Board of Directors

Jennifer Miller

PRESIDENT

One of the original founders of FOTAS, Jennifer and her husband Peter moved to Aiken in 2005 with her retired event horse, Junior. Prior to moving to Aiken, Jennifer worked in the retail automotive industry in Massachusetts, where she built and managed the largest independently-owned car rental company in the country at the time. She left the car business to pursue her love of training and competing sport horses.

Jennifer’s love of animals caused her and two other women to create the Friends of the Animal Shelter, Inc. (FOTAS) in 2009 to supplement the County’s resources with volunteers and privately donated funds. Jennifer was instrumental in the development of the highly successful public/private partnership with Aiken County and the planning and development of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter, along with the creation of a highly successful, volunteer, foster and transfer program.

Joanna Dunn Samson

VICE PRESIDENT

Joanna joined the FOTAS Board in the Spring of 2012 and spearheaded the funding campaign for the construction of the new County Shelter, which opened in 2013. A practicing attorney until 2002, Joanna specialized in developing public/private partnerships for the development of large infrastructure projects. She served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection until 2006, where she managed six operating departments and 3500 employees.

Joanna has been a Master of Foxhounds for Fairfield County Hounds in Connecticut for 11 years. She currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Aiken Land Conservancy. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hitchcock Woods Foundation. She lives in downtown Aiken with her husband, David, and their two beloved shelter dogs, Maggie and Jack.

Frank Townsend

TREASURER

A lifelong resident of Aiken, Frank is the City Executive with South State Bank. He has spent over 32 years in the Banking/Financial Industry and has been active in the South Carolina Banker’s Association, currently serving as a Course Coordinator for the S C Banker’s School.  In addition, he is a Board Member for the Community Care and Counseling Center of Aiken. Frank’s previous community involvement has included past Chairman, Young Banker’s Division of the SC Banker’s Association, past Board Member of Mead Hall School, past President of the Southern Cross Sertoma Club.

Frank is married to Beth Ballard Townsend and has four children, Frank (20), Pinckney (17) and twins Wallace & Wright (13). He enjoys hunting, fishing and golf. The family pets include two shelter cats, Charlie and George. Frank joined the FOTAS Board in 2012.

Ellie Joos

SECRETARY

Ellie and Bill Joos moved to Aiken from New Jersey with Ellie’s two horses, Bill’s love of golf and their two cats. Ellie worked in the home sewing, quilting and craft industry for many years in marketing and pr, representing industry businesses on HGTV and QVC, before starting her own marketing and product development business. With her business partner and designer, their line of DIY products was available in nationwide fabric and craft stores for many years. Now retired from business, Ellie volunteers at the shelter, serves on the FOTAS Board and is also a board member of Joye in Aiken. Ellie and Bill also adopted their greatly loved dog Peanut from the shelter.

Ellie has served as Chairperson for our Woofstock Family Fun Day for several years now and was instrumental in bringing the valuable Dogs Playing for Life program to the shelter as well as the Dog Ears children’s reading program.

Sarah Berkowitz

MEMBER

John Hart

MEMBER

John came to the CSRA in 2000 and has served in a variety of roles at WJBF-TV (ABC) during that time. Currently he serves as co-anchor of WJBF NewsChannel 6 at 5:30, 7 and 10. He spent the first 12 years of his career as a sports anchor before making the transition into news in 2010. He still covers sports as the play-by-play voice of WJBF’s “Game Night Live” high school football game of the week and recently covered his 20th Masters Tournament. He has won multiple awards from the Associated Press and Georgia Association of Broadcasters, and has been nominated for several Emmy awards. 

Prior to his arrival in the CSRA, John worked for a TV station in Toccoa, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia. He was born in Columbus, Georgia before moving the Atlanta suburb of Snellville as a teenager. 

An animal lover his entire life, John currently has four rescue kitties and one rescue dog. He spends his free time traveling, usually to support his beloved Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Bulldogs.

