Meet Marin Humane Society staff
Suzanne Golt, Executive Director
Anne Brody, Director of Volunteer Services
Wendy Benedict, Director of Events
Tricia Breen, Director of Animal Care and Adoptions
Sheryl Cardoza, Chief Development Officer
Marilyn Castellblanch, Chief Financial Officer
Belinda Evans, Director of Veterinary Services
Keri Fennell, Director of Customer Services
Carrie Harrington, Communications Manager
Trish King, Director of Behavior & Training
Captain Cindy Machado, Director of Animal Services
John Reese, Chief Operating Officer
Valerie Robbins, Human Resources Manager
Kim Snyder, Director of Special Programs & Projects
Suzanne Golt
Executive Director
Suzanne – Suzy – served as the Assistant City Manager of the city of San Rafael from 1990 to 1998. She then started a management consulting business specializing in human resources and general administration projects for public and nonprofit sector clients in 1999.
Suzy became directly involved with the Marin Humane Society a number of years ago when she represented the Marin cities, towns and the county in JPA negotiations with MHS for a contract between the agencies for animal control services. She has always been attracted to MHS because of its breadth and depth of programs and services that support and enhance the lives of animals and their people. Suzy considers MHS to be a vital part of the overall Marin community. She was a member of the MHS Board of Directors from 2002 to 2008, and served as Board President from 2005 to 2007.
Besides being the Executive Director of MHS and community volunteer work, Suzy keeps busy serving as the handmaiden to Dexter the Standard Poodle and meeting the needs of Max, Jake and Bogart the resident feline members of the family. She loves the ocean and North Coast, in particular. Photography and a return to painting, in earnest, are on her agenda for the near future.
Anne Brody
Director of Volunteer Services
Anne Brody has worked at the Marin Humane Society for 18 years. She began her career in the Customer Care Department as the Licensing Assistant. In 1994, Anne became the office supervisor, and in October of 2000, she developed the position of Director of Customer Service. She was instrumental in raising the level of customer service in her department and shelter-wide.
In 2005, Anne became the Volunteer Coordinator and has recently been promoted to Director of Volunteer Services. She oversees approximately 650 active volunteers. In 2007, she worked to bring Workplace Culture Guidelines to the organization, recognizing the importance of establishing a humane workplace ethic.
Anne has been an animal lover all her life, with a special fondness for cats. She and her partner Al, share their home with two cats, Smokey and Magic, and a red-eared slider, Gizmo. She has been a vegetarian for 35 years. Anne has raised two children who are currently attending graduate school. She loves cooking and baking, hiking, cycling, reading and is currently in training to become a yoga teacher.
Wendy Benedict
Director of Events
Wendy has worked at MHS for 16 years. She started out in the finance department, and after two years, became assistant to the Executive Director. In her current role as Director of Events, Wendy coordinates MHS's Birthday Bash, Whiskers & Wine and other fundraising events.
Wendy shares her home with Gabby, her Heeler/Fox Terrier along with guinea pigs Sweet Pea and Lucy. She is mom to son Cody, who is attending
Tricia Breen
Director of Animal Care and Adoptions
A Bay Area native, Tricia received a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in ecology and animal behavior from the University of Massachusetts.
Tricia grew up on horseback, was a riding instructor for children and moved around the country for several years training dogs and their people. Upon her return to the Bay Area, Tricia began volunteering at the Marin Humane Society, and before long was hired as a dog training instructor and behavior consultant. Tricia also added "matchmaker" to her job description, as her knowlege of dog behavior combined with her compassion for people made her an invaluable asset in the adoption department.Most recently, Tricia took on the vital role of Director of Animal Care and Adoptions which she finds simultaneously challenging and rewarding. Of course, she still finds time to play "matchmaker."
When not exercising her 3 active dogs, Tricia relaxes by listening to music.
Sheryl Cardoza
Chief Development Officer
Sheryl arrived at the Marin Humane Society in 2008 bringing with her an extensive background in profit and non-profit funding experience beginning early as a stock trader in her twenties. Sheryl feels extremely fortunate to be able to raise funds, and awareness, to support the mission of MHS. She is consistently amazed by the generosity and spirit of donors and volunteers.
Sheryl attended Pitzer College for her undergraduate degree and obtained a Masters of Science at Dominican University in Counseling Psychology. A native of California, Sheryl is an avid hiker and supporter of national parks, especially Yosemite. She resides in San Rafael with her dog Toby where they spend time cooking and watching the meanderings of wild turkeys and deer.
Marilyn Castellblanch
Chief Financial Officer
Marilyn is a Certified Public Accountant. While raising three young sons, she attended Sonoma State University and graduated cum laude in 1985 with a B.A. in Management and minors in Women's Studies and Music. She lives on the Sonoma Coast with her husband Richard Charter, an Environmental Activist with Defenders of Wildlife.
They share their home with effervescent Annabelle, a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix who came into their lives through the Marin Humane Society's Pet Partnership program.
Marilyn enjoys the beach, music, word and number puzzles, the 49ers, pescatarian dining, travel, and her hybrid car. Her passions include animal welfare, social justice, politics, genealogy research, family time with Richard and their three grown sons, being a Grandma, and as luck would have it, accounting.
