Board of Directors and Staff
The High Sierra Animal Rescue (HSAR) Board of Directors is a group of skilled business and professional people who volunteer to provide strategy for the organization. Each member brings many years of experience in their field.
Current members include:
Carole Scott
President
Carole joined the board in 2013 and became President in September of 2020. Carole has managed a small San Francisco law firm for the past 16 years. Currently, she manages it remotely as she now lives in Portola. She and her husband have two rescue cats, two rescue dogs, and three rescue horses. Carole also fostered kittens for another rescue foundation while living in the Bay Area.
Jeri Nelson
Treasurer
Jeri joined the board in 2020 to help with the preparation of financial reports, budgets, and annual filings. She is retired from Eastern Plumas Health Care after 23 years as their Chief Financial Officer, and has worked with many nonprofit organizations.
Jeri has several pet companions that help her enjoy life in the mountains.
Doug Hart
Public Relations
Doug retired in 2006 after serving thirty-seven years in the military. He is passionate about giving back to the community and making a difference. His love of animals connected him to the High Sierra Rescue team where he has been there as a board member since 2008. Both Doug and his wife Debbie feel that an organization can provide more services than any one individual can do on his/her own. Doug and Debbie will continue to be volunteers at HSAR as long as there are animals that need help.
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Doug Rodrigues
Founder
Doug and his wife, Betty, were Co-Founders of HSAR in May of 1999. They saw a need in the community where 500+ adoptable cats and dogs needed their help. Doug holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from the University of Southern California. HSAR was a perfect opportunity to apply Doug’s education and 18 years of experience at Intel Corporation to a worthwhile cause.
Claudia Rueckert
Volunteer Coordinator
Claudia joined the board in September 2022 after adopting two dogs from HSAR and volunteering here since May 2021. She is passionate about enrichment and training for our rescue dogs. Claudia lives in Reno, runs a research lab, and teaches molecular biology at UNR. However, she spends all of her free time with her dogs or volunteering at the local dog club and HSAR. Her HSAR dog Storm performs in dog sports such as Scent Work, Agility, and Rally Obedience and she is constantly trying to educate herself in effective and humane dog training methods.
Mary DeGroat
Mary joined as a volunteer in 2023 and became a full-time local resident and board member in September 2024. She has over 35 years of experience as a marketing communications executive across corporate, agriculture, tourism, and nonprofit sectors. After nine years as the Business Development and Marketing Director for the Read to Me Project, an early literacy program for underserved families, Mary retired in January 2024. A published author, she reflects, “The happiest, most rewarding times in my life include training and playing with the dogs at HSAR.”
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Abigail Birnbryer
Director of Marketing and Fundraising
Abby Birnbryer is the Director of Marketing and Fundraising at High Sierra Animal Rescue, skillfully blending her degree and marketing experience with her passion for animals. Her journey with the organization began in 2018 as a volunteer before taking on her current role in July of 2019. Originally from New York, Abby frequently travels with her beloved dog, Roo.
She cherishes quality time with her loved ones, actively engaging in the local community, and striving to make a positive impact in the lives of dogs in need.
Please feel welcome to reach out to Abby for all of your fundraising and marketing questions regarding HSAR at abby@highsierraanimalrescue.org or (530)832-4727
Susanne Waller
Office Manager
Susanne is an avid dog lover and dedicated staff member of HSAR. She has been with our organization for over a decade and has adopted two dogs in that time. If you've called our office to inquire about boarding, adopting, volunteering, and more, you've likely talked with her at some point in time! She has helped place many dogs in loving forever homes and has been an invaluable part of our team. To reach out to Susanne please email susanne@highsierraanimalrescue.org or give us a call at (530)832-4727
Alisha Proctor
Kennels Manager
Alisha was born and raised in Plumas County and began her journey with HSAR nearly 10 years ago. She has cared for and loved hundreds of dogs in that time. She travels to local shelters to transfer dogs into our care, directs a team of kennel technicians, and is the ultimate caretaker for all of the rescue dogs and boarders at our facility. To get in touch with Alisha please email alisha@highsierraanimalrescue.org or give us a call at (530)832-4727
Hannah Tomatis
Volunteer Trainer
Hannah began her career as a dog trainer by receiving a Certificate of Completion from Animal Behavior College in 2018 and then starting her own dog training business. Soon, she realized her strongest passion was working with the rescue dogs at High Sierra Animal Rescue and the people who adopted them. If you were to ask her, though, she will tell you this life chapter really began in 2014 because of a dog named Raider.
Chuck Franck
Vice President
Charles “Chuck” Franck has volunteered at HSAR since 2004, later becoming a board member in 2007, and currently serving as vice president. Prior work experience included 32 years with Hormel Foods where he held various management positions in sales, marketing, production, and distribution. Chuck’s love for animals centers on pet spay & neuter with a focus on responsible pet ownership. Chuck and his wife Cathe previously had two cats adopted from HSAR.