GCAS Board
Stephanie Schafer, President
Stephanie Schafer is a life long dog lover and currently the proud pet parent of Kara and Leopold. She has fostered 7 dogs since moving to SSI 4 years ago (Leopold being the latest foster failure!) - 4 were adopted into loving homes and 2 senior medical cases stayed with her until it was their time to go to heaven. Her heart dog Oreo will always be her best friend and though she made it to almost 16 years old, it wasn’t long enough.
She’s about to be retired from her government job and is excited to be able to devote more time to this group and the cause.
She started Grateful Cats/Canines Allies & Supporters to get more support for Glynn County Animal Services and recruit like minded animal lovers into the pursuit. She’s also on a mission to get the county tethering ordinance updated to be more humane and to increase the number of fosters for the shelter dogs.
Amanda McMullen, Vice President
Amanda McMullen resides in Brunswick with her husband and their family, which includes the last two of their six children who are still at home and their four dogs. They started their canine pack with an
English Setter, Romulus, and a Brittany, Remus, before later adopting another Brittany, Maggie, who was being rehomed. Their most recent addition is a “foster fail” from Glynn County Animal Services,
an English Pointer named Bosco.
Amanda spends most of her days working as a research attorney, but she also spends a substantial amount of time vacuuming up dog hair, collecting the remains of destroyed squeaky toys, and handing out treats. When she does have free time she looks forward to fishing, cooking, crafting, and working on home improvement projects.
Meg Behrend, Secretary
Meg Behrend is currently retired and has been living on SSI for the past 27 years. She considers herself a “transplant” after moving from the Northeast to Southeast Georgia. Meg has two amazing grown children and a recently added awesome daughter-in-law. She has one
chihuahua named Bella who hates people and dogs. She also has two grandpups whose names are Gus and Griffy. Gus and Griffy, unlike Bella, love people and dogs. Meg also has a grandcat named
Gibby who she thinks hates her, but she is dedicated to trying to
win her over.
Meg began her involvement with the Glynn County Animal Shelter in February of 2024. She enjoys walking the Shelter dogs and giving them lots of treats. When Meg isn’t helping at the Shelter or supporting the GCAS Board she likes to exercise, drive her golf cart and travel.
Miranda Loehle, Treasurer
Miranda Loehle lives on St. Simons Island with her husband Joe, and two Glynn County Animal Services rescue dogs, Willie and Izzy. She was also mom to 3 other rescues and a beloved pug - Brutus, Dixie, Moby and Boney - that have all crossed the rainbow bridge. While not known for being a "people person," she will go up to a stranger to ask to pet their dog (because you should always ask!).
When not working at her full time job as a nutrition coach and administrative assistant or volunteering with the shelter, she enjoys fitness, yard work, and spending time outdoors with her family.
Diana Matthews
Diana lives on St. Simons Island with her husband. She is a lover of all animals but Gunner was her heart. After he crossed the rainbow bridge at 12 years old, she decided to join the mission to help the dogs and cats at Glynn County Animal Shelter.
When she’s not working her full time job as a Realtor, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and giving pets and love to the dogs and cats at the shelter.
Joe Janus
Joe was raised on the GA coast - Jekyll Island when really young, and then Savannah through to highschool. He just relocated to Brunswick early in 2024. He has adopted many cats and dogs over the years but his current non-rent paying friends are Gumbo the retriever mix and Ghost the malti-poo (both rescues- one foster fail).
He has been involved in animal rescue directly and indirectly with several organizations since 2013 before joining the
Board for GCAS in January 2025.
Christine Schaffer
Christine moved to Brunswick in 2024 with her husband, Ken, and
their three fur baby rescues — Mia (cat pictured), Nylund (pup pictured), and Honor (pup not pictured because he didn’t feel like posing). Christine was previously a foster/volunteer for an Australian Shepherd rescue, which is where she adopted Nylund. After moving to Brunswick, she was quickly drawn to GCAS’s mission of helping
better the lives of Glynn County's shelter animals and started volunteering. As a life-long runner, she saw an opportunity for fellow runners to come together and give much-needed physical activity and socialization to shelter pups — and in November 2024, GCAS’s
Running Buddies program was born.
When Christine isn’t working at her full-time job as a Training Program Manager for health coaches, you’ll likely find her outdoors...probably running with her dogs or enjoying a day on the boat!