President
A lifelong animal lover with a special place in her heart for cats, Amy has been working in animal welfare for over 20 years. While living in Northern California, she helped found Project Bay Cat, a highly successful TNVR program that became a model for community cat management.
After a 25-year career in business and marketing operations, Amy returned to Florida and joined St. Francis Society in 2021, bringing that same strategic expertise to help grow our organization so we can help even more animals in need.
She and her husband share their home with six St Francis Society rescue cats.
Vice President
Jennifer has been an animal lover her entire life and has been part of the St. Francis Society family since 2010, when she began volunteering at our Citrus Park adoption center.
Beyond St. Francis Society, Jennifer manages several feral cat colonies in Tampa and is the co-founder and administrator of Urgent Cats of Tampa Bay, a Facebook community run by a small group of passionate volunteers committed to reducing the number of cats and kittens euthanized at our county shelter.
Jen and her husband have 4 rescue pets--3 cats and a dog.
Treasurer
Mitzi brings decades of financial leadership and nonprofit expertise to the board as Treasurer. With an extensive background in accounting, she has specialized in public education and nonprofit financial management. Her experience helps ensure the rescue remains financially strong and well-positioned to continue its lifesaving mission.
A lifelong animal lover with a special passion for cats, Mitzi has volunteered with St Francis since 2017, and is dedicated to improving the lives of homeless felines in her community.
She lives in Tampa, Florida, with her husband and their six beloved resident cats—all proud St. Francis Animal Rescue alumni.
Secretary
Patti has been an integral part of St. Francis Society since 2006, bringing her extensive experience in dog handling and fostering to her role leading our Dog Foster team.
Over the years she has fostered countless dogs, giving each one the care, training, and love they needed to find their forever home.
Patti is a proud pet mom of two former foster dogs and a formerly feral cat.
Board Member
Merinda's rescue journey began 8 years ago when she found a litter of kittens behind a local Home Depot, which led her to trap and fix the kittens' parents. From there, her efforts quickly grew into an ongoing mission to trap and fix cats throughout the community.
Merinda joined St. Francis Society that same year, and since then, between trapping and fostering, she has helped thousands of cats find safety, care, and a second chance at life.
She lives in Brandon, Florida, with her two resident cats and one chihuahua.
Board Member
Larry brings nearly 30 years of experience helping individuals with disabilities return to meaningful employment — a background that may explain his deep compassion for animals who need a little extra care.
Larry is working to establish a Feral Village — a dedicated space to safely house feral cats that need to be relocated. He currently fosters a blind cat, several seniors, and cats living with FIV and FeLV, and is a passionate advocate for dispelling misinformation about these conditions.
Board Member
John is a software engineer who joined St. Francis Society in 2025 after searching for a local cat rescue where he could volunteer. He puts his technical skills to work on the rescue's web and app development and social media, and also volunteers as a transporter — driving cats from shelters to foster homes, to and from vet appointments, and delivering medical supplies wherever they're needed. He occasionally fosters as well, giving cats a safe place to land on their way to a forever home.
He shares his home with his two cats, Stark and Charlie.