Bryan Ortner

MEMBER

Bryan is an Aiken native and second-generation worker at the Savannah River Site. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Finance and currently works for Savannah River Nuclear Solution managing the Talent Acquisition and HR Analytics organization.

Bryan’s wife Nicole volunteers alongside him at FOTAS each weekend. They have an 8-year-old rescue dog named Copper (along with frequent overnight visitors from FOTAS).

Amy Peterson

MEMBER

Amy began volunteering for FOTAS in October 2023 after moving to Aiken from the Washington D.C. area in 2022. She has nearly 30 years of nursing experience after earning a Bachelor of Science from Mississippi University for Women and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from George Mason University. The last 13 years of her career were spent working in Public Health/School Health.

She spent many years volunteering for different organizations including 15 years as an age group commissioner for Herdon Youth Soccer in Herdon, Virginia and was honored to receive the Herdon Mayor’s Distinguished Service Award in 2015. She has been married to her husband Jim for 36 years and they have 3 children, Liz (32), Caroline (31) and Collin (29). Currently Amy enjoys gardening, traveling and volunteering with FOTAS as a dog walker and foster.

Ellen Priest

MEMBER

Kathy Samaha

MEMBER

Colleen Timmerman

MEMBER

Colleen loves animals of all sizes, small and large. She and her husband, Charlie, stay busycaring for their cats, dogs, horses, and cows. They enjoy, along with their children & grandchildren, cheering for their Clemson Tigers.

Her passion is helping with the spay & neuter program to help control over population of dogs & cats. With everyone working together, we can make a difference in Aiken county.

Allison H. Tyler, Jr.

MEMBER

Allison is a life long resident of Aiken County.  He is the third generation owner of Tyler Brothers, a Wagener business opened by his grandfather in 1904. Also, he is president of Piggly Wiggly #72 in Wagener. His passion is aviation—sailplanes, power planes and radio controlled model planes. He is past Chairman of the Soaring Society of America and was a member of the US team at the World Gliding Championships in Hungary in 2010.

Allison, his wife Rhonda and son Wesley currently have three rescue dogs—Ellie, Abby and Shadow. Their daughter, Carmen, also has two rescue dogs and fosters dogs for her local shelter in North Carolina. He joined the FOTAS Board in 2017.

Kathy Rawls

EX OFFICIO MEMBER

Councilwoman Rawls has been a consistent, effective and passionate political advocate for the development of a modern County shelter that provides a safe and healthy haven for the County’s homeless, abandoned and abused animals. Born and raised in Conway, South Carolina, Councilwoman Rawls has served as the District 1 representative on the Aiken County Council for twenty-six years, sixteen of which she has served as the Chair of Council’s Development Committee. Councilwoman Rawls also has served on the Lower Savannah Council of Governments for 20 years, and was Chairman in 2008.

Married for 54 years, Councilwoman Rawls has three children and seven grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to 22, including twins. Kathy gardens, enjoys reading and loves to travel. She and her husband have one dog.  In addition, they are proud guardians of an affectionate shelter cat.

Jeri Barrett

Honorary MEMBER

Jeri is a graduate of Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia. She holds a BA degree in English Literature and Writing and is a certified teacher in K-12. She has owned and operated Herbal Solutions for 20 years and makes her home in Aiken, SC. She and her husband Michael have two fur babies, Bebe and Shep (both dogs), who rule the household. Jeri joined the FOTAS Board in 2017.

Edythe Hubler

Honorary MEMBER

Edie moved to Aiken in 2007 from the Maryland/Washington DC suburbs when she retired. Having spent 25 years with the IBM Corporation, as well as 16 years selling residential real estate after retiring from IBM, she immediately got involved in the Aiken community as a volunteer and in leadership positions.

She joined the Board of Directors of FOTAS in 2013. Edie has chaired several highly successful fundraisers for FOTAS and was a passionate advocate for the construction of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter. In 2016 she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina but remains involved in our cause and a member of the FOTAS Board.

