Morris Animal Foundation

Patricia N. Olson, DVM, PhD

President/CEO

Pet/Animal Interests: Dr. Olson has three dogs: Emma, a Labrador retriever; Socrates, a golden retriever; and Otis Jr., a Boston terrier.

Hobbies/Passions: Photography (flowers), poetry, painting (tulips).

Business/Professional Background: Dr. Olson is a veterinarian, scientist and savvy businesswoman and CEO. She is a highly sought-after speaker and counselor to organizations and governmental agencies around the world. Dr. Olson has an extensive history in nonprofit work, including positions at Guide Dogs for the Blind and the American Humane Association. She also served as an AVMA Congressional Science Fellow and has taught at three veterinary colleges. Dr. Olson helped establish many programs that foster the human-animal bond — from preventing animal and child abuse to promoting humane dog-training methods to consulting for governments and industries on humane and healthful transportation of animals worldwide. She has won numerous awards for her work, which included efforts to address pet overpopulation and the relinquishment of unwanted animals. She is one of the co-founders of the National Council on Pet Population and Policy.

Debby Altendorf

Executive Assistant

Michael Burke

Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Pet/Animal Interests: Michael and wife, Diana, are pet parents to Rocket — an odd-shaped, long and loveable bassett hound/German shepherd mix (designer dog) — adopted from the Dumb Friends League. Growing up, Michael had as many as nine dogs and four cats, all rescued as either abused or abandoned. He helped with arctic fox and polar bear health welfare programs related to his work in Russia and on the Hudson Bay in Canada.

Hobbies/Passions: Walking with Diana and Rocket in the park and watching Rocket enjoy his 15-member canine playgroup; counseling problem pet owners on issues of proper care; reading a lot of history; striving to work out daily; and traveling to historic sites.

Business/Professional Background: Michael’s 30 years of experience in marketing and communications include serving as senior vice president for a global acquisitions and operations firm; senior vice president, worldwide marketing and sales, at an NYSE firm; and senior positions at two international marketing and advertising agencies. A member of the World Trade Center Denver Board of Directors, in 2002 Michael was honored as the “Business Marketing Association Colorado Communicator of the Year.”

Heidi Jeter

Director of Communications

Pets/Animal Interests: Heidi and her husband, Luke, are ruled by their two tabby cats: Pandora and Sasha. Over the years, she has shared her home with cats, dogs, birds, mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs. The unexpected loss of her first cat, Bailey — a mere eight years old — prompted Heidi to join MAF. Her furry felines continue to inspire her to make the world a healthier place for animals.

Hobbies/Passions: Heidi loves Colorado because the weather is perfect for outdoor activities like cycling, hiking, running and gardening. She and her husband have visited Europe a number of times and hope to expand their travels to other areas of the world. Their latest passion is their daughter, Symone, born in November 2007.

Business/Professional Background: Heidi has more than 10 years of journalism and communications experience. Her career began as a writer/copyeditor for a weekly paper in the Midwest. She then spent three years in the news and public affairs office of a state university. After Heidi received her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, she and her husband moved to Colorado, where she worked as the managing editor of a weekly business-to-business magazine for three years prior to coming to MAF in 2003.

Tina M. Martinez

Marketing Manager

Pet/Animal Interests: Tina has been a pet lover all of her life – she especially loves monkeys. Her parents currently have a Shih Tzu named Presley (after Elvis – mom is a super fan). They also cared for and loved a West Highland White Terrier, Bonita for about 14 years and her memory will live in their hearts forever. Tina plans to adopt a puppy as soon as she has a yard, but until then she will continue to care for her fish.

Hobbies/Passions: Spending time with her boyfriend, friends, and family is Tina’s priority. She loves to travel, read magazines and shop for shoes.

Business/Professional Background: Tina is a 2004 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a double major in speech communication and journalism with an emphasis in public relations and advertising. Prior to joining MAF, she worked for a year and a half as the sales and marketing assistant for an HR software company.

Jenny Herren

Marketing and Communications Specialist

Pets/Animal Interests: Jenny and her husband share their home with Sonny, a golden retriever, and Jack, a tortie cat.

Hobbies/Passions: Walking Sonny, spending time with family and friends, biking, and reading.

Business/Professional Background: Prior to coming to MAF, Jenny was a program manager for a direct-mail marketing company.

