Emory Groeneveld 

emory.groeneveld@bestfriends.org

Emory Groeneveld is a strategist on the National Shelter Support team at Best Friends Animal Society, where she partners with animal shelters across the country to strengthen organizational effectiveness, advance lifesaving outcomes, and support sustainable progress toward no-kill. She works alongside shelter leaders to identify opportunities, navigate change, and build practical solutions that improve outcomes for both pets and people.

Emory is passionate about shelter operations and helping organizations use data to drive meaningful action. She works alongside shelter teams to evaluate programs, improve processes, align resources, and build strategies that support sustainable success. Her current areas of focus include operational efficiency, data analysis, performance measurement, leadership development, and strategic planning. She believes that lasting change happens when organizations empower their people, align around a shared vision, and use data as a tool for learning and growth.

Before stepping into her role on the National Shelter Support team, Emory served as a manager on Best Friends' National Embed team, where she partnered with eight organizations across six states to advance lifesaving and organizational change efforts. In that role, she worked alongside shelter teams to implement operational, strategic, and cultural changes designed to increase lifesaving and build long-term organizational success.

Born and raised in Florida, Emory earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida and later completed her MBA at Auburn University. Long before her professional career in animal welfare, she spent her childhood helping her mother care for community cats in their neighborhood, fostering a deep appreciation for the bond between people and animals and the importance of supporting pets within communities.

When she's not working with shelters, Emory enjoys tending her garden, baking, fostering neonatal kittens, and traveling to new places. She is also the proud mother of three cats, who keep her well-practiced in patience, problem-solving, and the occasional negotiation.