North Shore Animal League America competitors

Following her magna cum laude graduation from Southern Utah University, Julie Castle and some friends made a brief stop at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary while on vacation in the mid-90’s. Forever transformed, Julie decided to forgo a career in law for a low-paying, high-demand job working in a remote Utah canyon helping animals in need. As employee number 17 at Best Friends Animal Society, Julie worked her way up the ranks to become the organization’s first female CEO in March 2018. In between she helped build the organization into a $130M, 800-employee strong national leader in animal welfare. Julie started her tenure as CEO with the bold commitment to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by the year 2025. Prior to her CEO role, Julie served as Best Friends’ Chief Development & Marketing Officer, doubling the organization’s revenue and support within a four-year span. Under her leadership, Best Friends earned the Harris Poll EquiTrend “Non-Profit Brand of the Year” four times, including most recently in 2018. Julie has championed the concept of multiple non-profit organizations, private and public municipalities and the corporate foundation sector putting aside competitive interests and joining forces to publicly tackle a shared social problem. Named by InStyle magazine as one of the “Badass 50 Women Changing the World” in August, 2018, Julie has spoken at TedX in Salt Lake City, Columbia Business School, the BUILD Series in NYC, and headlines the closing session at the Best Friends National Conference every year. Julie lives with her husband Gregory Castle, a Best Friends’ founder and CEO-emeritus, and their two dogs in Kanab, Utah.

I am an advocate and a voice for animals; committed to preserving, defending, and celebrating the bond we share with them. Professionally, I have extensive experience in animal welfare in both a non-profit and municipal capacity primarily in leadership roles throughout the country including New Mexico, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Michigan.

Kenyatta T Brunson is a dedicated nonprofit professional with over 20 years of experience in direct care and managerial positions. She has worked with individuals who tend to be the most vulnerable populations in society; at risk youth, those with substance use disorders, mental health issues, and the chronically homeless. Mrs. Brunson has utilized her leadership and communication skills with the ability to develop programs to effectively and efficiently oversee social service programs. She is a proven leader that has successfully overseen and managed the fiscal and operational components of programs to ensure that clients receive outstanding customer service.Mrs. Brunson has been awarded the Community Champion Award from Capital One Bank and was featured in Essence Magazine as the first runner-up for the Hardest Working Black Woman Award. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women.