Leadership Team
CCHS Staff
David Stegman, Executive Director
David is the Executive Director for the Contra Costa Humane Society joining CCHS in 2009. He has dedicated years of service to helping animals and their caregivers. Before joining CCHS, David was Executive Director of Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton and prior to that he was Executive Director of Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in Walnut Creek.
He is currently expanding the programs and services offered by CCHS to include the AniMeals Programs providing pet food for the companion animals of financially impacted families through the Contra Costa Food Bank and Kitty Corner, housing Contra Costa County Animal Services’ often overlooked adult cats until they can be adopted.
David has been an officer for various community organizations including Leadership San Ramon Valley, Danville Chamber of Commerce, San Ramon Valley Kiwanis Club and the San Ramon Valley Area Planning Commission. He was named Citizen of the Year by the Danville Community Services. David currently lives in Danville with his wife Jeri and their rescued dogs Mugs and Sparky.
Chrissy Wilberg, Adoption and Office Manager
Chrissy has been with CCHS since February of 2005 and manages the agency’s Adoption and Foster Programs, Kitty Corner and the Emergency Medical Fund. She says it is the best of both worlds – office time mixed with hands-on time with the animals. Her love for the job stems from her passion for finding permanent homes for needy animals.
Chrissy graduated from Sonoma State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a concentration in Zoology. After graduating she was a front-office manager for a companion animal veterinary practice. On weekends she often worked as an animal keeper for a wildlife rescue center and volunteered working with a wide variety of wildlife at the Oakland Zoo.
Chrissy and her husband live in the west county and are owned by a playful Pitbull mix and an energetic young cat. Her interests include hiking, waterskiing, yoga, traveling and spending plenty of time with her friends, family, husband and animals.
Board Members
Ruth Rosenberg, President
Ruth joined the CCHS board of directors in 2008 and became president in 2009. Since joining the board she has initiated the annual Paws for a Cause walk-a-thon and has begun a new branding initiative.
During a 30-year career working primarily for major financial institutions and Hewlett-Packard she earned a patent for developing a new payment system and in 1999 launched a pilot program in Europe to allow secure banking transactions from a mobile device.
After retiring Ruth wanted to get more involved in the community and began with the American Red Cross following hurricane Katrina. She is also on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross Bay Area and chairs the Leadership Council for Contra Costa County. Ruth and her husband Guido live in Lafayette with their two children Alex and Max, and their dog Jazzmine adopted through CCHS in 1996. They love to travel, downhill ski and cook.
Marcy Bachmann
Marcy is a writer/editor, author of several books, former journalist and syndicated columnist and long time animal advocate. She was a member of the Contra Costa Grand Jury, served on the board of the California State Grand Jury Association, is a founding board member of the San Francisco/East Bay Wellness Community and served on the board of the Contra Costa March of Dimes. She has been a member of the CCHS board of directors since 2005.
In her spare time Marcy loves to cook, travel and follow baseball and football. She and her partner Bill share their Danville home with three rescued animals, Hannah, a German Pinscher, Gracie, a Maltese/Lhasa mix and Dash, an independent cat.
Christine Burke
Matthew Cebrian
Lisa Kwietniak
John Simonelli
John joined the CCHS board in 2008. He has also served on the board of Walnut Creek Little League and is active in youth sports.
He has more than 25 years experience in various financial roles with companies such as Citicorp, Disney and The Gap as well as COO/CFO positions at Business.com and Looksmart. Currently he is managing partner of TechCFO - San Francisco.
John shares his life with wife Julie, their two children Jimmy (12) and Lauren (10) and their 14 year old “best friend” Nico, a fantastic mix breed dog. When not busy with youth sporting events and school activities, the family can generally be found skiing in Tahoe.
Anita Taff-Rice
Anita joined the board in 2010 and is helping to develop CCHS' AniMeals program distributing pet food to eligible limited income pet owners in Contra Costa County.
She is the founder of her own law firm, iCommLaw, specializing in technology and telecommunications matters for competitive and wireless carriers and broadband providers. She also works with independent film makers and mobile content providers. Anita received her law degree /magna cum laude/ from Georgetown Law Center. Prior to obtaining her law degree, Anita was a journalist in Washington, D.C. covering public policy, technology and regulatory issues in the computer and telecommunications industries.
Anita volunteers her time for other non-profits providing pro bono legal counsel and food and housing assistance for disadvantaged women. Anita has had the joy of sharing her life with wonderful four-legged people over the years and agrees with the wise words of Louis Sabin, "No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."
