Leah Long, regional senior specialist

Leah Long is a regional senior specialist with Best Friends Animal Society. She has been involved in animal welfare since she first interned at a Chicago animal rescue organization at the age of 13. She has not looked back since. Leah has immersed herself in animal sheltering and community engagement work nationally. Previously, her work was focused on the areas where she formerly resided: Chicago, Atlanta and New Orleans. In Atlanta, she worked first as volunteer coordinator and then as program coordinator and foster director for Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends. This allowed her to build out her skills in volunteer and foster management, as well as grassroots work. Leah developed a strong background in community cat programming during her time embedded in the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter as a community cat coordinator. Her current role is to collaborate with shelters around the country, offering training and customized coaching on topics such as community cats, complainant mitigation, enrichment, and intake diversion.