The Best Friends Podcast Episode 27
Idaho may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of animal welfare, but it should! Two years ago, a coalition was formed in an attempt to unite the shelters and organizations spread out over this vast, mostly rural state.
The Idaho Shelter Coalition helped drive a 49.4% reduction in shelter killing in 2019, a result that has earned them the 2020 Best Friends Network Collective Impact Award!
It's another perfect example of what can happen when we work together, communicate our needs, and provide peer-to-peer support - all using the power of data as the foundation.
This week's guests are Nadia Novik, COO of the Idaho Humane Society and President of the Idaho Shelter Coalition, and Brittany Sundell, the Development and Education Coordinator at the West Valley Humane Society.
Click here to check out all the episodes from the podcast.
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
- Best Friends: Animal Welfare Coalition-Building Action Kit
- Best Friends: Animal Coalition: How to Build a Successful One, Gregory Castle
- Idaho Humane Society
- West Valley Humane Society
- Shaping Your No-Kill Community - Nadia Novik
- KBOI CBS 2 News: The Quest to Make Idaho a No-Kill State
- TEDxSunValley: Building a Humane Community, Nadia Novik
Nadia Novik
Chief Operating Officer, Idaho Humane Society
Nadia started working with animals as a veterinary technician and quickly realized her passion was with homeless animals. She began her career in animal welfare working with veterinary students as part of the Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. From there, she became the Shelter Manager at Tompkins County SPCA in Ithaca, NY before finding her way to Idaho. After 11 years with Mountain Humane, Nadia joined the team at the Idaho Humane Society this past June.
From working within underserved communities to help people keep their pets, looking for ways to decrease the time animals spend within shelters and making sure animal welfare organizations are working together in order to best help animals, Nadia enjoys the multi-faceted roles she plays within the field.
When she’s not working, Nadia can be found running with her German Wirehair Siri, riding her horse June, or meeting every need of her two cats, Bunny and Paw Paw.
Brittany Sundell
Development and Education Coordinator, West Valley Humane Society
Brittany is a New England native who has spent the last 10 years getting involved in the shelter/rescue community all throughout New England, the Midwest and now Pacific Northwest. Starting out her career in higher education, Brittany takes her experience in Social Sciences and her Masters of Organizational Leadership to implement sound research practices into the program development for under-resourced shelters and rescues. Brittany serves West Valley Humane Society as the Development and Education Coordinator. Her role encompasses development of shelter programs, research, community outreach, humane education and grant writing.
Her passion areas include community cat programs and initiatives, bully breed advocacy and education, and low-income animal services (like spay/neuter clinics).
Episode Transcript