Shana Ryberg Pearsons

Honorary MEMBER

Caroline Simonson

HONORARY MEMBER

Caroline was one of the first volunteers recruited by Jennifer Miller in 2009. She devoted four mornings a week, every week, to the shelter walking and socializing dogs, assisting new volunteers, and helping evaluate dogs for transfer and still volunteers today.  Before she and her husband Bill moved to Aiken in 2004, Caroline worked at the New York Stock Exchange, raised a daughter and worked for an international company that sold cars and vehicles to the military, diplomats and embassies.

“After I moved to Aiken, I volunteered with other community organizations, but once I started working with FOTAS,” said Caroline, “I knew I had found my calling.”

Dr. Charles Timmerman

Honorary Director Emeritus

Charlie brings his passion for Veterinary Medicine and his expertise in the care of small animals to the FOTAS Board, which he joined in 2013. A graduate of Clemson University and the University of Georgia Veterinary School in 1970, he moved to Aiken after graduation, married an Aiken girl, Colleen Kneece, and worked for Dr. Grady McElmurray. Charlie opened his own small animal practice in 1972. Charlie and Colleen have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. He is an avid Clemson Tiger sports fan, raises hunting dogs, and enjoys quail hunting, golf and his grandchildren.

Always looking for new ways to promote health and healing for our animal friends, He is working closely with the County in the development of new standards and practices at the new Aiken County Animal Shelter.

Heather Wiseman

Honorary Member

Heather has a Master’s Degree in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has twenty years of experience teaching Spanish at the high school level. Currently, Heather teaches two classes and spends the rest of her day working as a legal assistant.

Heather and her husband, Grant, have lived in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Nebraska, and South Carolina. They have twin daughters, Abby and Audrey, who help them take care of all of the foster puppies that they have helped. Heather and Grant are also fostering two children and are in the process of adopting them. These foster children are enjoying leaning how to take care of the puppies. Heather joined the FOTAS Board in 2016.

Mary Lou Welch

Honorary Member

Also one of the original founders of FOTAS, Mary Lou and her husband Ward moved to Aiken in 2003 and established a horse farm. Prior to moving to Aiken, Mary Lou worked in the technology field for 25 years, holding management positions in high tech firms such as Data General and Sun Microsystems and Digital Equipment Corporation.

Mary Lou was instrumental in the development of the highly successful public/private partnership with Aiken County and the planning and development of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter, along with the creation of a highly successful, volunteer, foster and transfer program. Mary Lou currently runs her own AFLAC insurance business.

Tom Williams

HONORARY MEMBER

Tom Williams is originally from New Jersey (don’t hold that against him) & graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Communications. He lives in Aiken along with his wife and two children. Tom is a gemologist and the co-owner of Floyd & Green Jewelers.

Tom loves the personalities & energy of the dogs at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. In addition to donating his time as a “Tuesday morning dog-walker”, he is also an active member of Aiken Sunrise Rotary.Tom is the Sunrise Rotary President elect and the chair of its Parkway Beautification Project, coordinating volunteers to pick up trash 4 times a year along part of Hitchcock Parkway.

Tom is a lifelong dog-lover, currently enjoying the company of his family’s 8ish-year-old-rescue, Ladybug, who greets him every morning with a smile and loves to play “squeaky toy toss”. He is also a triathlete and an Ironman Finisher.

Fr. Grant Wiseman

Honorary MEMBER

Father Grant Wiseman moved to the Diocese of Upper South Carolina in 2009 with his wife, Heather, and his twin daughters, Audrey and Abby. Prior to becoming the rector for St. Thaddeus Church in Aiken, Grant served churches in Nebraska and Ohio, and prior to becoming a priest, he worked in boarding schools, owned a legal services firm and was an Arabic Linguist in the Army. He earned his Masters of Divinity from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

Grant, his wife Heather, have twin daughters, Audrey and Abby, have fostered hundreds of momma dogs and puppies for FOTAS and the Aiken County Animal Shelter. Grant and Heather are also fostering two children and are in the process of adopting them. These foster children are enjoying leaning how to take care of the puppies. Grant joined the FOTAS Board in 2013.