Friends of the Animals (FOTAS) Staff

Friends of the Animals (FOTAS) relies heavily on close to 200 volunteers who generously and lovingly contribute more than 50,000 hours per year. We have a minimum of paid staff, full and part-time, to help organize the efforts of our volunteers and raise funds for our life-saving programs.

The FOTAS Shelter office is located in the Jackson County Animal Shelter, 5595 S Pacific Hwy, Phoenix, OR 97535.

• Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11 AM to 4 PM and Weekends, Noon to 4 PM.
• The Shelter no longer accepts donations of physical items.
• Please do NOT mail or deliver anything to the Jackson County Animal Shelter that is intended for FOTAS.

Our Administrative Office (by appointment only) is located at 1875 Hwy 99 N, Suite B-10, Ashland, OR 97520

• The Administrative Office is open to accept physical donations on Mondays, 1 – 4 PM and Tuesdays, 12 – 3 PM.

Mailing address: PO Box 1153, Ashland, OR 97520. We do NOT receive mail at our physical locations.

Spay & Neuter Clinic is located at 3265 Biddle Rd, Medford, OR 97501

Phone: (541) 708-0090

Email: Email the FOTAS office

FOTAS Staff List

Megan Ayars, Operations Manager email

Mitzi Scheerer, Development Director email

Liz Obelenus, Volunteer Support Services Associate email

Ray Homen, Cat Foster Program Coordinator email 

Dena Vogt, Dog Foster Program Coordinator email 

Eliza Kauder, Bookkeeper and Vaccination & Microchip Clinic Coordinator email

Friends of the Animals Community Spay & Neuter Clinic Staff List:

Victoria Wade, Clinic Manager email 

Friends of the Animals (FOTAS) Board of Directors

Friends of the Animals is run by a Board of Directors. FOTAS’ employees report to and are accountable to the Board. The Board sets policy and direction for the organization. It also oversees the organization’s finances, fundraising and promotion.

At our Board meetings, the input of each member is valued and weighed in a creative atmosphere. All members of the Board are uncompensated volunteers.

If you would like to be considered for a position on our Board, please send us an email for more information.

BECKY COHN – PRESIDENT

Becky joined FOTAS in 2012 as a dog walker. She soon learned that the Shelter was often filled with Pit Bull mixes and her concern led to the founding of the Pit Crew together with other dedicated volunteers. Becky served as President in January 2021-2022, and then again in 2025.

Becky moved to Talent on a 10-acre farm in 2011. She and her husband raise animals and she tends a large veggie and fruit garden, and also works training dogs.

Prior to moving here, Becky was a Foreign Service Officer with the Agency for International Development. Her family spent many years overseas including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Jamaica, and Barbados.

An avid dog lover, Becky has 5 dogs of her own, 3 of which are rescues: one from a kill shelter in Fresno and two 9-year-old Chihuahuas adopted from the Jackson County Animal Shelter.

VICE PRESIDENT – OPEN

TREASURER – MICHAEL MURRAY

LISA FRANKEL – SECRETARY

Prior to moving to Southern Oregon, Lisa volunteered with Furkids, the largest no-kill shelter in the Southeast. She fostered dogs, including moms and puppies, participated in outreach events, and facilitated adoptions. When Lisa moved to Ashland in 2022, she immediately sought out volunteer opportunities with FOTAS. She currently walks dogs, is a runner for playgroups, and is part of the holding crew. She also volunteers with Rogue Valley Street Dogs, an organization which offers assistance to animals of the unhoused and people with very low incomes, focusing on spay/neuter services.

Lisa lives in rural Ashland with her husband, teenage son, pit mix Zorro and blue heeler Annie (adopted from JCAS in December of 2023). She loves to garden and spend time outside.

Lisa also volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the foster care system and is a member of the local Soroptimist chapter, which focuses on improving the lives of women and girls. Lisa is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Estonia and the Dominican Republic. She worked in Human Resources for both public and private organizations throughout her career.

Members-at-Large

AIDEN COSTELLO

Aiden Costello is a veterinarian and owner of “a” street animal clinic in Ashland, OR.  He graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 and has lived in the Rogue Valley since 2012.  Aiden has had a long history of working with shelter animals and participating in high-volume spay and neuter clinics both prior to and after becoming a veterinarian.  As a technician he helped to establish the facility for the Bend Spay and Neuter Project in Bend, Oregon helping Dr. Byron Maas to carry out 50-60 feline spays per day.  

In his first position as a veterinarian he worked for Dr. Jeffrey Young and would set up a spay and neuter clinic in a local gymnasium in Eastern Colorado and regularly hold high-volume spay and neuter clinics.  He also participated in a traveling clinic to provide these services on Native American reservations in Wyoming and Montana.

At “a” street animal clinic he has worked with SNYP, Jackson County Animal Control, SNIP (in Yreka, CA) ,So Humane and the Street Dog project to provide low-cost  procedures to the community.

