Friends of the Shelter Trustees and Officers
Janet Hawk
Director/Trustee
Janet is the Friends of the Shelter’s director. She began volunteering with the Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center in 2008 and with Friends of the Shelter in 2009. She began volunteering with the Shelter after she and her husband, Mickey, adopted Rex, who was both a Shelter and a Friends of the Shelter alumnus. Rex was helped by Friends of the Shelter after arriving at the Shelter suffering from pneumonia.
Janet holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Business Administration from Franklin University. She is executive director of market research and sales programs for an international non-profit organization serving libraries.
Today, Janet and her husband, Mickey, have two dogs—Baxter adopted from Citizens for Humane Action (CHA) in 2016 and Oliver, a former Friends of the Shelter dog, adopted in 2023. Oliver arrived at Franklin County Dog Shelter as a tiny pup with terrible wounds, including a punctured eye and a deep cut that ran completely across his chest. Ollie was so emaciated that during the surgery to remove the necrotic skin from the chest wound, the Shelter medical team didn’t have enough skin to completely close the wound, so he had open wounds under his front legs for several weeks. Ollie was about 5-6 months old, but the medical team originally thought he was two months old because of how small he was. Because of his stunted growth, he now has some neurological problems, but he is otherwise a happy, healthy, rambunctious pup!
Contact Janet at [email protected] with any general questions about Friends of the Shelter.
Kirsten Levisay
Treasurer/Trustee
As treasurer, Kirsten manages the Friends of the Shelter finances, tracks donations and prepares financial reports for the organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Miami University and a Masters in Business Administration from Washington University. Kirsten serves as internal audit manager for a large local retailer.
She and her husband, Joe, have three rescue Labradors, one of which was adopted from the Franklin County Dog Shelter. Kirsten, who was previously a Franklin County Dog Shelter volunteer, has been a Friends of the Shelter volunteer since 2007.
Contact Kirsten at [email protected] with any financial questions.
Cheryl Mandell
Donations Coordinator/Trustee
Cheryl began volunteering at the Franklin County Dog Shelter in 2004. She continues to spend time working with The Shy Dog program and other Shelter volunteer opportunities. She became involved with Friends of the Shelter in 2011, working with donations, fundraising and in the Friends of the Shelter Shop, located in the lobby of the Franklin County Dog Shelter. She became a trustee in 2012.
Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University. She taught Special Education in the Columbus City School system and is now retired.
Cheryl and her husband, Ernie, have a son named Paul, two dogs, Peanut and Stella. Both girls are rescue pups.
Contact Cheryl at [email protected] with donation offers and to learn more about volunteering in the Friends of the Shelter Shop.