Jon Gary reflects on a 27-year career in animal welfare, sharing how leadership, resilience, and investing in people have helped transform one of the nation’s largest municipal shelter systems.
Jane Tomsich shares how modern animal welfare is shifting from simply sheltering animals to empowering communities, preserving the human-animal bond, and creating innovative programs that keep pets where they belong.
Christy Schilling shares how Better Together Forever is helping families overcome housing, financial, and medical barriers so they can keep the pets they love and avoid unnecessary shelter surrenders.
Megan Winters shares how Harbor Humane Society transformed its approach to animal welfare by focusing on community support, reducing barriers to pet ownership, and helping people keep the pets they love.
Caryn Fugatt shares how a volunteer dog-walking opportunity evolved into a leadership career in animal welfare, and why preserving the human-animal bond is at the heart of everything Pope Memorial Humane Society does.
Danielle Hanosh shares how her background as a middle school teacher inspired the creation of LEAP, an innovative program using farm sanctuaries to teach leadership, ethics, environmental stewardship, and compassion to the next generation.
Dara Worthington shares how thoughtful leadership, community support, and a commitment to seeing the potential in every animal have helped Friends of Strays grow into one of Florida’s most impactful shelter organizations.
Nicole Navarro shares how a small fox sanctuary in the Florida Keys evolved into a unique healing space where rescued foxes help survivors of trauma, addiction, and hardship discover hope, boundaries, and resilience.
Kerri Burns shares how a career spanning disaster response, animal welfare leadership, and community service taught her that the future of animal welfare depends on collaboration, compassion, and putting people first.
Alexis Fine shares how investing in staff, building strong community partnerships, and leading with compassion has helped Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter create better outcomes for animals and the people who care for them.
