The Maddie's® Executive Leader Fellowship at Humane Society Silicon Valley

Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) has been serving the south bay area of San Francisco since 1929, and is a leader in the standard of care for homeless animals with cutting edge, progressive sheltering programs and techniques. In 2017, HSSV became the first "model shelter” in the nation by meeting all the Guidelines of Standards of Care put forth by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. By meeting these standards, we’re not only saving lives, we’re also providing the best care possible to ensure that animals stay mentally and physically healthy while in our shelter.

HSSV offers quality adoptions, affordable spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchipping services, pet care services and education programs to enhance the human-animal bond. In 2009, we moved into the Animal Community Center in Milpitas, the first Gold Level LEED certified animal community center in the country. This state of the art facility is 48,000 square feet on five acres and includes cage-less adoption suites, the Sue and Dick Levy Dog Park for both shelter animals and public pets and the Lyn Lasar Medical Center. HSSV has 100 employees and over 1,100 volunteers. Shelter operations are led by Dr. Cristie Kamiya, our Chief of Shelter Medicine, who is one of just a handful of veterinarians in the country to have completed a residency in Shelter Medicine. Our president, Carol Novello, was also one of nine animal welfare leaders in 2016 to be the first to receive the prestigious Maddie Hero Award for innovation and leadership in the animal welfare sector.

We are achieving unprecedented results for a community the size of Silicon Valley, including saving more lives than ever before. While our community continues to save 100% of all healthy animals, our community coalition of six shelters is collectively saving 94% of all animals. For HSSV, in 2017, these efforts translated to 5,200 animals adopted into new, loving homes and a save rate of over 95%. Given these results, HSSV is now turning its sights to help change the outcomes for communities across California. We currently have over forty rescue partners and are building out a comprehensive approach to best utilize our resources in this area for the biggest mission impact.

How does it work?

Two fellows will be selected to spend 12 months in Milpitas, CA, near the heart of Silicon Valley. Fellows will develop an understanding, and foundational skillsets, related to:

  1. Leading and managing across functions to optimize overall mission and financial outcomes
  2. Shelter medicine and integration of shelter medicine standards throughout operations
  3. Change management, and successfully orchestrating change across an organization
  4. Thinking end-to-end to support outstanding stakeholder experiences for the benefit of the mission
  5. Leveraging collaboration and partnerships to expand mission reach and impact
  6. Building a high performing team

Fellows will:

  • Spend twelve months at Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas, CA
  • Initiate and complete a project to further the organization’s mission impact
  • Present on learnings at the end of each quarter and participate in an evaluation process
  • Pursue a leadership position in the animal welfare field for three years following the fellowship

Qualifications and eligibility

  • Minimum of five years of management or leadership experience
  • Demonstrated ability to manage projects
  • Demonstrate a strong ability for oral and written communication
  • Experience working or volunteering in a shelter or rescue is a plus although not required
  • A willingness to embrace new strategies and approaches to save more animal lives
  • A commitment to the values of progressive sheltering and desire to improve sheltering systems through data-driven solutions and shelter medicine.

Award Amount

Fellows will serve one calendar year and receive $70,000 salary and full benefits.

Applications are currently closed

The Maddie’s® Executive Leader Fellowship described on this website are subject to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which provide that no citizen of the United States may, on the grounds of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.