Kristin Benjamin

Vice President of Scientific Programs & Advancement

Pets/Animal Interests: Kristin’s family of pets includes her pug, Chester; a 70-pound lap dog, Roper; and six paint horses, two of which are “home bred.”

Hobbies/Passions: Her hobbies and passions include her family, breeding and showing horses, and championing for the survival of the mountain gorilla and other primates. She likes to “dink” around on the computer, dabbles with photography, and enjoys traveling. Africa is her passion.

Business/Professional Background: Kristin has been with Morris Animal Foundation since 1988 and has managed the grant program for 12 years. She has a degree in anthropology from Colorado State University.

Tobie McPhail

Scientific Programs & Advancement Manager

Pets/Animal Interests: Tobie is proud pet parent to Lannie McPhail, a golden retriever, and George McPhail, a golden tabby cat. She has had animals her entire life, including dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, horses, fish, and a miniature goat.

Hobbies/Passions: “Volunteering in the community, running, collecting Mexican folk art, watching edgy films, and spending time with my family are all fave pastimes.”

Business/Professional Background: Tobie has worked in the nonprofit arena since 1997, primarily in animal-related nonprofits. She began her career at Canine Companions for Independence, an assistance-dog school in California. She earned a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling and worked for a time as a family therapist. Tobie was lured back to working in an animal-related nonprofit by the Denver Zoo in 2002 and has been with Morris Animal Foundation since 2004.

Dave Riggs

Study Sponsorship Specialist

Pets/Animal Interests: Dave is a “pet guardian” to Cassie, a Rhodesian mix, adopted from the humane society. Dave is also a lover of wildlife and is thrilled to see animals on his trips into the wilderness or even around the neighborhood.

Hobbies/Passions: Dave’s passions include the outdoors, enjoying Colorado’s incredible mountains, hiking, rock climbing, cycling around Denver, and reading fiction.

Business/Professional Background: Prior to working at Morris Animal Foundation, Dave served as the assistant director of a nonprofit in New Mexico, organizing grassroots humanitarian and environmental groups around the world. Dave also helped start and coordinate a homeless education program in central Oregon. Dave brings an affinity for, and skills in, grant writing and partnership building. He is a master’s candidate in the Nonprofit Management program at Regis University.

Cherie Cassel

Grants Specialist

Pets/Animal Interests: Cherie and husband Ray have a very full fur-family, which consists of two miniature horses — Lucky, the blanket Appaloosa (aka Goofy-loosa), and Ebony, who is black with shades of red. They are also the proud parents of two dogs — Jessie, a shetland sheepdog, and Dutcher, a miniature Australian shepherd (named after the awesome wildlife photographer Jim Dutcher); three cats — Citara, Cymric Manx; Gizmo, Cymric Manx; and Pyara, Bengal. They also have a bi-polar parrotlet named Darth Beakie who has their three cats terrified.

Hobbies/Passions: Spending time with her husband at their home on two acres in Parker, Colorado, and taking care of their animal family, home, and property. They trained their horse Lucky to pull a cart and then brought home his buddy Ebony who was already a pro at pulling a cart. Cherie and Ray enjoy taking the horses out and riding in the carts all over the area near where they live. They are continually training their horses and, when they finally become successful at convincing Lucky he should ride calmly in the horse trailer, they plan to take the horses and carts to various parks. In addition to “horsing around” they also enjoy dog training and dog agility. Their dogs love agility training; it is a wonderful activity to do with them, and it gives them great exercise. Cherie and Ray both volunteer for a bird of prey education organization called HawkQuest. They have spent many years helping to care for the birds, writing grants and assisting with HawkQuest’s education outreach programs.

Business/Professional Background: For over 20 years, Cherie has channeled her passion for animals and the environment by working with environmental and animal-related organizations, such as the Colorado Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, HawkQuest and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She was a participant in the hearings to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park and received a personal commendation from former U.S. Representative Pat Schroeder for her efforts to help designate the Rocky Mountain Arsenal as a wildlife refuge. Presently as a volunteer grant writer, she raises tens of thousands of dollars every year for HawkQuest.

Rachel Simpson

Veterinary Student Scholar Program Coordinator

Pets/Animal Interests: Rachel and her husband, James, enjoy life with two Labrador Retrievers: the Great Caruso, a perfect tenor, and Flash Gordon, the family's blonde superhero. Caruso has a rare voice-activated tail, and Flash Gordon plans to "save every one of us." The two dogs are proud of the work they've done with their younger human brother, Owen, whose tricks now include barking, speaking, and rolling over.

