GUEST: Scott Giacoppo. Scott is the Director of National Shelter Outreach for Best Friends Animal Society and oversees the development of lifesaving efficacy and sustainability for animal welfare partners across the U.S. Prior to Best Friends, Scott was president of NACA – the National Animal Care & Control Association – as well as chief of Animal Field Services for the District of Columbia for 10 years, overseeing all animal control and cruelty investigations team members for Humane...

GUEST: Kimberly Wade. Kimberly is an expert consultant for Humane Network focusing on communications and social media. She was campaign manager for Maddie's Pet Project in Nevada, communications director at Nevada Humane Society, news producer at KOLO 8 News Now, and has a degree in broadcast journalism and communications from the University of Central Florida.  MAIN QUESTION: What are some tips for animal organizations to create better social media pages and posts? TAKEAWAYS: If you...

GUEST: Brent Toellner. Brent is the Senior Director of National Programs for Best Friends Animal Society. Prior to joining Best Friends, Brent, his wife, Michelle, and a few others co-founded the Kansas City Pet Project to run the municipal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri.   MAIN QUESTION: There's a lot of pressure in animal welfare and people can feel alone in their work — what tips and ideas might help? TAKEAWAYS: In animal welfare, we’re pushed to do more with limited resources....

Main question: What are the common issues you find when doing organizational assessments of animal organizations around the country? Guest: Scott Giacoppo of Best Friends Animal Society

MAIN QUESTION: How does Doobert's new Companion Case Management module improve communications with the public? GUEST: Chris Roy. Chris is a technology guy by day, and the founder of Doobert at night and on weekends. Doobert helps you help animals and is the only software that organizes transport, and the only foster management platform allowing you to send and receive texts with fosters. And Chris has continued to build out Doobert and recently added a new case management module.

Question: How can animal organizations better meet people where they're at? GUEST: Lori Weise. In 1996, Lori founded Downtown Dog Rescue, which rescues dogs and provides services for low income pet owners in underserved communities in Los Angeles County. She is the founder of the South LA Shelter Intervention Program and one of the founding members of the Best Friends Animal Society's initiative No Kill Los Angeles and advised the ASPCA on their Safety Net Program at LA county shelters.

GUEST: Kat Albrecht-Thiessen is a pioneer in lost pet investigations. She was a police officer, bloodhound handler, crime scene investigator, and search-and-rescue manager before beginning to apply her skills in 1997 to finding lost pets. She is founder of Missing Animal Response Network and author of the book “Pet Tracker.” MAIN QUESTION: How can shelters and rescue groups support the public in finding lost pets?

QUESTION: How can animal organizations build a healthy workplace culture, which is so important in a competitive job market? GUEST: Karen Green, executive director at Cat Adoption Team, the Pacific Northwest’s largest nonprofit, feline-only animal shelter.

What works to engage more members of the community with our animal welfare work so that we can raise more funds — and what doesn't work? Guest: Bonney Brown of Humane Network

GUEST: Diane Blankenburg is CEO & Co-Founder of Humane Network. MAIN QUESTION: How can leaders and managers handle internal staff conflict better?

GUEST: Kelley Bollen is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with a master’s degree in Animal Behavior. Kelley consults with animal shelters across the country on the design and implementation of comprehensive behavior programs to improve the welfare of the animals. Main question: What tips do you have for shelter and clinic staff for handling animals to make it a more stress-free experience?

How should nonprofit animal organizations handle negative reviews, critics on social media posts, and critical investigative reporters? Guest: Mark Robison

Question: How can animal organizations avoid blaming the public in their messaging when talking about the challenges they face? Guest: Christie Keith

How can animal welfare leaders and managers keep an eye on the big picture while staying on top of day-to-day fires? GUEST: Rebecca Guinn is CEO of LifeLine Animal Project, which manages Atlanta’s Fulton and DeKalb County animal shelters and which opened a new shelter, adoption center and clinic in 2019.

MAIN QUESTION: How can animal organizations provide services to rural communities, which often get overlooked? GUEST: Dr. Leslie Appel is the founder and executive director of Shelter Outreach Services (SOS). She is also a courtesy lecturer at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Guest: T' Fisher, director of operations for AlignCare Health, which is a program of the University of Tennessee that aims to expand access to veterinary care nationwide. Questions: What is AlignCare and how can it help organizations expand access to veterinary care even if they don't have their own clinic?

GUEST: Lisa LaFontaine is the president and chief executive officer of the Humane Rescue Alliance, based in Washington, DC. MAIN QUESTION: What lessons have you learned from the pandemic that have led your organization to be even more community facing? 

Guest: Sue Cosby of Best Friends Animal Society Main question: What advice do you have for leaders and managers to handle stressful or chaotic work environments?

QUESTION: What advice do you have for shelters struggling with summer surges in pet populations? GUEST: Marc Peralta is chief program officer at Best Friends Animal Society.

How can shelters and animal services agencies develop robust Return-to-Owner programs?

What should great customer service look like for animal welfare organizations — and what are some tips for achieving it? GUEST: Amber Sitko, founder of All About Animals Rescue in 2005, the largest spay/neuter and wellness care provider in Michigan.

GUEST: Joyce Briggs is president of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs, which advances non-surgical sterilants to increase access to humane fertility control. Main question: Why do animal welfare organizations need to begin thinking about how the demand for pets will be met in the future?

GUEST: Crystal Kozlak is program manager for the Food for Thought program at Animal Place, a farmed animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, California. MAIN QUESTION: Why should animal organizations consider serving vegetarian or vegan food at their events?

GUEST: Brandy Kuentzel is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the San Francisco SPCA. Prior to joining the San Francisco SPCA, Brandy worked as a corporate attorney and emerged as winner of the 10th season of NBC’s reality competition series “The Apprentice.” And she earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. MAIN QUESTIONS: What it is veterinary telemedicine and why should animal welfare groups have it on their radars?