Jill@oregoncoasthumanesociety.org

Jill was born and raised in the Pasadena area of Southern California. She went to University of Arizona and earned a BA degree in Film and Entertainment, which was followed by a 30+ year career producing, distributing, and licensing video game and media entertainment content. Jill’s been an animal lover since she was a kid, always surrounded by dogs, cats, and other small creatures. In 2015, she began volunteering at the Irvine Animal Care Center in Irvine, California, working with the in-house behavior specialists for cats and dogs. Jill’s focus was the shy, scared, and feral cats and kittens. This was an extremely rewarding experience that she wishes to continue doing at OCHS and share her knowledge with others. In November of 2022, Jill, her husband Todd, their two cats, Jack and Nala, and their Vizsla, Ellie decided to retire to the Oregon Central Coast. They fell in love with Florence and all it has to offer. As avid hikers, beachcombers, and boaters, they love escaping to the forest for long hikes, taking long walks on the beautiful Oregon beaches, or jumping on the boat for a day on the water.

joe@oregoncoasthumanesociety.org

Joe was born in Washington State and grew up in California. He and his wife Michele moved to Florence in 2000. They have always had rescue animals, caring for as many as 22 pets at one point. After their daughter graduated from Siuslaw High School, they returned to California to be closer to Joe’s family. In 2018, they lost everything in the Paradise Camp fire but were able to save all but 4 of their 19 pets. Homeless and jobless (their place of employment also burnt to the ground), they decided to return to Florence, the place they loved the most. They purchased Florence Shipping Solutions in June 2022. Joe and Michele continue to help animals by supporting OCHS. Every day, a cat from OCHS spends the workday at Shipping Solutions, resulting in almost 70 cat adoptions. Joe was elected to the OCHS Board in 2024. He may be late at times for meetings, but he is always there in heart and spirit, and has compassion for all for the animals they serve.

Eleanor was born in British Columbia, Canada and raised on a small dairy farm, with cats, dogs, rabbits, and—to her mother’s horror—lizards and snakes. She came to the U.S. to complete her PhD at University of Washington (Go Huskies!), where she met her husband, Jim. After teaching in Canada for a few years, Eleanor and Jim moved to Bend, Oregon, where Eleanor taught for 30 years (Go Bobcats!). Upon retiring, they moved to Florence last year, with their two elderly cats and one elderly dog, to enjoy the cooler, moister weather. Eleanor has always had rescue animals and a highlight of her tenure in Bend, Oregon was working with the Board at the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

Tony@oregoncoasthumanesociety.org

Tony was born in Visalia, California, and raised in Oregon, where he graduated from Waldport High School. He devoted most of his career to the fire service as a paramedic and EMS coordinator, developing protocols for emergency medical services. He served as Assistant Chief of Central Coast Fire before joining Yachats Fire in 2014. Tony has also been a lifelong animal lover. He has shared his home with cats since childhood, and in 1972, he and his mother founded Oregon’s first 4-H cat club. After retiring, Tony and his wife, Julie, embraced a slower pace of life. For the past eight months, he has volunteered once a week at OCHS, continuing his long tradition of service while spending time with the animals he has always loved.

krisi@oregoncoasthumanesociety.org

Krisi was born and raised in Oregon and lived in the Forest Grove Valley her most of her life. Florence, where she spent all her summer vacations and holidays, had always felt like a second home to her, so six years ago, when her parents decided to make it their full-time residence, she moved with them to Florence. She says it’s the best decision she ever made! Before relocating, Krisi worked as an after-school and pre-K teacher for 20 years, with experience at Children’s World, the YMCA, and Learning Center. Whether it’s children or animals, you’ll find her giving back to her community. She can be found volunteering (or shopping!) at the OCHS Thrift Store, helping at OCHS estate sales, and volunteering at the PAW-liday Store. She’s especially good at spending time snuggling with the animals at the shelter. Krisi likes to bring joy to every place she volunteers and inspires others to do the same.

Born and raised in San Diego, Maire has worn several professional hats; broadcasting, purchasing, training, technical writing and editing, and website content management. She spent much of her career with Columbia School of Broadcasting, UC San Diego, and Virtual Instructor. Her work took her to Dallas and Santa Cruz before she settled in Florence in 2008, continuing to work remotely for UCSD and Virtual Instructor. She has since retired from UCSD but remains part of the Virtual Instructor team. After losing her beloved soul dog, Max, in 2022, Maire attended the first Grief Group at Oregon Coast Humane Society. There she met Elizabeth Thompson and Valerie Swensrud and immediately thought, “These are my people.” She has been volunteering ever since. Maire fostered several dogs before meeting her match in Stevie the Maltipoo. She looks forward to continuing to manage the OCHS website content and helping share the shelter’s mission, stories, work, and heart with the community.

Cindy grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She moved to Tucson, Arizona for graduate school. There she met and married her husband, Jeff, raised their family, and spent 25 years teaching middle school math. Her lifelong love for cats evolved into a passion for greyhound rescue after adopting two retired racers. She fell in love with the breed and quickly became involved in all aspects of the rescue. This led to her role as Animal Care Director on the board of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption. Upon retiring in 2025, Cindy and Jeff relocated to the Oregon Coast. It was a no-brainer, as they had honeymooned here decades earlier. They arrived with their two cats and two greyhounds, quickly finding a connection with OCHS. Cindy enjoys hiking, yoga [she’s a certified yoga instructor] and visiting her children and grandchildren. She is eager to contribute her experience in education, board leadership, and animal advocacy to OCHS, bringing enthusiasm and a deep commitment to the organization’s success.