Belinda Evans
Director of Shelter Medicine
A love of animals and science led Dr. Belinda Evans to become a veterinarian. She graduated from the University of California at Davis Veterinary School and worked in private practice for several years before realizing her passion lay in shelter medicine and helping homeless animals on their way to a better life. She has been with the Marin Humane Society for five years and has helped the shelter veterinary clinic grow, especially in its ability to rehabilitate sick and injured animals.
Besides the wonderful MHS staff, Dr. Evans draws support from her very tolerant husband, two MHS-rescued dogs and two private practice-rescued cats. She enjoys travel, music and the rare good night’s sleep!
Keri Fennell
Director of Customer Services
Keri attended Sonoma State University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Public Administration.
Keri's introduction to the Marin Humane Society was in 1998 as a volunteer Pet Pal. Inspired by the organization's innovative thinking, Keri transitioned from volunteer to employee in 1999 when she became a Customer Care Technician. Keri's passion lies in customer care and in 2005 she was promoted to Director of Customer Care. Recently, Keri added the Veterinary Clinic and Animal Outfitters to her purview and is now the Director of Customer Services.
Keri appreciates the organization's willingness to think outside the box and to explore new ways to improve the lives of animals.
Carrie Harrington
Communications Manager
An East Coast native, Carrie attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated with a B.A. in Communication. After six years occupying various corporate PR and marketing positions in the US and in England, she decided to follow her passion and enter the animal protection field. At San Francisco-based Pets Unlimited she worked as a vet assistant, eventually moving over to adoptions where she managed the volunteer program.
In her current role as Communications Manager, Carrie is responsible for promoting MHS programs, services and philosophies and cultivating a positive image for the organization through the development of community and media relationships.
Carrie currently lives in San Francisco with her husband, and since the loss of their beloved cat Muriel has frequently entertained overnight furry guests from MHS.
Trish King
Director of Behavior & Training
Trish is a nationally recognized dog behavior and training expert. Her home is currently filled with two dogs: Strider, a formerly stray German Shepherd and Luke, a Bull Terrier Mix.
Trish has extensively studied, taught, and written about dogs. She has been at MHS for more than 16 years and established the Canine Behavior Academy (formerly CITA) program. She is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) and a Certified Dog Behavior Counselor (CDBC). In September 2004, Trish’s book Parenting Your Dog was published to wide acclaim.
Trish frequently teaches workshops and seminars on dog behavior, canine management, behavior assessment and handling difficult dogs. She is also an instructor for the Officer Training Academy at MHS and was a member of the panel that developed the Delta Society’s Professional Standards for Dog Trainers: Effective, Humane Principles. She has spoken at several national conferences, including APDT, HSUS and AHA.
Trish says she is “eternally fascinated by canine communication and human interactions with animals.” And people and their animal companions are the better for it.
Captain Cindy Machado
Director of Animal Services
After completing her formal education and specializing in animal sciences, Cindy began her career as an animal services officer with MHS over 24 years ago. In her current position, she is in charge of administering the animal services contract for Marin County and all of its cities as well as supervising the activities of the Field Services Department. She also coordinates and supervises the Basic and Advanced Animal Law Enforcement Academies held at the Marin Humane Society.
Cindy is routinely called on for her expertise with animal issues around the country including animal cruelty/neglect, animal and human violence, animal hoarding, legislation and other serious animal-related investigations.
John Reese
Chief Operating Officer
John received a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and worked as the Special Event Coordinator for the campus until 1994. Later that year he moved to Marin and began working for the Marin Humane Society. He became an Animal Services Officer in 1996, and moved to the Public Relations Department in 1998. In 1999 he became the Director of Public Relations.
In 2003, John was promoted to Chief Operating Officer overseeing the Community Service Department. In 2007, he led the effort to complete our campus expansion to include two Dog Parks, fountain plaza, and expanded parking. And in 2009, he shifted his attention to Project Rebuild.
John shares his life with a bombastic Border Collie mix named Frankie, two gregarious cats Bradley & Sheldon, and his wife Andrea, the Shelter’s Registered Veterinary Technician.
Valerie Robbins
Human Resources Manager
Valerie began her career at the Marin Humane Society working in Customer Care and after two years was promoted to Licensing Coordinator. In this later role, Valerie oversaw a significant increase in dog license revenue for the County. In 2005, she moved to the Finance Department to fill the role of Accounting and Human Resources Clerk. Valerie particularly enjoyed interacting with staff as a member of the HR department. In 2008, with the number of full and part-time employees toping 95, the Marin Humane Society realized the need for a dedicated Human Resources Manager and Valerie was a natural fit for this postition. As Human Resources Manager, Valerie offers support and resources to the dedicated staff at the Marin Humane Society.
Kim Lanham Snyder
Director of Special Programs and Projects
With a lifelong commitment to animal welfare, Kim has devoted the past 25 years to creating innovative programs at the Marin Humane Society. In 1982, she started her career as an Animal Care Technician, then transferred to enforcement in the field as an Animal Services Officer. In 1990, Kim became the Director of Animal Care and Veterinary Services. In this role, Kim developed the Foster Care and Pet Partnership Programs, both of which are integral to the success of the organization. Kim implements her impressive organizational abilities, along with her gift for data collection and resource allocation, to the benefit of MHS.
Kim and her husband Paul have a grown son, Chris, and are kept on their toes by two very active German Shepherds, Rucker and Cheyenne.
