Who We Are
Our Founding Story
After a successful career serving various roles in the veterinary field: as a professor, surgeon, managing partner, medical director, and Chief Strategy Officer, Julie Smith, DMV, DACVS, CCRT, MBA took what she’d learned and made the decision to pivot to the non-profit side of animal care.
In 2019 Julie began the work to form Sage Compassion for Animals (SageC4A). She brought together a stellar Board of Directors from the San Francisco Bay Area that brings a wealth of experience and diversity to the organization. Timing is everything, and in our case, Julie and the Board had the task of getting the non-profit up and running during COVID-19.
Julie served as Executive Director for the first four years, creating systems for stability, strong veterinary partnerships, and an intense understanding of the field from the perspective of animal caretaker, lover, and medical expert. Coupled with a love of data, and science, and with a strong value system, Julie has paved the way for the future of Sage Compassion for Animals.
Having hired a new Executive Director in 2024, Julie now works closely with the animal grant program, and our veterinary partners, and serves on the Board of Directors.
What We Do
We work at the intersection of Animal and Human Welfare. 1.5 million families in the Bay Area live in low to very low income households and care for at least one pet.
We understand that some people are severely limited by finances, and this can adversely affect the animal, the families and the veterinary care team (through compassion fatigue).
We prevent suffering and euthanasia by providing financial assistance for veterinary care to help companion animals in crisis. We educate communities about preventing and reducing illness. We ensure that all the pets we help are spayed or neutered. We serve all nine counties that comprise the SF Bay Area.
We save lives and make the world a better place by improving the lives of pets and their guardians. We have saved over 375 pets since 2020!
We reduce the financial burden of pet care on families. We have given out over $975,000 in life saving grants since 2020. 90% of each dollar we raise is given as a grant to a pet family in need.
We mitigate compassion fatigue in the veterinarian community. We have over 45 veterinarian partners helping us to save lives. Veterinary medicine faces one of the most severe job shortages in decades. We give our veterinary hospital partners the opportunity to say “YES!” to pets whose only barrier to survival is finances.
We lessen the financial burden on families. We award financial assistance grants based on income, employment, household size, geographic location, pet prognosis, and estimate of costs.
Our Impact
Why We Do It!
We believe animals are amazing and that you love them as members of your family. We envision a world where you can have access to the health care and education you need to give them their best lives possible.
We recognize and acknowledge that compassion fatigue in the veterinary team is compounded when financial resources are limited.
We help individuals and families experiencing high social vulnerability to keep their companion pet if faced with a medical crisis. This includes older adults, Veterans, those with fixed and limited incomes, persons with service and emotional support animals, those with special needs, and people with limited English proficiency.
Meet the Team
Elizabeth (Lizz) Varela
Animal Grant Program Director
Lizz has 10 + years of experience in the Veterinary field and is excited to be a part of our amazing organization. Her goal is to help Sage Compassion for Animals grow into a highly successful non-profit. She is currently working on her Business Administration degree, is bilingual, and applies these skill sets to her role.
Talita Stiles
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Talita is a passionate environmentalist with a Bachelor's in Natural Science and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaii at Manoa She leverages her diverse background in environmental science, grant writing, and sociology to bring a unique perspective to the team.
Outside of work, Talita enjoys surfing, birding, and spending time with her cat, Birdie.
Meet Our Board of Directors
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Julie D. Smith, DVM, DACVS, CCRT, MBA
FOUNDER
Julie, a UC Berkeley and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine alumna, became a board-certified surgeon in 1997 and co-owner of the practice which became SAGE Veterinary Centers in 1999. With an MBA from Saint Mary’s College, she managed SAGE Veterinary Centers, serving as Managing Partner and Medical Director until 2018. As a SAGE Board Member and Chief Strategy Officer, she guided growth until she retired in 2022. Julie is the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Treasurer, and the chair of the American Veterinary Medical Associations Veterinary Economic Strategy Committee. In 2024, she was appointed to the Dean’s Leadership Council at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She founded Sage Compassion for Animals in 2019, leading as Executive Director for four years and now contributing to the Board of Directors.
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Katrina Warburton
BOARD PRESIDENT
Katrina Warburton brings 20+ years of experience in Go-To-Market, and Strategy and Operations roles at Consumer and Enterprise SaaS software companies like Adobe, Intel and McAfee and most recently at VMware as the VP of Marketing, Strategy & Operations.
