Staff and Board of Directors : Berkeley Humane %

Leadership Team

Jeffrey Zerwekh

Executive Director

Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society is one of the oldest and most trusted animal welfare organizations in the country. As Executive Director, Jeffrey works tirelessly to continue and grow this legacy. In a short amount of time, he has assembled a talented and dedicated team of volunteers and employees who focus their energy on providing outstanding care to the people and pets. Together, with our Leadership Team and Board of Directors, we are making a significant and meaningful impact on the dogs and cats throughout the East Bay. Before joining Berkeley Humane, Jeffrey served for many years as the Chief Operating Officer for the American Red Cross Bay Area, which encompassed emergency, programmatic and fundraising operations in a 6 county jurisdiction. In addition to his work at the American Red Cross, Jeffrey’s background includes board development, volunteer recruitment, community organizing, and fundraising for the March of Dimes, and the American Heart Association. Jeffrey also currently serves as a member of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Jeffrey likes to say that he now has the best job in the world—and we agree with him!

Want to reach Jeffrey with your feedback? Send him a message.

Kristen Loomer

Director of Operations

Kristen joined Berkeley Humane as the Director of Operations in 2015. She has over 20 years of experience in animal welfare and a strong commitment to the Bay Area community, where she has lived her entire life. Prior to joining Berkeley Humane, she spent four years as the Division Manager of the animal shelter for the County of Napa and nearly 10 years at the Marin Humane Society in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. Kristen has a strong focus on leadership, customer service, and dedication to animals and humane ethics. Kristen enjoys all the wonderful amenities the Bay Area has to offer — from the coast to the mountains — and she currently resides in wine country with her wife Sam, canine companion Dory, and feline friend Bunchy.

Vickie Eiges

Director of development & communications

Vickie Eiges brings over 15 years of experience in sales leadership, fundraising, strategic communications, and corporate partnerships to her role as Director of Development and Communications at Berkeley Humane. With senior leadership roles in the sports, entertainment, nonprofit, and animal welfare sectors, Vickie has built a career around connecting people to meaningful causes and driving mission-centered impact.

Before joining Berkeley Humane, she led successful development and event strategies for nonprofits and high-profile venues, specializing in large-scale fundraising campaigns, donor engagement, and integrated marketing. Her ability to cultivate strong relationships and craft compelling narratives plays a key role in advancing Berkeley Humane’s mission to save lives and serve the community.
Vickie lives in the East Bay with her husband Peter and her Goldendoodle Charley Girl.

“I’m so excited to be part of a team that leads with compassion, creativity, and heart. Helping Berkeley Humane grow through community-driven fundraising means more second chances for the animals and that’s what inspires me every day.”

Latonya Thompson

Director of Finance and Human Resources

Latonya has worked in non-profit organizations for over 20 years. Her professional journey from private to non-profit accounting reflects her unwavering commitment to aligning her career with her core values. She has always had a passion for making a positive impact and is thrilled to be part of an organization that cares deeply for pets and the people who love them. Latonya’s pursuit of excellence extends beyond her professional achievements. She holds a BBA in accounting from Howard University and is the proud Mom of a cat named Sincere and Bell, a loveable pooch.

Board of Directors

Daniel Lang - President

Daniel is a Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) business executive – currently serving as the CEO of Centricity Solutions, Inc., an HRO firm he co-founded in 2007. He is also co-founder & CEO of Centricity Insurance Solutions, LLC.

Daniel earned a B.A. in Political Science from The University of Iowa and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Daniel lives near Grass Valley, California with his partner Jennifer and their Golden Retriever Riley.

Alan G. Shriro, DVM - Vice President

Alan has been on Berkeley Humane’s Board of Directors since 1997, and served as president for most of his tenure. He believes in serving our community’s animals and helping to save lives. Alan has co-owned Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital for 42 years. He served as President and as the Peer Review and Ethics Chairman of the Alameda County Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Shriro currently chairs the City of Berkeley Animal Care Commission. When not working at the Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital, Alan loves to scuba dive and travel the world. He is an award-winning photographer and is the proud guardian of two dogs and two cats.

Romy Harness - Secretary

Romy has been a volunteer and Board Member of Berkeley Humane for more than a decade. After 20 years in the tech industry she is now the Director of Access to Care Initiatives at Maddie’s Fund. A lifelong animal lover, Romy has lived with cats, dogs, fish, birds, reptiles and guinea pigs. She currently shares her home with Rocky, a very cuddly tuxedo cat.

