Lifesaving Team
Staff
Torre brings over 25 years of fundraising and executive leadership to Friends of PACC. His career started in intercollegiate athletics, heading up marketing and fundraising for multiple Universities, including eight years as the Director of Athletics at Portland State University. He then transitioned from academics to non-profit, serving as the Chief Development Officer for Special Olympics Oregon. After a 3-year respite with family and friends in Hawai’i, Torre came to Friends of PACC as Development Director in August 2020. Friends of PACC Board of Directors recently elevated Torre’s title to Executive Director in recognition of his success over the last two years. Companion animals have had a tremendous impact on his life, and he is thrilled to support the needs of animals and those who love them.
TORRE CHISHOLM
Executive Director
Yvette is a native Tucsonan. Born and raised in Tucson, she has seen many changes in the care of our furry friends. She became a medical assistant in 2005 and loved working with many different providers and caring for patients. Yvette started volunteering with PACC 10 years ago. Begun in the clinic and from there worked with the outreach program. She was going out to the communities and helping all those wonderful families that needed help with essentials for their pets. Yvette also had the opportunity to work with Central Pet in PACC’s local store, which she enjoyed, especially when so many furry friends were adopted and found their furever homes!! Currently, Yvette has five furry friends she fostered but fell in love with them and decided to adopt them all from PACC!! She is excited to join a fantastic organization and continue to try to make a difference in the communities and work with the families in her hometown.
YVETTE SOMOZA
Executive Administrator
Román Urias (Rome) is a Tucson native who loves to find new vegan restaurants and offerings around town. He recently adopted a Golden Retriever Mix from PACC named Winston. Before coming to FoP, Rome was an advertising and marketing assistant for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s newspaper, the Arizona Jewish Post. A May 2019 graduate of the Southwest University of Visual Arts in graphic design, he previously interned as a junior graphic designer at the AJP. He also worked as a part-time account executive with the Arizona Jewish Post. Rome loves photography and spending time with his dog.
ROMÁN URIAS
Development & Marketing Specialist
In 2014 Dave relocated to Tucson from southern New Hampshire to escape the endless winters. In addition to running his own business, he has worked in various capacities in the non-profit sector with an affinity toward financial management. Most recently, he was with Gemini Accounting, providing day-to-day accounting services for various non-profit and for-profit organizations in the Tucson area. His goal is always to ensure that his client companies have accurate financial data so they can find the best ways to serve their mission and their clients.
He has had many furbabies over the years and is absolutely enchanted with the big personalities of little dogs. In 2019 Dave adopted a senior papillon mix, “Buddy” from PACC, as a companion to his senior pup. Buddy is now 17 years old and living the good life as he should! Dave is excited to help Friends of PACC continue their success in providing services and forever homes to the pets that find themselves temporarily at PACC.
DAVID PICARD
Finance Manager
Board of Directors
Laura is a local Realtor who enjoys volunteering at Cody's Friends Charity which supplies numerous local animal rescues and organizations with pet food and supplies. Her passion for animals has her socializing and clicker training the cats at PACC, volunteering in the medical clinic, and trying to capture just the right photo of the cats and dogs in the shelter to help market them on social media. Laura is also a member of PACCAC and the Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare (PAAW) steering committee. Laura enjoys traveling with her family and spending time at home with her husband, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and desert tortoises.
LAURA O’BRIEN
Chair
Gina spent more than ten years in animal welfare working alongside amazing lifesavers. At the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) she began assisting with adoptions, fostering, transport and eventually volunteer management. She ran the Pet VIP program, where she helped pets and their owners become certified therapy teams; created the Comfort Dog program (to support victims of trauma); and created the Pets and Their Hero's (PATH) program which partnered with veterans and active military men and women with PTSD or TBI to learn how to train shelter dogs.
Years later she took a great opportunity to work for PACC where she grew and managed the shelter’s volunteer force in addition to leading humane education and outreach efforts. Gina is currently the Volunteer Resources Manager at Habitat for Humanity Tucson where she oversees the volunteer and internship programs, the veterans committee, and AmeriCorps. She is extremely proud to sit on the Friends of PACC board as the governance chair and to continue helping pets and families in need.
