July 17, 2015 by Brenda Barnette, Francis Battista, Aimee Gilbreath, Marc Peralta

Audience: Executive Leadership, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Video Length: 86 minutes

Learn about No-kill Los Angeles’ rapid success. Find out what went well in the launch years, what’s being done differently now, and what lessons have been learned along the way. If you are contemplating a no-kill initiative in your city, let NKLA veterans show you the importance of constructive partnerships and give you strategies for solving tough problems. You will come away with a better idea of how to bring together a wide variety of partners and collaborators in order to save the lives of pets in shelters. This is a presentation from the 2015 Best Friends National Conference.

About Brenda Barnette

Brenda has been general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) since August 2010. LAAS is one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the U.S., with six shelters serving approximately 60,000 animals annually and responding to 20,000 emergency calls each year involving animals or people in danger. With over 20 years of success developing resources and programs to save animals’ lives, Brenda has earned a reputation as a positive change manager. In Los Angeles, she collaborated with Best Friends to develop a unique public/private partnership (NKLA) to save the lives of thousands of companion animals. Los Angeles is currently on track to become a no-kill city by 2017. Brenda previously served as CEO of the Seattle Humane Society, increasing the save rate from 77% to 92% in four years. She has also been the CEO of Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, the executive director of Pets In Need and the development director at the San Francisco SPCA.

About Francis Battista

Francis is one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Society. He has served as director of animal care, outreach programs and Los Angeles programs. Francis managed the Best Friends rescue shelter in Tylertown, Mississippi, for four months following Hurricane Katrina and was involved in the negotiations with federal agencies and courts that brought 22 of Michael Vick’s dogs to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. In 2011, Francis was instrumental in launching No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA), a Best Friends initiative to take the city of Los Angeles to no-kill. He currently serves on the board of directors of Best Friends, advises its Community Programs and Services division and works with the Development division

About Aimee Gilbreath

Aimee is the executive director of Dr. Gary Michelson’s Found Animals Foundation, an innovation-focused pet nonprofit. She is responsible for all foundation programs, including the $75 million Michelson Prize and grants program, Adopt & Shop retail adoption centers, spay/neuter programs, the Found Animals Microchip Registry, and the Saving Pets Challenge. Found Animals is unique in its diversity of program models, which range from local to national and from traditional philanthropy to social enterprise. Aimee is a former management consultant with experience in leading teams to solve business problems for Fortune 500 clients. She holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.B.A. Aimee lives in Santa Monica, California, with her husband and their beloved pit bull, Rufus.

About Marc Peralta

Marc is the executive director for Best Friends Animal Society–Los Angeles. He leads the Best Friends NKLA initiative, with the goal to make L.A. no-kill by 2017, as well as operations for the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center and the NKLA Pet Adoption Center. Previously, Marc served as vice president and chief operating officer at the Pennsylvania SPCA (PSPCA) headquartered in Philadelphia, overseeing the operations of six facilities, including animal control for the City of Philadelphia and the PSPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement Department. During his tenure, Marc was appointed by the mayor of Philadelphia as a member of the board of directors for the Animal Care and Control Team. Marc has also worked in animal care managerial roles at the Nevada Humane Society in Reno, Nevada, and the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Before focusing on animal welfare, Marc ran his own music promotion business and served in managerial roles in both the food and beverage and retail industries, bringing 20 years of customer service experience to the no-kill movement.