PAWS - Progressive Animal Welfare Society 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.

Christy Ward is a Chief Executive Officer at Share Our Selves. and is based in Newport Beach, California. She has worked as Primary Care Services Director at Multnomah County Health Department, LPN at Columbia Family Medicine, and Chief Executive Officer at One Community Health. Christy attended Beaverton High School between 1981 and 1984, Gonzaga University between 2011 and 2013, and Columbia Basin College between 1990 and 1993.

More than 25 years of experience in strategic planning, development and administration of start-up and non-profit organizations. Areas of expertise include board development and management, fundraising, grant writing, publication production, direct mail campaigns, website and social media development; special events, marketing, community outreach and public relations activities.