GINA HANSEN
Secretary
Andrea has worked in the non-profit sector for nearly 30 years. Currently, she is senior vice president at the University of Arizona Foundation. Andrea oversees alumni and constituent engagement initiatives, annual and leadership-giving programs, marketing and communications, board relations, and stewardship. Throughout her career, she has served the missions of diverse organizations—including Make-A-Wish America, the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a Phoenix-based agency for homeless youth, and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Thanks to her 14-year-old rescue dog Cooper, and the menagerie of animals she grew up with in rural Florida, she knows firsthand how much pets improve the quality of people’s lives. Andrea is passionate about Friends of PACC’s programs to maintain and enhance healthy human-pet relationships in the communities of Pima County. In the community, she has volunteered for Make-A-Wish Arizona, the Diaper Bank, and the Microbusiness Advancement Center. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute her skills and expertise to support efforts to save the lives of pets in need.
Andrea moved to Arizona after graduating from Northwestern University. After 15 years in the Phoenix metro area, she moved to Tucson and discovered the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. She and her partner Shawn and their dog Cooper enjoy desert life on the far east side of Tucson.
ANDREA MILLER
Member
Michael Boreale is the founder of Boreale Law, PLC, a Tucson law firm that focuses on providing business, employment, and real estate law services to small businesses and non-profit organizations. Since 2012, Boreale Law has proudly served hundreds of local businesses and non-profits in our local community.
He is a graduate of the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law and the University of Notre Dame. Michael considers himself a “nearly native” Arizonan, moving to Arizona at a young age. He grew up near Nogales, Arizona and has lived in Tucson for nearly 20 years. In addition to Friends of PACC, Michael is the Treasurer for the Minority and Small Business Alliance of Southern Arizona and is President of the Notre Dame Club of Tucson. He has also volunteered for several other charitable organizations and law-related committees over the past 15 years.
Michael and his wife are the proud parents of two beautiful children and two PACC rescue animals. In addition to work and volunteer activities, Michael routinely exhibits stunning mediocrity at golf, bowling, tennis, softball, and any other athletic endeavor he tries his hand at.
MICHAEL BOREALE
Vice-Chair
Jason Cook is a 9th-generation Tucson native and has been on the Friends of PACC board for over two years. Jason has spent the last nine years working for the Tucson Metro Chamber in Events and Member Services and is a Cloud Marketing Manager for Nextrio I.T. Services. Additionally, Jason is a Big Brother to Antonio with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. In his spare time, Jason is a huge Sci-Fi/Horror/Super Hero buff and a lover of the great outdoors, along with DIY of his home.
Jason is primarily an avid lover of old music, neon, old radios and jukeboxes, and most things “historical Americana.”
JASON COOK
Member
Mikaela is an Accounting and Assurance Manager at BeachFleischman PC, where she has worked for the past 7 years since graduating from the U of A. Two of her biggest passions have always been playing volleyball and caring for her animals. As a former collegiate volleyball player, she had to move away to NAU for a few years, which her cat, Persi never forgave her for!
She has been an animal lover her entire life and grew up nearby PACC. She also serves on the junior board for Southern Arizona Community Sports, Inc. which helps bring affordable indoor gym space to youth sports programs in the Tucson Community. She hopes to help provide more support to the Tucson animal welfare community through Friends of PACC. She and her boyfriend spend most of their spare time convincing their dog, Scribbles to share his favorite dinosaur with them (only dog syndrome).
MIKAELA KNUTSON
Member
John McLean retired early from a career as a mathematician so that he could live with a canine companion. Abby (chocolate lab) came home the day after his last day at work (2014). Realizing that one dog was not enough, John began volunteering at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) before moving to PACC as the tents came down in 2018. John alternates between running and hiking with his own pack (now two) and working with the behaviorally challenged dogs at PACC. John also serves as a mentor, foster, and dog advocate for the Good Dog Project. While he currently works exclusively with dogs, John spent his formative years in Phoenix in the company of cats.
In addition to his commitment to animal welfare, John has a great passion for the outdoors (wilderness exploring and advocacy), growing desert-adapted plants and foods (Pima County Master Gardener and Vice-Chair of Native Seeds/SEARCH), and music. Failing retirement, he continues to work as a consultant.
