Bart Battista

In his capacity as Director of the Canyon Division for Best Friends, Bartholomew Battista is responsible for facilities management at Angel Canyon (the site of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary) and in Kanab, Utah. He oversees a crew of dedicated professionals and tradespeople who maintain and operate the Sanctuary's existing infrastructure and oversee the construction of new capital infrastructure projects in support of Best Friends' mission.

Before joining Best Friends in 2018, Bart was an Environmental Manager at Marine Corps Base Camp in Pendleton, California. He worked as an Environmental Engineer and Natural Resource Manager in Southern California for almost seven years in both the federal and private sector. Bart retired from the U.S. Marines in 2015, having served as a Radio Operator, an Infantry Officer and finally as an Environmental Engineering Compliance Officer.

Before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in February 1991, Bart worked at Best Friends. As a teenager, he spent summers visiting Angel Canyon and helped build the Village and the Lake House. He fondly remembers weeding horse pastures and digging numerous trenches for utilities and animal runs. He worked in both Dogtown and Cat World, and also performed general labor throughout Angel Canyon.

Bart is a proud graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of Hawaii. He is a professional engineer registered in Arizona and Utah. He lives in Kanab with his wife, Brenda, and their three dogs and some chickens.