Hobbies/Passions: Rachel enjoys camping, hiking, world travel, and rugby (though she enjoys watching more than playing these days). Rachel also loves scrapbooking, which seems a natural fit for a rugby fanatic.

Business/Professional Background: Rachel has several years of professional experience with private non-profit organizations and government grantmaking agencies. She has a Master's Degree in Humanities from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree in Art History from Oakland University's Honors College.

Paul Raybould

Vice President of Gifts and Business Development

Pet/Animal Interests: Paul was born just outside of London and grew up in Australia and Africa, which fostered his love of animals, especially dogs and wildlife. He and his wife, Susan, have two Irish setters: Ceilia who is 3 and Spencer 11. Animals of all kinds are a big part of their lives.

Hobbies/Passions: He and his wife have lived all over the world, including three years in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. They also lived in South Africa together and all over the United States, including Hawaii. Their hobbies are dancing Latin & Ballroom. His other hobby is playing the piano. He loves the outdoors, hiking and camping with his dogs. He and his wife are also PADI certified rescue divers.

Business/Professional Background: Paul has more than 20 years of business development experience within diverse cultural and business environments, working for companies in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, marine, telecommunications, oil and gas, and communications. Most recently he was the vice president of business development for Avchem Inc., a $50 million company in St. Louis, Mo., that provides chemical management solutions to the aerospace industry. After he and his wife first met, they worked at the Wildlife Waystation in Los Angeles.

Rachel Matcha

Associate Major Gifts Officer

Pets/Animal Interests: Rachel grew up with a Brittany spaniel (a hunting dog) named Buck, who is now 13 years old and living with Rachel’s parents in Wisconsin. Her current roommate is her faithful Beta, Neptune, who has diligently moved with her three times this year.

Rachel became passionate about animal health and welfare at an early age when she adopted a penguin, Big Bird, from a local zoo. Over the years, she has volunteered with the Humane Society and the Colorado Horse Rescue. Though she loves animals of all kinds, her favorite is the hippopotamus.

Hobbies/Passions: Something is always in the oven at Rachel’s! She loves to try out new recipes and make up her own. She is an ardent reader of classic literature but is also absolutely obsessed with Harry Potter. She enjoys traveling and has been to over 20 different countries in the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia. She moved to Colorado in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the mountains. She is looking forward to hiking her first fourteener but will have to settle for improving her ridiculous skiing skills this winter.

Business/Professional Background: A recent graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Rachel has worked as the marketing associate at a regional book-publishing company and as the special event coordinator for a local nonprofit organization.

Karen Tiemeier

Customer Service Manager

Pets/Animal Interests: Karen is a Colorado native. She and her husband, Neil, reside in Lone Tree, Colorado with their fur-child, Sammy, an Australian shepherd /chow mix, they adopted from the Denver Dumb Friends League.

Hobbies/Passions: Bicycling, hiking, working out, volunteering, spending time with Neil and Sammy.

Business/Professional Background: Karen has more than 15 years of customer service management experience. She previously managed the corporate customer service department for Archstone, a real estate management company and also has experience in the payroll, education, and cellular industries.

Gloria Davidson

Planned Giving Associate

Pets/Animal Interests: Gloria adopted a Basenji, named Anny from the Colorado Basenji Rescue; she grew up around dogs, mainly Doberman. Her favorite animal is the Beluga Whale.

Hobbies/Passions: When at home Gloria will be watching either Food Network Channel or Animal Planet. She enjoys reading true crime books, art history, taking Anny to the dog park, and is always looking for a scrumptious dessert. Her favorite sport is College Basketball; favorite team is the UCLA Bruins. She also volunteers with the Colorado Basenji Rescue by taking pictures of available adoptable dogs.

Business/Professional Background: Gloria is a UC Irvine Graduate-Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology & Social Behavior; Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology. She had extensive non-profit fundraising experience with annual campaigns, special events, capital campaign, major gifts, and board development while working with the YMCA of Orange County. Recently moved to Colorado from Southern California and looking forward to changing seasons and Bronco games!

John Taylor

Chief Operating Officer

Pets/Animal Interests: John and wife Debra currently have two cats and a dog — down, due to allergies, from a high of four cats and a dog. All the pets were strays. Ruffle Bear is a big black S/H diabetic cat; he enjoys carrying around a stuffed walrus and yowling at the same time. Chui Chui is a small L/H tortoiseshell that enjoys sleeping on footwear and carrying around socks or any other small articles of clothing she comes across. Smokie is a black and white English springer spaniel who is permanently attached to Debra. John volunteers at the Denver Zoo and is fortunate enough to be able to help with the care of young lion cubs, hyena cubs, and African wild-dog puppies.