JOHN McLEAN
Treasurer
Bio ComingClark is a consultant for Bright Thin Film Solutions LLC, a company he founded in 2013 after retiring from the 3M Corporate Research Laboratory as a Senior Staff Scientist and Group Technical Leader. He still teaches classes and gives invited talks at domestic and international conferences. His career in Research and Development of new products for small, medium, and large companies spanned over 50 years. In addition, he founded his own company, Optical and Conductive Coatings, which he directed for 15 years before selling to and joining a company in Silicon Valley. He moved to Tucson in 1998 after accepting the position of R&D Vice President for Delta V Technologies.
For many years, Clark and his wife Karen supported various charities financially and by volunteering. He has served on several boards, but animal rescue and shelter organizations were of special interest. Clark and Karen started donating to PACC before the major building project, the name change, and the founding of Friends of PACC (FoP). We also have donated to Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) for approximately 25 years. Through my relationship with BFAS, a donation was referred to FoP, and personal connections were established between the leadership.
Personal interests and activities for Clark include sailing, hiking, and traveling both domestically and internationally. Clark and his wife Karen were avid sailors and sailed roundtrip (CA) on their sailboat to the Hawaiian Islands.
CLARK BRIGHT
Member
In 2008, Kate founded A Loyal Companion to provide massage, exercise, and mobility solutions for senior dogs. In 2015, she opened the first canine fitness and mobility facility in Arizona, featuring an indoor swimming pool, a complete dog gym, orthotics, prosthetics, and wheelchairs for animals. Since then, more than 3,000 dogs and their pet parents have come through the doors in Tucson. (www.aloyalcompanion.com)
Kate is the author of two books on canine mobility, Sit. Stand. GO! How to help your dog overcome mobility challenges and Emotion to Motion: How the mind impacts your dog’s mobility, published by Dudley Court Press.
In addition, Kate lectures to groups on topics such as fitness, massage, caring for senior dogs, and canine mobility. Her work has appeared in various publications, including on thebark.com, a website for the popular national dog culture magazine, The Bark (https://thebark.com/content/gathering-storm)
Kate lives with her wife, Kathy; Half Moon, a joyful rat terrier; Andy, a bounding terrier mix; and Helen, an empathetic and athletic boxer.
KATE TITUS
Member
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Justin and his wife Andrea were welcomed to Tucson in 2018 after spending time in California and Ohio. Justin is a full-time Station Manager and Director of sales for FOX 11 Tucson and joined Friends of PACC in 2022 after developing a partnership through the Pets of Pima Parade. Having always been passionate about animals, supporting Friends of PACC is a dream come true. When not working, you can find Justin and his family enjoying the incredible adventures Tucson offers or taking cat naps with his four furbabies.
JUSTIN CHAMBERS
Member
Jill is a native Tucsonan, lifelong animal lover, and retired Healthcare Administrator. She spent many years as CEO of the Children’s Clinics providing care for children and young adults who have complex health care needs. Serving alongside her was Therapy Dog Eliot who helped hundreds of children (and employees) have wonderful experiences at the Clinic.
Previously, Jill was CEO of several Behavioral Health organizations, was Director of Long-Term Care for Pima County, and did consulting to local non-profits and tribal organizations, focusing on Board Development, Strategic Planning, and Executive Coaching.
She and her husband, Brint, currently share their couch, bed, and home, with rescue dog Lucy!
JILL BEMIS
Member
Lara Iacobucci was born in Chicago but grew up in Tucson, where her grandparents owned hotels and restaurants. She comes from a service industry family and has a passion for helping others. After moving to the Midwest and Southern California, Lara returned to Tucson, which she considers home. As a branch manager for Enterprise Holdings, she developed a love for philanthropy and volunteerism, emphasizing community services. At Enterprise, she became a United Way Young Leader and collaborated with many other passionate individuals invested in giving back to their community. Lara left Enterprise to fulfill her desire to continue her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. She dedicated herself to volunteerism and philanthropy after graduation rather than returning to a traditional career.
As a graduate of the esteemed Greater Tucson Leadership program, Lara is particularly passionate about the ever-growing issues in Tucson and the surrounding communities. She has served as the volunteer coordinator for a local candidate and fundraised and volunteered for numerous local non-profits. At HOPE Animal Shelter, Lara completed various remodeling projects, raised considerable contributions, community outreach, and planned many successful events. At this time, she is an independent contractor for marketing at Bustos Media and a volunteer at Sister Jose’s Women’s Center, a member of 100+ Women Who Care, and in addition to being a board member for More Than A Bed, a program that assists families with foster children.
LARA PARIS
Member