MEET OUR BOARD

 

Kimberly Ott

Board Chairman

Kim oversees executive communications, NAU News, media relations, public records requests, social media, TV services and KNAU radio (NPR). Prior to joining NAU in 2016,        she oversaw communications for the City of Flagstaff for nearly 25 years. She worked for various Flagstaff media outlets as a news reporter/director for 10 years after she graduated with a degree in Communications from NAU.

She has been active with numerous boards and organizations in Flagstaff including the Flagstaff Leadership Program, United Way of Northern Arizona, the Guidance Center, Northland Hospice, and Northland Family Help Center.

Kate Taylor

Vice Chair

Kate Taylor is a lifelong lover and advocate for all animals. Professionally, she serves as the Clinical Outreach Senior Manager for Charlie Health in Northern Arizona. A social worker by education and practice, Kate has a keen understanding and appreciation for the human-animal connection and ways our furry friends enhance our lives and unite communities. She is proud to call Flagstaff both her favorite place on the planet as well as home.

Kate’s favorite job to date was serving as an adoption counselor for the homeless Austin Humane Society. With reverence for the incredible work and passion of staff at High Country Humane Society, she is honored to support both staff and the needs of the shelter. Kate looks forward to bringing 15 years of experience working and volunteering in the nonprofit space as well as fundraising to her role on the board of directors.

Kate serves on the fundraising and events subcommittee and looks most forward to deepening community connections in both Coconino County and also with our indigenous communities and friends.

 

Jen Nordstrom

Treasurer

Jennifer Nordstrom is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), entrepreneur, and community leader with more than 20 years of experience in public accounting. She is the Founder and Lead CPA of Jen Nordstrom Accounting, where she specializes in individual and small-business taxation and has built a year-round advisory-focused practice that integrates tax preparation, planning, and financial education. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Arizona and additional education in taxation, and she is a Certified Financial Coach and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, bringing both technical expertise and process-driven thinking to her work.
 
Jennifer has a long history of board and volunteer leadership, with a strong focus on financial stewardship, governance, and community impact. She currently serves as Treasurer of the High Country Humane and has previously held board and officer roles with organizations including the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Society of CPAs, Friends of Coconino County Parks, The Guidance Center, and the University of Arizona Alumni Association. Outside of her professional and volunteer work, Jennifer enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband and their dogs.

Laura Levandowski​

Secretary

Laura Levandowski has dedicated over 20 years to the Arizona public education system. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of Gift Planning for the NAU Foundation, where she continues her passion for building relationships that support student success and create opportunities for community engagement.

Having moved to Flagstaff in 2020, Laura has been an active member of the local community. She has served as a foster dog mom, and volunteer for HCH, and she is thrilled to work closely with HCH and its already exceptional team. Laura and her husband are proud to be the parents of two adopted dogs, Butters and Winnie (an HCH alum!), who enjoy playing fetch and snuggling together.

In addition to her work with HCH, Laura is deeply involved in various local initiatives. She collaborates with the Commission on the Status of Women, the Coconino Master Gardener Program, the Flagstaff Public Library, supports the Garden Exchange Stands of AZ, and participates in several local book clubs.

 

Kelly Teeselink

Kelly is the Council Director for Girls on the Run of Northern Arizona, a girl empowerment program service Coconino, Yavapai and Navajo counties. She has been involved with Girls on the Run since 2012, starting as a volunteer for Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa and becoming Executive Director in 2018.

Kelly moved to Flagstaff in 2021, and is thankful to be part of this community.

In addition to Girls on the Run, Kelly has also worked in marketing, communications, fundraising and community relations in the non-profit sector.

Kelly is the proud cat mom of her kitty spice rack: Cinnamon, Dilly and Basil.

Ali Applin

Ali has over 20 years of marketing and business development experience in a variety of different settings. She has helped corporate, non-profit, small startups and educational institutions design and promote products and programs across multiple platforms. She is well-versed in the art of communication and understands how critical marketing is to the success of any business. As the CEO of NALTRA, she is helping to grow and expand the organization through education, advocacy and collaboration.

She has served on several boards including High Country Humane, Flagstaff Women's Leadership Network, United Way, Flagstaff Shelter Services, STEM City, and Tynkertopia.

Ali loves living in Flagstaff and taking advantage of all the great hiking, mountain biking, and skiing this mountain town has to offer.

Maraka Oltrogge

Maraka (Mar-ah-ka) Oltrogge is a dedicated philanthropy professional and community leader with a strong commitment to service and nonprofit impact. With over 15 years of experience in fundraising and donor engagement, she is currently the vice president of philanthropy at Northern Arizona Healthcare. She is a double NAU alumna and utilized her masters of education by teaching internationally in Italy and Kuwait before finding her passion in the nonprofit realm.

Beyond her professional achievements, Maraka is deeply involved in volunteerism and board service. She has served as a board member for Redemption Counseling Center, supporting mental health initiatives, and for Grand Canyon Youth, helping to provide outdoor education opportunities for young people. She was also a founding member of Phoenix Suns Charities 88, a group dedicated to supporting youth-focused initiatives in Arizona.

