Staff & Board

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors consists of volunteers from all aspects of the community. We meet the third Tuesday of every month at 4:30pm. If you would like to attend a meeting please email our President in advance.

If you are interested in joining our board, please review board responsibilities, complete an application and email president@facf.org with questions.

Board Responsibilities

Board Application

Staff Members

Stephanie Koehler

Executive Director

Hello friends!

A little about me, I was born in Iowa City, and grew up in Washington, IA. I graduated from the University of Iowa and eventually made Iowa City my home in 2015. I have always had a love for animals big and small and look forward to serving the animals of Johnson County.

And of course, what is an intro without the furbabies! In the picture you will find some of the lives that bring me joy every day! From left to right, Mantecore, Bellatrix, Jinx, Tank, Birdie, AE Chicken, Quasi, and the fluffballs -front to back, Captain Jack, Hazelnut, Pistachio.

Please don’t hesitate to email me at stephanie@facf.org

Hannah Frankl

Admin & Events Coordinator

I grew up in a small town by the Minnesota border called Algona, Iowa. In 2019, I made Iowa City my home to start college in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. After three and a half years of college, I am so excited to graduate this December with a degree in Marketing and certificate in Event Management! With my strong love for animals and a dream to plan events for a nonprofit, I was so excited to hear about an opening with FACF, and I am so lucky to be able to start before graduation!

Now, to introduce my favorite little furry family! From closest to furthest we have Molly, Bella, and Simon! Bella has been my best friend for almost 10 years, and we have been attached at the hip since adopting her at 8 weeks old! She loves to cuddle, but she is a shy little pup who has a few select people that she will cozy up with. I was lucky enough to inherit Molly and Simon, who were born from the same litter, after my grandma passed in April of 2022. They are some of the most cuddly and smart little cats you will ever meet! What Bella lacks in extroversion, these little kitties make up for it when strangers stop by! While they both love to cuddle, Simon loves to play fetch and Molly really enjoys sneaking food off of plates, especially chicken! Simon also loves being my little work assistant, so you will likely see him roaming around the office waiting for some snuggles!

In my free time, I love traveling and spending time with my furbabies! In the warm months, I am usually at the park with my pup and cats who LOVE to lay in the sun! I am also a huge fan of card games and digital art making!

If you ever need to reach me, you can email me at hannah@facf.org!

Board Members

Chris Moen

President

Chris is a native of Vermillion, South Dakota, and has been an Iowa City area resident since 2007. He graduated from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business with a BBA in Finance and Economics, and later graduated from the University of Iowa Tippie School of Management with an MBA in Finance, Accounting & Management. He also earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.

Professionally, Chris specializes in investments, portfolio management, and financial planning as First Vice President of Investments in the Hills Bank Trust and Wealth Management department.

In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling, golfing, and spending time with family and friends. Animal welfare has always been an important issue to Chris and his wife Lindsay, who are both lifelong animal lovers. They live in North Liberty with their cat Bert who was adopted from the Iowa City Animal Center in 2019.

Amelia Akers

Vice President

Amelia was born in Cedar Rapids, though moved to Illinois when she was 5. She attended the University of Illinois and earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Shortly after graduating she moved to Iowa City where she has resided for about 9 years. She shares a house with her husband and 6 rescue babies—4 small dogs and 2 cats.

Amelia works for the University of Iowa as a Financial Aid Processing Advisor. She is currently in the Public Affairs graduate program, concentrating in public policy, also at the University of Iowa.

In her free time, Amelia likes playing with her fur babies, traveling, hiking, reading, home improvement projects, and gardening in the warmer months.

Ever since undergrad speech class, where she presented on the atrocity of puppy mills, Amelia has been an advocate for animals. She joined FACF in 2019.

