How to break into animal welfare from any career
I've been doing this work for 30 years, and I still can't resist asking people how they landed in it. Almost no one gives me the answer you'd expect. The person running a shelter tried cases in a courtroom, the one beside her chased 6 o'clock news stories, and somewhere along the line each of them made a turn they never saw coming.
I didn't see my reroute coming either. I was headed to the University of Virginia School of Law when a visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary changed everything. The law lost another attorney, and the animals gained a lifer. In 1996, I became employee No. 17, and today I have the privilege of leading what is now Best Friends Animal Society as its CEO.
And I'm in good company. Talk to anyone at Best Friends long enough, and you'll turn up a wild resume. Our recent staff survey is a roster of past lives: an SNL writer, a Navy sailor, an industrial engineer, a law professor, a marine biologist, a concert promoter, just to name a few, all now pouring their expertise into lifesaving.
Look beyond our walls and the pattern holds. Some of the leaders I admire most in this movement took the strangest routes to get here.
Take Denise Deisler. She was active-duty Air Force before building a 15-year career in nonprofit leadership. Through a mutual connection, her local SPCA asked for help building a communications plan to bring agencies together and improve lifesaving for homeless pets. She was blown away by the vision. That one shift, years later, led her to Jacksonville Humane Society, where she became a champion for no-kill and helped make Jacksonville, Florida, a stronghold for lifesaving.
Ed Jamison's turn came from a stack of overtime shifts. After serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he returned home to a service department job in suburban Cleveland and started covering animal warden shifts for the overtime and holiday pay. That was the decision that changed his life. He fell for the work and became a true believer in no-kill. Roughly 25 years later, he leads Operation Kindness, a Texas humane society that helps pets and people through care, community resources, and shelter support, now marking its 50th year.
Then there's our very own Tawny Hammond, who spent 25 years in parks and recreation, building programs and leading teams. When Fairfax County in northern Virginia needed a new animal shelter director, they asked whether she'd ever thought about bringing that leadership to the shelter. She said yes. That one yes opened the door to a new chapter in public service, and today she's our national advisor for no-kill advancement, bringing no-kill conversations to communities around the country.
Not one of these careers started in a shelter. But what you did before this work isn't something to leave at the door; it's valuable life experience that you hold in your toolbelt. When the nature of this work is so deeply personal, we need you to show up as you are. There's a seat in this field for anyone willing to turn what they know into lifesaving.
And if you're finding your own path right now, we built a learning course alongside Southern Utah University just for you. Introduction to Animal Services is seven weeks, fully online, and open to anyone ready to start. You'll earn a certificate and continuing-education credits, and you'll come out ready to do the work no matter where you're standing in your journey today. It starts September 2. Apply today at bestfriends.org/introanimalservices.
-Julie
P.S. Want to meet another intrepid no-kill changemaker? I'm introducing Lawrence Nicolas, the newest CEO of Jacksonville Humane Society, on my blog next week.
