About Us
Friends is the volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit fundraising partner of Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS). Your donation to Friends is 100% tax-deductible and goes directly toward improving the quality of life for shelter animals in Multnomah County.
What We Do
We supplement funding for the care and enrichment of shelter animals throughout Multnomah County, helping reunite them with their owners when possible and preparing them for adoption into new, loving forever homes.
Every dollar donated to Friends stays right here in our community. Donations are never used to pay for salaries or operations.
Our Mission
We support shelter animals in Multnomah County by providing funds for compassionate care, medical needs, and pathways to loving homes.
Our Board
Andrew Beckman
Board Member (President 2026)
Andrew spent his career working with plants and words. He was Martha Stewaart’s head gardener and then the garden editor of Martha Stewart Living. Later he was the publisher of Timber Press, a Portland based publisher specializing in books on horticulture and nature. Now retired, he volunteers with Friends and serves on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Shelter, supporting animal welfare in the community. He also volunteers with the Trauma Intervention Program Northwest and the Oregon Food Bank. He and his partner share their Portland home and garden with Anna, a Jack Russell mix and Mink, the cat who would be queen.
Gail Luciani
Board Member
Gail is a retired communications consultant who lives in Northeast Portland with two rescued dogs and one rescued cat. A lifelong animal advocate, she practiced public relations for the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and the Pennsylvania SPCA, and taught public relations and communication at LaSalle University's Graduate School of Communication in Philadelphia.
Gail currently volunteers at the Multnomah County Animal Shelter and serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA). Her past volunteer work includes teaching English in South Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer after college, and serving on the boards of the Animals and Society Institute, Animal Aid PDX, the Animal Alliance of New Jersey, and Philadelphia Animal Care & Control.
Janet Davis
Board Member (Secretary 2026-2027)
Janet is a retired public health nurse living on the Sandy River with two dogs, a Eurasier princess, LeeLu and a rescue Schnauzer, Benny Benito, from Texas.. Over the years, 14 cats and 5 other dogs — all rescues — have shared her life, and she still misses each of them. While living in Bellingham, Washington, she served on the board of the local Humane Society, where she found ways to make a difference for the animals at that shelter. Today, she continues that work as a Friends of Multnomah County Shelter Animals board member. She is a Master Naturalist and also delivers Meals on Wheels and repairs books at the Sandy Library.
Julie Hollister-Smith
Board Member (Treasurer, 2025–26)
Julie’s loved animals her entire life, owning cats, dogs, parakeets, and rode horses as a youth. A longtime volunteer at the shelter she’s worked weekly since 2013 and joined the Friends board in 2025. She worked at the Oregon Zoo as a keeper, studied behavior and genetics of wild elephants in Africa for her Ph.D., and worked at Guide Dogs for the Blind with hundreds of dogs and one amazing cat named Chester.
Now retired, she lives in Sandy and stays busy volunteering at MCAS, Sandy Library, Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital, and Sandy Senior Center. Additionally she enjoys reading and Oregon football, having held season tickets for nearly 50 years.
Kylee Cook
Board Member
Kylee is a Salesforce consultant by profession, but animals — dogs especially — are her real passion. As an adult she has had four dogs of her own, and for the past three years she has also boarded dogs through Rover, welcoming a steady rotation of guests into her home. She shares her home with her husband, their son, and their two dogs: Turtle, a rescue from Texas, and Arthur, a Bernese mountain dog with no awareness of his own size.
Between her own pack and her rotating cast of Rover guests, Kylee has met just about every dog personality there is — though honestly, her soft spot extends to any animal that crosses her path.
Sarah Foreman
Board Member
Sarah grew up with rescue dogs and has never really known a life without animals in it. Today, she shares her home with three cats and Tanner, her senior rescue dog. Her love for animals eventually grew into a deeper involvement in animal welfare, particularly advocating for shelter dogs and helping connect them with fosters, adopters, and rescues.
Outside of animal rescue, Sarah is a social worker with a background in public health. She is especially interested in the connection between animal welfare and the people and communities that surround them. Mostly, though, she has a soft spot for the animals who need someone in their corner.