Leadership
Sandra Harrison, Executive Director
Sandra’s devotion to animal welfare began long before she joined the Kitten Rescue as a volunteer and board member in 1998. But following her retirement from a career as flight attendant with American Airlines, she quickly became the heart and soul of Kitten Rescue, serving in various leadership positions while rescuing and teaching others how to rescue and TNR. A champion for the most vulnerable cats and kittens of Los Angeles, Sandra leads the organization with tireless dedication, inspiration and the commitment to face head on, the overpopulation crisis in Los Angeles.
Pam Allison, Board Chair
Pam, a lifelong cat lover, started rescuing cats accidentally over 10 years ago when ferals showed up at her building. After TNR’ing several and finding homes for those who were surprisingly tame, she fell into fostering, rescue, and advocacy for homeless cats.
Pam’s day job involves developing strategy and innovation projects in the media and entertainment sectors. She lives in West Los Angeles with a bunch of cats including Casey, Tabor, and Bandit.
Susan Romaine, Founder and Vice President
Susan Romaine began fostering cats and kittens over three decades ago as a volunteer for one of the nation’s first no kill shelters, ASAP in Santa Barbara. After moving to Los Angeles, Susan began volunteering at Los Angeles Animal Services West Valley Shelter. Determined to do something about the high rate of euthanasia in Los Angeles for underage kittens at the time, Susan founded Kitten Rescue in 1997.
Over 26 years, Kitten Rescue has grown from its one-woman origins to become one of the largest feline-focused rescues in Los Angeles and the nation, rescuing nearly 3,000 cats and kittens a year and placing them in new forever homes.
When not cuddling kittens, Susan uses the other half of her brain as a Senior Vice President, Wealth Management of UBS Financial Services, and also sits on the Board of the Japanese Art Society of America in New York. She shares her home with her elder kitty FergieBear.
Jeremiah Runyon, Board Treasurer
Jeremiah contributes to the years in various positions at Superior Logistics Ohio, Off the Leash Modern Pet Provisions, and in service on other boards. He leads the operations and finance of Superior Logistics and has had extensive experience in business operations. He brings practical knowledge of executive management and extensive experience in human resource management, accounting, and financial matters including financial oversight, risk management, human resource compliance, and the alignment of financial and strategic initiatives.
Jeremiah and his husband Mathew live in Los Angeles with their dogs Foxworth and Daisy and cats Stretch and Babette.
Pat Tazzara, Board Secretary
After litigating medical liability cases for over 30 years in both Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, Pat retired from the legal field and immediately embraced her other passion — cat rescue. She started with fostering and quickly learned that her true foster talent was “foster failing.” Thus, she adopted many of her black foster cats, eventually moving on to other projects. In addition to serving on the board, she heads Kitten Rescue’s social media team. Pat lives in Studio City with her 7 black cats and enjoys telling friends and family back east about the beautiful So Cal weather.
Evelyn Jensen, Director
Evelyn got her start with Kitten Rescue almost 15 years ago after a friend begged her to care for an abandoned bottle baby, “just until she’s weaned.” Enchanted by the rewards of fostering, once baby Gladys went back to her forever home, Evelyn wondered if there might be “official” avenues for fostering kittens. A Google search turned up Kitten Rescue and – some 200+ kittens later – the rest is history.
When not bottle feeding or otherwise tending to kittens of all ages, Evelyn works as a Senior Manager of Learning & Organizational Development at CJ America, Inc.
Perhaps her most important role, though, is being Mom to Instagram-famous “celebri-cat” Waverly McTinybeans.
Blasko (Rob Nicholson), Director
Blasko, globally renowned as the electrifying bass player for icons Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne, harmonizes his rock star prowess with a deep commitment to feline welfare. As a lifestyle investor and entrepreneur, he channels his passion into impactful causes, notably in the animal rescue sphere. His dedication to feline advocacy earned him the prestigious Kitten Rescue Advocacy Award in 2019, underscoring his significant contributions to the cause.
Blasko leverages his influence and network to further the mission of cat welfare and rescue. His commitment to animal advocacy extends to the pavement; he is a stalwart participant in the LA BIG 5K. Through this annual event, Blasko has raised over $50,000 individually, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to supporting Kitten Rescue’s vital work.
Blasko’s multifaceted career as a rock star, entrepreneur, and animal welfare advocate illustrates his dedication to making a difference both on and off the stage.