Katrina is an alumni of Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree (she is also a proud Aussie). A lifelong animal lover, she loves spending time with her 3 fur kids and you'll rarely find her without her "polar bear" sidekick. She is excited to leverage her professional experience to serve as Board President for SAGE Compassion for Animals, a cause close to her heart and one she is deeply passionate about.
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Lissa Richardson, DVM, DACVS
BOARD SECRETARY
Dr. Lissa Richardson is a specialist in small animal surgery. She recently retired from regular clinical practice and as specialty medical director at Sage Veterinary Centers in Concord, CA. Even in retirement, she is dedicated to helping pets and their people access veterinary care and has been a founding board member of SageC4A.
She is active in the community by training police dog handlers and lecturing the public on pet wilderness first aid. She loves talking to students of all ages at schools, community colleges and at Sage.
Dr. Richardson earned her DVM at Colorado State University. She completed an internship and a 3-year surgical residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. She taught at UC Davis school of veterinary medicine for two years before joining Veterinary Surgical Associates (now Sage) 30 years ago. She has been a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons since 1996.
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Dennis Ryan
BOARD TREASURER
Dennis has over three decades of experience as a financial executive in the venture capital, private equity, investment and real estate industries. Since 2011, Dennis has been a senior executive at Foresite Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm, as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in economics, Dennis also has an MBA from Santa Clara University.
Besides his work with SageC4A, Dennis has been active in the nonprofit sector for over twenty-five years as Board President of two significant Bay Area agencies, one providing mental health services to adults and another providing transportation and nutrition services to seniors. Dennis brings significant leadership, governance and fundraising experience to SageC4A.
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Stephanie Boldt, BA, AS, RVT, EMT
Stephanie Boldt, transitioned from a 17-year career as an International Lead flight attendant for United Airlines. Inspired by her Weimaraner, Beaureguard, and her own health journey in 2007, Stephanie pursued veterinary medicine. Holding an Associate of Science in Veterinary Technology from Foothill College, she brings her unique skills to guide pets and their owners through emergencies, combining her EMT training with a Bachelor's degree in Humanities from Southern Oregon University.
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Susan Carsen
As principal of Carsen Consulting, Susan Carsen brings more than 30 years of experience providing nonprofit management and fundraising counsel to a broad spectrum of clients, including those in health care, culture and the arts, education and human services.
A UC Davis graduate, Susan has served on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter and the Horse Park at Woodside, and for 20 years as a volunteer caretaker for the Barron Park Donkeys. A lifelong animal lover, Susan goes to the office each day with Etta, a working Australian Shepherd who loves her job, and together they come home to Dickon, a literary tuxedo cat. Neither Etta nor Dickon are certain yet as to how they feel about the equine, Hank, who will joining the family this fall.
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Stephanie Garcia Gonzales, RVT
Stephanie Garcia Gonzalez, a versatile Registered Veterinary Technician at SAGE Redwood City, has diverse experience in specialty departments like Neurology, Internal Medicine, and Surgery. Beyond her veterinary role, she assists a local real estate agent with administrative and marketing tasks. Formerly a Practice Manager in a Bay Area clinic, Stephanie, aware of the financial challenges in animal care, aspires to earn an MBA to bridge business knowledge and her passion for animals. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Management from Cal State East Bay.
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Renee Fernandez-Lipp, MBA, CEM, LEED AP, GGP
Renée Fernandez-Lipp, a sustainability professional with 25+ years of experience, focuses on energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste diversion. Currently leading public safety and emergency response programs at Pacific Gas & Electric, she brings expertise from both public and private sectors. Renée, holding an MBA from Golden Gate University and a Mechanical Engineering degree from CSU, Long Beach, is dedicated to animal welfare, volunteering with local shelters and rescues.
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Melissa Hollatz
Melissa Hollatz is currently a continuing fellow at Stanford University’s Distinguished Career Institute (DCI) program. She served as a partner at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for over 25 years. She practiced corporate and securities law with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and a focus on public and private company corporate governance. Melissa has both a BA and a JD from Stanford University.
Melissa is deeply invested in pro bono work. She co-chaired the firm’s pro bono committee for almost a decade. She currently sits on the boards of The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence in addition to Sage Compassion for Animals.
She has a border collie mix named Bruno who is a bit much, two cats, and two horses, all of whom are better than she deserves.