Leadership & Board of Directors

Natasha Nemyre, Animal Care Director

I am passionate about making the world a better place for wildcats. Tigers have always held a special place in my heart and my love for stripes and fangs led me to a degree in wildlife conservation biology.

After years of studying wildcats, I had the opportunity to join the team at Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary. The chance to actually care for these incredible cats was too precious an opportunity to pass up. I love taking part in creating a safe and secure space for these amazing cats to live out their lives in comfort, security, and good health.

Two of my favorite cats at the sanctuary are Atticus the tiger whose personality is as big as he is and who never misses an opportunity to show off his swimming prowess in his large pool and Finnigan the caracal, a shy boy with big feels.

I share my home with seven cats, Mabel, Solo, Pax, Lolita, Atticus, Noki, and Victra and one dog, Delilah (who definitely thinks she’s a 50lb cat).

Tara Maercklein, Lead Keeper

Hello! My name is Tara and I’m the lead keeper at Wildcat Ridge. I’ve always wanted a career working with animals so I feel incredibly lucky that I get to work with a variety of wildcat species here at the sanctuary.

My favorite cats right now are Calvin, Safari, and Zuzu. I have two of my own cats at home, Ollie and Theo, and they are both the lights of my life!

Lauren Cass, Keeper

Lauren is a Texan turned Oregonian with nearly 5 1/2 years of animal care experience working with exotic big cats, bears, and native Texas wildlife including raptors, deer and small mammals.

Her favorite cat at the sanctuary is Chobe, an African lioness. She likes to spend her free time hiking and relaxing at home with her pets, Mac, a 13 year old Pomeranian and Kizmin, a 2 year old calico cat.

Meagan Hovis, Keeper

Meagan joined the WildCat Ridge Sanctuary keeper team in May 2022 with over a decade of animal husbandry experience in the veterinary field. She is Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional certified.

Meagan finds satisfaction in providing these exceptional cats and other habitants a healthy and peaceful life. Meagan has one chaotic neutral dog.

Barbara Banyasz, Keeper

Barbara has several years of experience working with a variety of wild and domestic plant and animal species. Ecological conservation and animal well-fare are two lifelong values she enjoys encouraging through her role at the sanctuary and in daily life. Her favorite cats at the sanctuary are Violet and Cosmo—she also loves our two rescue cows, Betty and Curly.

At home, Barbara has two domestic cats of her own (named Mishna and Stinky), a box turtle (named Speedy), and many, many house plants.

Brianna Solomon, Keeper

Hi everyone, my name is Brianna (a.k.a Bri) and I am a Keeper at Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary. I joined the WCR team in September 2023 after spending 5 months as an Animal Care Intern. I love being able to care for the variety of cat species we have and getting to see each and every one of their unique personalities, so I was thrilled to officially join the Keeper team.

I hold a Bachelors of Science in Zoology from Oregon State University and have always been drawn to animals and wildlife and wanted to pursue it as my career. During my time at OSU, I gained valuable hands on experience at a local wildlife rehabilitation center where I provided daily care for native Oregon wildlife in need to lead them toward their release back into the wild.

My favorite cats at the sanctuary are Atticus, Rasta, Raja, and Moe. I also have two cat fur babies at home Stella and Casper (Named in memory of Casper Bobcat ❤️ ).

Stefanie Kraus, Board Chair/Director of Communications

A designer for a living, and an animal advocate at heart, Stefanie Kraus has been involved with animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations for over ten years. While she loves all animals, she admits to being obsessed with felines.

When Stefanie first visited WildCat Ridge Sanctuary in 2016, she was so impressed that she offered to share her photographs for WCR to use on social media, the website, and merchandise. After many more visits, and falling in love with the sanctuary and its residents, Stefanie decided to permanently move to Oregon in 2021.

Using her professional experience, Stefanie has fully redesigned the sanctuary's website, launched the WildCat Ridge Shopify store, and has been working on the overall online strategy. During the warmer months, she loves to give private tours via AirBnb experiences.

Stefanie lives in beautiful Lake Oswego with her partner, Michael, and their rescue cats.