Zack Miller

Treasurer

Born in Muscatine, Iowa, Zack moved to Iowa City in 2008 to attend the University of Iowa. While there he met his wife Rachael, a fellow animal lover. They loved Iowa City enough that they decided to settle in and start a family there. They bought their first house where they currently live with their son, Rowan, two cats, Leo and Iris, and two guinea pigs, Norbert and Ziggy.
Zack works as a Treasury Management Representative at Hills Bank, a supporter of FACF. Throughout his life, Zack’s family would adopt their pets from animal shelters around the area, which gave him a greater appreciation for the services animal shelters provide. That, mixed with his love for animals, was a driving factor in his decision to join FACF.

Ashton DeMoss

Secretary

Ashton lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa and has worked in Iowa City since October of 2020. Ashton attended the University of Northern Iowa where she received a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion with a minor in Family Services. She continued her education at UNI to receive her master’s degree in Community Health Education. Ashton has always had a passion for helping people, and she now works as a Regional Manager for Profile by Sanford, a health coaching organization. In addition to being a Certified Health Coach, Ashton also has a background in worksite wellness consulting, teaching adjunct classes at UNI, instructing fitness classes, and personal training.

Nina Metzner

Past President

Nina‘s participation with FACF began as a volunteer at the Iowa City Animal Center in April 2016, working primarily as a morning cleaner. Impressed with the quality of the care and concern shown by the Center’s staff, she joined the board in September.
Previously, Nina has worked as a high school English teacher, a PR Director for the Eastern Iowa Community College District, an Audience Development Director at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island IL, and as a large scale writing and reading assessment Director and consultant for ACT, ETS, AIR, Measured Progress, and the College Board. She holds an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the University of Iowa.

Meredith Chase

Director

Kelly Carr

Director

Kelly is originally from Southern California and has been a resident of the Iowa City area since 2005. She graduated from Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids with a bachelor’s degree in both business and human resource management.

From 2006 – 2019, Kelly worked at the University of Iowa, most recently as the Administrator & Project Manager for the Office of Outreach and Engagement. She is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Development for Think Iowa City, the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Kelly and her husband, Shaun, live on a small acreage in Iowa City which is also the home to their four dogs: Vern, Charlie, Duke, and Stella; two barn cats adopted through the FACF’s Barn Cat Program: Gypsy and Grey; and a brood of hens.

Kelly’s life-long passion and love for animals, along with her personal animal adoption experiences led her to join the FACF board where she hopes to further champion animal adoption, advocacy, and welfare.

Ellie Taylor

Director

Whitney Russell

Director

Brook Easton

Director

Liz Liddle

Director

Liz Louis

Director

Cindra Bombei

Director

Cindra was born in Iowa City, raised in the small town of Wellman, moved to Iowa City in 2009 to attend the University of Iowa in pursue of a Marketing B.B.A., and she now resides in North Liberty with her cat Maze and fiancé Travis.

Since 2014, Cindra has worked in the Marketing Department at Hills Bank, a supporter of FACF.

In her free time, Cindra enjoys tending to her ever-growing collection of house plants, reading fiction books, and cycling outdoors in the spring, summer, and fall months.

Volunteers

Michael Christoffersen

Data and Analytics

Michael moved to Iowa City in 2003 and has been operating FACF’s databases since 2005.

He has an educational background in literature and philosophy, earning a BA from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1995.

He currently lives with cat Kiddo “Tub Monster” McGee, who likes to play with running water and to sleep in cardboard boxes.

In his free time, Michael enjoys watching European club football, reading, writing poetry, and playing Civilization 5.

Kelly Ruggles

Volunteer

A native of Columbia, Missouri, Kelly Ruggles moved to Iowa City after graduating from the the University of Missouri. A career in the pharmaceutical industry resulted in several moves around the country, but Kelly returned to the Iowa City area in 2000 and resides in Coralville. Her rescue Boxer, Baxter passed away in the summer of 2017. A life long animal lover, Kelly joined the FACF board due to her desire to advocate on behalf of animals who don’t have a voice. She is also the Chair of the Coralville Food Pantry Board of Directors.