Hobbies/Passions: John is a keen soccer player and is a member of three different teams. Winning takes second priority to exercise. He also works out two to three times a week. John and Debra love to travel to see animals in their natural environments. Two trips to Africa covered Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia. Other destinations included the upper reaches of the Amazon in remote Peru, Costa Rica, Australia, Alaska, and British Columbia. John also volunteers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and is treasurer of the Friends of the Colorado Talking Book Library (for the blind and physically handicapped).

Business/Professional Background: John has some 35 years of experience in accounting, IT, human resources, and administration. He is a British Chartered Accountant and a U.S. CPA. Work locations have included London, Oslo, Frankfurt, Vienna, Rome, Milan, and Bahrain. In 1984, John scored in the top 100 out of 70,000 who sat for the CPA exam that year.

Carol Baptiste

Database Administrator

Pets/Animal Interests: A veterinarian once told Carol never to give a pet a name you do not want it to live up to. Well, she named a very sweet longhaired orange tabby Tugboat and the advice haunts her to this date.

Hobbies/Passions: Carol has a stunning red canoe that graciously slips into the water and glides her to abandon all her worries; she can also be seen ripping up the Highland Canal trail on her zebra-painted bicycle.

Business/Professional Background: After 12 credit hours of law, Carol decided working for an animal-related nonprofit would be a better life choice, and education has taken a non-traditional course by working with mentors.

Serena Everett

Meetings and Operations Manager

Dan Liphardt

Technology and Accounting Specialist

Darcy Nelson

Donation Analyst

Pets/Animal Interests: Darcy has a cat of 4 years named Tigger. "She has so much personality, she can entertain me for hours." Darcy has had many pets in the past and has always been an animal lover. She has always dreamt of being a veterinarian, but instead stayed busy raising her family. She is happy to be able to contribute to the well being of animals by working at MAF.

Hobbies/Passions: Darcy enjoys hiking, camping, skiing, golfing, gardening, horseback riding, and most outdoor activities. "I also love to cook." She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends and looks forward to being able to travel in the future.

Business/Professional Background: Darcy has owned and operated her own cleaning business, worked as an office manager for a construction company, and as an assistant teacher for a private pre-kindergarten class.

Nancy Clark, CVT

Donations Analyst

Pets/Animal Interests:Nancy and her husband, Rich, have a cat, a dog and a horse: Kameko, a football-shaped calico who talks A LOT; Candy, an American Eskimo dog and a cancer survivor who loves to dance for her dinner; and Capaill, a German “Pasture Accident” chestnut gelding who Nancy says chose her and has taught her a lot about slowing down and finding calm.

Hobbies/Passions: Nancy likes spending time with her horse and learning Natural Horsemanship, skiing, hiking, going to the movies with her hubby, having friends over for gaming (cards, board games, role playing games), reading, and art (both viewing it and dabbling in it).

Business/Professional Background: After over 20 years of working in administrative roles for companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, Nancy decided it was time to complete a degree and get into a job where she felt she was helping animals. She went to the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology and graduated in September 2006 with an AAS in veterinary technology. She did her internship with a well-respected local equine clinic and stayed on after graduation until she heard the call to come to the Morris Animal Foundation.

Rachel Pinon

Accounting Manager

Pets/Animal Interests: Rachel grew up with a black lab mix, Lucy, who endlessly tagged along on daily bike expeditions. Now she lives with Bucky, "the sweetest and most cuddly Puggle you’ll ever find."

Hobbies/Passions: Rachel loves being in the mountains any time of the year – but winter is her favorite. Snowboarding has moved beyond a leisurely pastime and turned into an obsession. You’ll also find her boating, camping, hiking and generally enjoying the views at other times of the year. Her other obsession is following Kansas Jayhawk basketball and attending games whenever possible. Yes, she would "love to join your March Madness bracket."

Business/Professional Background: After graduation from the University of Kansas School of Business in 2001, Rachel did accounting for a private school in Kansas City. This introduction into non-profit accounting was enough to get her hooked. When she moved to Denver in 2004, MAF was a natural fit. She loves the difference she’s able to make in animal’s as well as people’s lives.