Carrie Ducote, National senior strategist, Shelter collaborative program
Location: Auburn (no, not War Eagle Auburn), Georgia
Roles: Local program cities specialist (2015 – 2016, starting the Best Friends program in Atlanta), community engagement and outreach manager (2016 – 2017, growing the statewide coalition), senior strategist, Georgia (2017 –2019, overseeing the Lifesaving Center in Atlanta and the regional work), senior strategist, Southeast Region (2019 – 2021), national senior strategist, shelter collaborative program (2021- present)
Past Life: Adoption manager at Atlanta Humane Society, operations manager at Georgia SPCA, camp counselor, restaurant employee (be kind to them, y’all), theatre nerd
Likes: playgroups, puppy dog eyes, community cat programs, babies of all species, comprehensive community engagement, plant-based food, trashy reality TV, coalition building, when my husband shows up with tacos
Dislikes: leash laws for cats, loud chewing noises, punitive enforcement practices, when my dog throws up at 4 a.m., high adoption fees, breed labels
Education: Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia College and State University, Masters of Anthrozoology from Canisius College of Buffalo, (Master’s thesis on the Effect of Dogs Playing for Life on shelter save rates), Institutional certificates in Animal Services Executive Leadership and Cat Lifesaving from Southern Utah University.
Skills: Speaking to elected officials, getting sunburnt, building a movement, making delicious and nutritious meals for my kids to throw to the dogs
Weaknesses: Baked potatoes, bottle-fed kittens, cows who like their chins scratched, pit bulls with stumpy legs
Hobbies: Scratching my pigs’ bellies, planting things in my garden and watching them die, losing my phone, thanking my husband for finding my phone
Pets: Canine: Rupert, Zodae and Betty; Feline: Gumby and Hammer; Porcine: Stella and Petunia; Reptile: Captain Bellybutton (bearded dragon)
Humans: Philip (husband), Gordon and Archie (offspring)