Suzy Clayton, operations manager

Suzy Clayton is a Manager, Embed Project Operations with Best Friends Animal Society. Suzy is an operations leadership professional with over 16 years of expertise in driving process improvements and building strong community connections. After earning her Bachelor of Science from San Diego State University, Suzy transitioned from a successful ten-year career in hospitality to animal welfare, where her passion for improving the lives of both people and animals truly thrived. She joined San Diego Humane Society in 2018, where she held key leadership roles, including Rescue Coordinator, Rescue Supervisor, and Placement Manager. Suzy played a pivotal role in leading and centralizing foster and rescue programs across multiple campuses while building lasting partnerships with stakeholders.

In 2023, Suzy joined the County of San Diego’s Department of Animal Services as Intake2Placement Program Coordinator, where she launched new programming to expand placement options and grew the foster pool from 35 to over 400 in just a year and a half. Now, as part of the embed team, Suzy is looking forward to collaborating with shelter teams across the country to enhance lifesaving programming and support operational optimization. Based in her hometown of San Diego, California, she lives with her partner, their three beloved dogs—Sir Reginald, Miss Latuna Frittata, and Rocket—three quirky cats—Fang, Waylan "Wolfgang" Jennings, and Cosmosis Jones—and a rotating lineup of foster pets. Suzy is eager to continue making a positive impact through her strategic leadership and passion for animal advocacy.