents to 20 pounds of purr and cuddle–Knuckles. Besides working on Knuckles’ weight-loss plan, Andrea enjoys exploring the countless cultural opportunities in Seattle, cooking, hiking, backpacking, cycling, kayaking, travel, and visiting national parks.
Jocelyn Bouchard
Jocelyn Bouchard started her career in animal welfare over 30 years ago in Vancouver, Canada working as a licensed veterinary technician at the BCSPCA. She moved to Maui in 1993 and started a 21 year tenure with the Maui Humane Society, 11 of them as its CEO. During this time she earned her certification as an animal welfare administrator and was awarded the “Outstanding Nonprofit Executive Director” award in 2007 for her work increasing the programs, services and overall visibility of the organization.
In 2014, she moved to Oahu and joined the Hawaiian Humane Society where she served as Director of Operations and oversaw a 10 million dollar construction project renovating the adoption, intake and medical center for the Society.
In 2016, Jocelyn, her teenage son, Ian, and their two dogs moved from Hawaii to “the mainland”. They spent a year in Arizona, where Jocelyn served as Executive Director of Yavapai Humane Society before the opportunity to move closer to family and friends brought her to Tacoma, WA. Jocelyn served as Chief Operating Officer for The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County but when she saw the Deputy Director position at Seattle Animal Shelter was available she jumped at the opportunity.
Jocelyn joined SAS in October of 2019. She currently lives with her adult son and his boyfriend in Federal Way. They all share their space with the best dog, Tripp, whose travels across 3 states include a couple of plane rides and a road trip. Jocelyn also enjoys long walks, reading, puzzles and gardening.
Tracy Taylor-Turner
Tracy Taylor has been doing traffic in the Seattle market for 20 years on both television and radio. Tracy is a Eastern Washington native, she loves her Gonzaga Bulldogs and is a lifelong Seattle Seahawks fan. Taylor and husband Kyle are parents to a very busy 15-year-old, have three dogs and are huge animal organization supporters. She loves to freshwater fish, snow sports and live music.
Emily Rondestvedt, Vice President
Emily Rondestvedt is a Sales Director with 10+ years’ experience in developing and executing strategies for large CPG brands across the ecommerce channel. Her career has focused primarily on brand development, adaptability, and large-scale structured problem solving. Outside of her profession, Emily is passionate about the outdoors and animals; both of which she takes full advantage of, living in the PacNW. She grew up in a family of avid campers and dog lovers, molding her into an animal advocate. Today, Emily resides just north of Seattle with her rescue dogs, Mila and Charlie. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and water sports. Emily holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Washington.
Annual SASF Board Recruiting
Do you love dogs, cats, and critters? We are beginning our recruitment period for the 2022 SASF Board of Directors, and there are four positions open:
Recruiting Specialist
Fundraising & Development
Furry 5K & Community Events Co-Chair
Auction Committee
Find more info and job descriptions here.
A Pawsitive Project brings collaboration to the Seattle Animal Shelter
By Marissa Villegas
Roadblocks often breed the most creative ideas, and that was definitely true when the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) found itself in a tricky place this fall. With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Western Washington, the decision was made to forgo the annual Furevermore auction in 2021 to help protect the safety and health of the community. However, that didn’t mean that SASF board members and donors couldn’t help the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS)!
On October 16, 2021, a group of about 25 donors, SASF board members, and other SASF volunteers came together to get their hands dirty and provide support for the shelter itself through a program called Pawsitive Projects. Not only did this provide an opportunity to accomplish much needed tasks — the dog corral was weeded, the “critter closet” cleaned out and organized, the laundry room scrubbed, toys assembled, and much more — they also were able to see for themselves the critical work they support.
“The Seattle Animal Shelter has been facing a volunteer shortage over the past few months. Events like Pawsitive Projects give the shelter some much-needed help when it comes to tackling hard-to-do, time-intensive tasks their regular volunteers don’t have the chance to focus on,” says SASF Marketing Chair Katy Thweatt, who is also an avid cat foster parent for the shelter.
Many SASF volunteers and board members joined the organization in the last two years, which created an interesting situation — there were board members who had never stepped foot within the shelter’s walls due to shelter COVID protocols. Fortunately, this day of volunteer help allowed all who joined to get an inside look into how the shelter operates and where their work and funding goes.
Throughout the day, there were also plenty of fun surprises alongside the hard work. After a few hours of organization and cleaning, volunteers helped stuff Kong toys with treats for the dogs being cared for in the shelter. This was followed by the joy of giving each pet their own yummy, treat-filled toys, which was a win/win for all. Outside in the corral, some volunteers made time to play with pets and get some cuddles in.
So, what’s next for Pawsitive Projects? The success of October’s event opens the door for similar opportunities in the future. Katy, for her part, is looking forward to “seeing another group of pets we’re helping and catching up with all of the great people who also care about these animals.”
One other benefit of the event? Volunteers, donors and board members were able to meet each other in person, talk to the staff at SAS, and see for themselves what donations mean to the shelter. Donations are hugely important to keep programs running and to help bring technology and resources to areas that need it most— to learn more, take a look at these donation options.