Michael Colbruno

Michael served as legislative director at the San Francisco Mayor’s office, as well as Chief of Staff at the California State Assembly and San Francisco Board of Supervisors. After an 11 year stint in the private sector, he co-founded the Milo Group of California, a government affairs firm focused on the new economy. He was named Corporate Citizen of the Year by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, named an OUTstanding leader by the San Francisco Business times and was profiled by Vegan Leaders in Corporate America. He is also a published author, former Oakland Planning Commissioner, current Oakland Port Commissioner, docent at Mountain View Cemetery and a lecturer on classical music and California history. He and his partner Alex share their home with three rescue dogs, Kit, Buddy and Milo.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s compassionate living philosophy is propelling plant-based eating into the mainstream and forever changing how we regard animals. A recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living compassionately and healthfully, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a speaker, cultural commentator, podcaster, and award-winning author of seven books. She is an acclaimed speaker and host of the Food for Thought podcast, which has been in production for 14 years. Her spin-off podcast, Animalogy, is about the animal-related words and expressions we use every day and how they reflect and affect our treatment of animals.  Colleen lives in Oakland with her husband David and two rescue cats, Charlie and Michiko and volunteers for Maine Coon Adoptions.

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson is an Oakland based technology consultant, investor, animal advocate, and engaged citizen.  He is currently a Managing Director in the Technology practice of the business advisory firm FTI Consulting. As a co-founder of the community group Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter Tim helped establish the City of Oakland’s plant focused urban agriculture policy. Tim lives in North Oakland with his wife Ellen and Rex, a former resident of Oakland Animal Services.

Kristie Middleton

Kristie Middleton is vice president of business development for Rebellyous Foods and the author of MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live—One Meal at a Time. In her role as Managing Director of Farm Animal Protection at the Humane Society of the United States, Middleton built and led a team of foodservice professionals working with foodservice management corporations and institutions across the U.S. to help them reduce meat purchases and incorporate more plant-based options into their menus. Middleton has partnered with the nation’s biggest school districts including Los Angeles, Detroit, and Boston and major food companies to implement plant-based initiatives such as Meatless Monday. She is a volunteer with Maine Coon Adoptions, on the board of Sweet Farm Sanctuary, and serves as an advisor to Clear Current Capital. She shares her home with a dog, Calvin, and a cat, Stitch, both adopted from East Bay rescue organizations.

Heather Blomfield Lee

Heather has been practicing land use, environmental and public agency law for over 28 years.  She currently serves as Senior Deputy City Attorney for the City of Fremont and previously headed the Land Use and Development unit in the Oakland City Attorney’s office for over 16 years. A devoted animal lover, she is past president of Fix Our Ferals, a local nonprofit that provides very low-cost spay and neuter for community cats and dogs. In that role, she organized and coordinated Fix Our Ferals all-volunteer, high volume spay/neuter clinics, which sterilized up to 200 cats in a day.  Heather also led Fix Our Ferals successful capital campaign culminating in the opening and operation of its ground-breaking spay/neuter center in Richmond, enabling Fix Our Ferals to reach a milestone of over 40,000 cats sterilized by the end of her tenure. Heather lives in Walnut Creek with her husband, Ron and two rescue cats, Truman and Thunder. 

Nara Dahlbacka

Nara was born and raised in the east bay and has been a lifelong animal lover. She has worked in politics and advocacy for over fifteen years. In that time she served as the mayor’s appointee to the Berkeley Animal Care Commission, which oversees the municipal shelter; advocated in Oakland and at the East Bay Regional Parks for ODOG (Oakland Dog Owners Group); worked for FAAS (Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter) in securing funding from the city; and currently serves as president of the board for Cat Town Oakland. By night, Nara is in the theater arts, and is known for writing “critter plays.”

Graham Drake

Graham has been interested in animal-friendly policies for years through various memberships with different advocacy groups and countless volunteer efforts. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Graham hopes to bring a new perspective to this issue by engaging previously overlooked communities. Graham currently works on policy for the California Legislature and previously worked at the Public Defenders office in New York. Before attending law school, Graham graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.