Aiden joined the FOTAS board as a consultant to help develop a much-needed spay and neuter mobile clinic program, and is happy to help in providing this service to the Rogue Valley.

He lives with his wife, Dr Jessica Voellm and their cats Gigi and Weeone and their shelter dog Shelby.

LAUREN BICKERS

Lauren has been volunteering with FOTAS since early 2024 as a member of the Dog Walking Holding Crew. She has a B.S. in Animal Science from UC Davis, a Certification in Canine Training and Behavior, and she got her Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies through Southern Utah University focusing in Contemporary Animal Services and Leadership and Nonprofit Management.

Originally from Southern California, she moved to Oregon back in 2020 with her partner, Cameron, and their dog, Jasmine (who sadly passed away in November 2024). Before coming to Oregon she worked as an animal care attendant at OC Animal Care in California which is where she met Cameron and eventually fostered, then adopted, Jasmine. During this time she fell in love with canine behavior and training after working with Jasmine and countless other shelter dogs.

Lauren also started her own nonprofit in 2022 called Dragonfly Dogs (www.dragonflydogs.com) which provides free dog training and resources to the public and animal care organizations. She currently runs Dragonfly Dogs and works full time as a veterinary assistant. Lauren is hoping her years of canine behavior and training coupled with her knowledge of animal sheltering will be a positive addition to FOTAS.

TERRI FRAZIER

Terri was born and raised in the Rogue Valley. She and her late husband moved to Northeast Oregon in 1978 and raised their two children there. She began working as a forest fire dispatcher for Oregon Department of Forestry and eventually supervised Initial Attack at the Interagency Dispatch Center in LaGrande.

Terri and her family moved back to the Rogue Valley in 2001 where she finished her career at ODF dispatch center in Medford and retired in 2006.

Terri started volunteering for FOTAS in 2010 as a foster of both cats and dogs, but has a soft spot for kittens. She became a cat foster mentor in 2019 and Cat Foster Coordinator from 2021-2024. In January 2025, Terri wanted to focus on helping get the FOTAS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic up and running and volunteered to assist with coordinating volunteer help at the clinic.

Terri enjoys being with her family which includes four grandchildren, fostering kittens, and gardening.

GEORGE HINES

An animal lover, George Hines grew up with dogs (Snoopy and Joe) and a cat (Domino) and eventually met his soul dog, Bradley (a Rat Terrier Mix), in 2017 when George and his wife visited him at an animal rescue in Arizona. “I never realized until adopting Bradley that animals don’t have a voice unless we give them one. The unconditional love they give and impact they have on our lives is absolutely humbling, and I know that giving them a voice is one of the most important things I can do. Helping a dog get adopted into a loving home is part of my purpose now thanks to what I have learned from Bradley.” (Sadly, Bradley has passed away.)

After moving to Medford, Oregon, George began volunteering to walk and handle dogs at the Jackson County Animal Shelter in February 2022. George and his wife Wendy regularly donate to organizations that promote animal welfare.

Professionally, George serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation & Technology Officer for Lithia Motors, Inc. and focuses on the use of technology and data for the competitive advantage of Lithia. He is passionate about creating delightful, frictionless experiences with innovative technologies and completed sturdies in the Stanford d.School for Design Thinking and Innovation.

Additionally, George has lived and worked in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Spain and the United Kingdom. He holds a B.S. in MIS from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

LEAH McLAUGHLIN

Leah McLaughlin is originally from Baltimore, MD, where she was a first-grade teacher for 6 years before taking a break and pursuing other interests. Leah went back to school and completed a semester at dental hygiene school but ultimately decided that working with children was something that she really missed.

After moving to southern Oregon in 2018, Leah worked as a Kindergarten teacher at Jackson Elementary for over 3 years. In 2022, she took a position as Accounting Specialist at United Way of Jackson County.

Leah lies in Ashland with her husband, our adorable pup (Reina) and our cat (Stevie).

Some hobbies include hiking, yoga, watching live music, Pilates, and being on the river with her husband and our dog. ILeah is “dog-obsessed” and enjoys volunteering at the Jackson County Animal Shelter and traveling. The coast is definitely her happy place. Leah looks forward to getting to know everyone better and making some positive changes for the well-being of dogs and cats in our community!

WENDY MURRAY

Wendy Murray has been a volunteer with FOTAS since 2019, starting in the Shelter’s cat rooms. She then joined the Development Committee and co-chaired the Puss n’ Boots Furball.

Wendy managed the Working Cats Program (now a program under Rogue Community Cats Rescue) and has been involved in various cat rescue efforts, such as fostering kittens, fundraising and helping feral colonies. Her love of animals has made her realize that the key to helping them starts with spay and neuter. Currently, she is focusing on volunteering at the FOTAS Spay & Neuter Clinic in ways that will support these efforts.

Wendy is inspired by the selflessness and commitment of our volunteers and community to help the animals.

Wendy’s background includes a B.A. in Communications and experience in design, marketing, grant writing and fundraising. She has two indoor cats and spends her “off” time hiking, reading and doing Zumba.