Maraka’s commitment to global service is evident in her work with Habitat for Humanity Global Village, where she has contributed to housing projects in Cameroon, New Zealand, and Nepal. She believes in the power of hands-on service and has traveled extensively, working alongside communities to create sustainable change. Lastly, and most importantly, she is a former dog walker at High Country Humane and foster mom. She and her husband Paul live in downtown Flagstaff with their three adopted dogs and have recently installed a dog treat library outside their home. Hope you cross paths with it to either take a treat for your pet or leave of treat for the next!

Catharine Olson

Catharine has been with Nestle Purina PetCare for the last 9 years and currently leads the Quality Department where she is able to expand on her passion around pet health, wellness, and nutrition. Catharine is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Animal Sciences. She moved to Flagstaff in 2016 with Purina and has since said she’s never leaving. She has been an animal advocate from a young age, volunteering in numerous shelters across Texas, Iowa, and Arizona as well as finding numerous rescues to add to her family.

Catharine has made a home in Flagstaff with her husband, daughter, and their Husky dog. They enjoy trail running, hiking, sports, and traveling in their free time and can’t think of a more perfect town to live in and give back to.

Kevin Fincel

Interim Deputy City Manager for Flagstaff, AZ

 

Tina Johnson

Tina is an oncology nurse with a passion for education and advocacy. She has held various leadership positions within her field and thrives empowering her teams and improving patient care and outcomes.  

She is a life long animal lover and has a deep sense of appreciation for rescues. She has two dogs, Jet and Simon, and finds some of her greatest joy in her bonds with them. 

Tina fell in love with Flagstaff 20 years ago when she moved here to attend NAU, and happily moved back two years ago. She is thrilled to serve on the board and dedicate her time to HCH.

 

Ron Hurle

Ron brings a lifelong commitment to community service and a deep appreciation for the role mission-driven organizations play in strengthening the communities they serve. His involvement with High Country Humane reflects both his love of animals and his belief that compassionate, well-run nonprofits are essential to building healthy, connected communities in Northern Arizona.

In addition to his work in Flagstaff, Ron volunteers as a Park Host at the Desert Outdoor Center at Lake Pleasant, supporting educational programs that connect youth and families to the natural world. Whether through environmental education or animal welfare, he is drawn to organizations that combine stewardship, care, and community impact.

Professionally, Ron is a senior operations and infrastructure executive with more than 35 years of experience leading complex organizations through growth and transformation. He has held executive leadership roles including COO for Grand Canyon Conservancy, CIO for CalPERS and Vice President and General Manager at Intel, where he led global IT operations across 79 sites in 27 countries. Throughout his career, he has focused on aligning facilities, infrastructure, and teams with long-term strategic goals while stewarding resources responsibly.

Ron’s experience in facilities optimization, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic planning allows him to support High Country Humane in strengthening operational effectiveness while preserving its mission-centered culture.

Nicole P. Antonopoulos

Nicole Antonopoulos is the Sustainability Director for the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, where she leads transformative initiatives that embed sustainability into the fabric of city operations and community life. Since founding the City’s Sustainability Division, Nicole has grown it into a dynamic team focused on six key areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate action, waste minimization, food systems, and community empowerment.

With a strong track record in program development and policy innovation, Nicole is known for building strategic partnerships and delivering long-term environmental and social benefits. Before her role with the City, she served as Program Manager for the Coconino County Sustainable Economic Development Initiative and as Outreach Director for the Texas Unit of Learning Allies.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Kansas, a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems, and a master’s degree in Cultural Geography from Northern Arizona University. She is a founding member of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, the Western Adaptation Alliance, and the Four Corners Carbon Coalition. She also serves on the Steering Committees for the Global Institute of Sustainability’s Sustainable Cities Network and the Western Adaptation Alliance. Nicole recently accepted a seat on the Board of Directors for the High Country Humane Animal Shelter.

When she’s not advancing sustainability efforts, Nicole can often be found exploring the outdoors with a backpack and a deep appreciation for the natural world.

 

Morgan Ashley

Having grown up with three dogs and two cats, Morgan has been an animal lover from the very beginning. Today, she cares for one dog, two cats, and any stray downtown alley cat that happens to cross her path.

Morgan began her community engagement journey at Northern Arizona University in 2020 while still a student. During that time, she collaborated with several student activist organizations and completed an internship with Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, where she conducted research on affordable housing initiatives. Since graduating, Morgan has continued to pursue meaningful opportunities to serve the Flagstaff community and now works as an accountant with the NAU Foundation.

Amanda Bosh

Amanda is a planetary scientist and Chief Operating Officer at Lowell Observatory and a lifelong animal advocate. She has a Ph.D. in Planetary Science, an SB in materials engineering, and training in board governance, fundraising, and executive leadership. She has board experience at both animal welfare and educational institutions.

Amanda is originally from Massachusetts and has lived in Flagstaff since 1992. She has fostered cats, rabbits, and even eastern freshwater corals! Amanda, her husband, and her son share their home with four cats, all of whom are "foster successes" in that they started as foster cats before being adopted; three of these cats are from High Country Humane. In her free time, Amanda has a keen interest in photography.