Erin Cahill

Erin is a Partner in the Deals practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, with over 22 years of experience advising companies through capital markets transactions and other transformative events. She builds deep, trusted relationships with her clients, guiding them through the organizational impacts of their deals and helping them achieve successful outcomes. Originally from Florida, Erin earned both her B.S. and Master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Florida and is a CPA in California and Florida. She has called the Bay Area home for the past 15+ years, where she enjoys traveling, hiking, wine tasting, and cheering on her children at their sporting events and many activities. Erin is a proud mom to two young children and three rescue pets: two bonded orange tabby cats and a German Shepherd–Husky dog adopted from Berkeley Humane.

Trisha Colton

Trisha is a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in executive search, global talent acquisition, and leadership advisory across startups and large enterprises. She is currently Vice President of Executive Search at The Walt Disney Company, where she helps shape leadership talent across its diverse businesses.

Previously, she founded an executive advisory firm and served as Partner and Executive Advisor at Banff, coaching C-level leaders and supporting investment firms. At Adobe, she led global Talent Acquisition—including university, experienced, and executive hiring—building a diverse leadership team and scaling executive search worldwide. Earlier, she was with Russell Reynolds Associates, leading executive searches for digital companies, and held roles in high-growth startups.

Trisha is a Certified Executive Coach (UC Berkeley) and serves on the Board of the Berkeley Humane Society. She is passionate about developing leaders and driving business impact through talent.

Karen Dixon

Karen Dixon is a seasoned talent acquisition professional with a career spanning diverse recruiting roles across various organizations. She spent over seven years at Korn Ferry, specializing in executive search and ultimately serving as the Professional Search HR Practice Leader for North America. For the past six years, Karen has been with Adobe, working in a variety of executive recruiting roles across the organization.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Outside of work, Karen finds joy in spending time with her husband, their two college-aged children, and a lively household of pets—including three adopted cats and a spirited five-year-old dog named Ziggy.

Haley Heslip

Haley is a Director on the Enterprise Credit team at Bank of America. She has spent over a decade in finance evaluating debt solutions for clients. She’s worked with an array of credit products, treasury solutions and derivative needs for companies spanning from private early-stage to public Investment Grade. Haley grew up in Colorado and obtained her B.S.B.A in Finance and International Business and an MBA with a focus in Healthcare Administration from the University of Denver. She moved to San Francisco in 2018 where she put down roots and now has a 4 year old boy and 2 year old girl. At home with some free time, you’ll find Haley out on a run or cooking a vegetarian meal. She also enjoys traveling with the family and you’ll often find them in the mountains for any seasonal fun. Haley grew up with cats, dogs, horses and many other animals and continues to have a strong love and affection for every kind.

Shawna Kovacs

Shawna has two great passions: children and pets. She has been a long-time animal advocate. Shawna has spent 20+ years in the technology industry in talent/organizational development leadership roles. Shawna also serves on the board of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and is passionately involved with creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. She lives in Piedmont with her dog Sezze and sometimes daughter Erin – in between University.

Jai Koolwal

Jai Koolwal is an experienced engineer and leader with a diverse background in technology and a passion for problem-solving. He has a proven track record at LinkedIn, Google, Salesforce, and Cisco where he has contributed to the development of key technical infrastructure components. In his downtime, Jai enjoys woodworking and music. At the early age of 9, Jai and his friends rescued a pup from the streets of his hometown that began the journey of his love for animals. Ever since, he has been volunteering with various rescue organizations to help animals in need.

Annie Matusewicz

Annie Matusewicz is the Head of Sustainable Investing Specialists at J. P. Morgan Asset Management. Previously, she drove the go-to-market strategy for North America at Reporting 21, helping private markets investors integrate sustainability considerations across the investment lifecycle. She has held a variety of investment strategist and business development roles at BlackRock, Calvert Research and Management, Fidelity, and Boston Trust Walden. Annie earned a B.A. in architectural studies and economics from Brown University and M.B.A. from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. On the weekends you can find her hiking, traveling, and spoiling her friends’ dogs and children.

Mareijke Weidemann

Mareijke is a professional Realtor in the Greater East Bay region. Mareijke is a former Global Controller for Method Products, a B-Corp, and Del Monte Foods and a CPA by training. Prior to entering the real estate industry, she spent two decades in Finance and Accounting, working across multiple industries and company growth stages, where developed a proven track record for driving efficiencies in the areas of accounting, financing, planning, internal controls process implementation, compliance, business acquisitions, change management initiatives, and technology implementations.

Mareijke is passionate about serving the needs of her clients, and is known for collaboration across all organizational levels and various interests. She brings a high level of energy toward solving challenges together, by applying analytical approaches and exercising a seasoned business understanding. She is married to her husband Craig, and loves her dog, Shadow, a sassy little black miniature poodle. She enjoys skiing, mountain biking and volunteering at her church in her spare time.