Ian Ford, Secretary & Treasurer

Seeing as how my Mom and Step-Dad founded WildCat Ridge, I've been involved in one way or another since the very beginning. I have the scars from BoBo to prove it.:) I have helped with events, rescues, fundraising, branding, outreach, education, building enclosures, acting as a courier for a variety of Sanctuary needs and have even been a keeper.

Currently, I work in the office helping with whatever the Executive Director needs help with...I truly enjoy getting to work with my Mom every day and am thankful for all the time we get to spend together.

Although my primary occupation has been in sales for most of my life, I have always had an affinity for trying to figure out if things can be done more effectively. Working on creating and streamlining systems and protocols that makes life for everyone at WCR easier is what I enjoy the most.

My favorite residents would have to be all of them, but if I have to pick just a few then it would be ZuZu, Chobe and Kariba, the Tiger Boys and Howie...then the donkeys. 🙂

In addition to all of my animal co-workers, I have a kitty at home (Pumpkin) as well as one exhausting but lovable dog (Prince) and one rabbit (Lennon) who is in charge at home.

Jan Vales, Director

My name is Janice Vales. I started volunteering for the sanctuary in 2007 primarily assisting with the auction that year. My work background was in Healthcare IT Support working at Legacy Health Systems until I retired in March 2022. Having an IT background was instrumental in creating an online presence for the sanctuary on MySpace and Facebook along with creating an online auction to sell paintings made by the wildcats.

I am currently working on finding and submitting grant requests as well as working on the committee for our annual live auction fundraiser.

Cheryl Starr, Director

I go by “Starr“ and I’m a native Oregonian.
Growing up on a farm, I love being around all animals, cats being my favorite.

I started as volunteer in 2005 for WCR, mostly assisting with decorations for the annual fundraisers. My favorite cat at the sanctuary, if I had to choose only one would be Noni.

My professional experience and decades of Project Management skills in the graphics industry, help in the planning of the fundraising auctions and events for WCR. I am so grateful and honored to be part of this wonderful organization and for everyone who is involved.

Outside of work and volunteering, I enjoy yoga, cooking and attending concerts. I also love to shop for unique gifts for my special friends.

Linda Melton, Director

As a lover of animals, Linda has worked in the veterinary field for 31 years, primarily in clinical laboratory biotech. She was a practice manager at an animal cancer clinic, and worked in hospice for the last 10 years prior to retiring. She has a BS in business management and has been on the WCR board since 2003.

She is a board director for Friends of Hospice SW Washington, VP of Loving Them Forward (caregiver support), is the committee chair for Life Transitions, advisory board for Hope Dementia Support and volunteers for Senior Heroes, Caring Closet, the Alzheimer’s Assoc., Friends of Timberline and other local organizations.

Her hobbies include photography, traveling, quilling, yoga and cooking.

Dr. Penny Jacobs, Director

Dr. Penny Jacobs graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She started her veterinary career in Athens, GA, and then decided to move to the great Northwest in 2007. She helped re-launch Berry Hill Veterinary Center in 2008 and completed the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) course in acupuncture soon after.
This opened her eyes up to the world of alternative and complementary medicine which she has integrated into her already holistic approach. Dr. Jacobs further developed her holistic education and practice by studying Food Therapy and Advanced Acupuncture at the Chi Institute and incorporates this nutrition knowledge as well as Chinese herbs and supplements into her daily practice.  As a DVM of Berry Hill Veterinary Center, she developed and still practices a strong base in traditional diagnostics and treatments as well as surgery.

She has been a cat lover for as long as she can remember and is honored to be able to work with the wonderful feline friends at the sanctuary.

Beatrice Shapiro, Director, Copywriter/Designer

Beatrice has been creating, writing, and designing our direct mail campaigns for several years. She brings a wealth of experience in advertising, having worked as a senior copywriter/creative director for more than 25 years. She is also an on-site volunteer at the sanctuary and helped build many of the wildcats’ habitats.

Beatrice also lends her creative talents to Wildwood Farm Sanctuary & Preserve, Fences for Fido, Meow Village, and other animal welfare organizations. She creates engaging and effective brochures, blogs, social media posts, flyers, and print ads.

In her spare time, she cares for a farm full of rescued sheep, goats, and chickens, along with several dogs and cats. She is also a wildlife rehabilitator and has bottle-fed countless orphaned raccoons, squirrels, and other wild ones.