Paul Viemeister – Board President
Paul has been an educator for 38 years and counting. He has a passion for community service through giving back to the community he serves, both human and animal. As a Kiss no an and Key Club advisor, his club was awarded the Compassionate Community Service Award for the 2013. As President of Central Oregon Animal Friends, Paul understands the needs of Three Rivers Humane Society’s in caring for the countless homeless pets in Jefferson County. Having rescue dogs and cats of his own gives him the drive and perspective to support COAF’s vision is for the health and welfare of homeless dogs and cats.
Ray Swift – Board Vice President
Simply put, Ray has been an animal lover since birth. Growing up, much to his parents objection, her would bring home hurt or stray reptiles, birds, cats and dogs. Finally her got a cat and soon after, his first dog. He hasn’t let up yet, and most likely never will. Ray found the few years volunteering at a shelter to be one of most rewarding and emotional experiences of his life, and hopes to continue to be a member or employee of an organization that promotes responsible animal care for a long time to come.
Sheila Dooley – Secretary/Treasurer
Sheila recently retired as Library Director after 40 years at The Dalles-Wasco County Library. She volunteered for two other animal shelters previously fostering 87 dogs over a 12 year period, serving as a board member, and fundraising. She has supported the organization greatly through grant writing, fundraising, and volunteering.
Mary Martin – Director
Mary is the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of instructional Services at Columbia Gorge Community College, where she’s worked for 25 years. She first joined the board of Home at Last Animal Shelter many years ago because she wanted to help animals in need and be their voice in the community. After a break, she was very happy to return to that work with the board of Central Oregon Animal Friends.
Stephen Drynan, Executive Director, and Jerilee Drynan, Operations Director, bring more than 30 years of combined experience in animal care management to Central Oregon Animal Friends.
For the first three decades of his career, Stephen served in numerous operational and financial management roles in the retail, wholesale, and transportation industries. His most recent role, prior to nonprofit service, as Division Manager for one of the country’s largest food distribution companies has provided him skills that transfer seamlessly to his role as executive director.
Early in her career, in 1978, Jerilee was the co-founder of the Alaska Humane Society where she started South Central Alaska’s first spay/neuter certificate program and was instrumental in having inhumane decompression chambers outlawed for use in euthanasia. She then worked for many decades in early childhood education experience which included the Head Start program as a teacher and Site Director and management of two other child care centers.
Their accomplishments as a couple include the successful restructuring of Humane Society of the Ochocos in Prineville and Home at Last Humane Society in The Dalles. Steve and Jerilee also founded The Early Learning Central in Salem, and a special Humane Development class for North Salem High School.
In 2012 they moved to Madras and co-founded Central Oregon Animal Friends, which took over operations of Three Rivers Humane Society from Jefferson County. In 2018 they reunited with Home at Last Humane Society by pulling that shelter’s operations under the new umbrella of Central Oregon Animal Friends.
In their lives, Stephen and Jerilee have fostered over 500 kittens and cats, and have several beloved pets of their own. As organization leaders they prioritize an open door policy where community members and law enforcement officials find them to be approachable and responsive to the diverse animal welfare needs of Central Oregon.
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Brittany Hopkins – Home At Last Humane Society Shelter Manager