Who We Are

Kimberly Elman, national mentorship program manager

Kimberly Elman bio

Kimberly Elman manages Best Friends Animal Society’s national mentorship program department.  She and her team are responsible for connecting topic specific subject matter experts with shelters across the nation. The purpose of the mentorship program is to grow the lifesaving capacity and mission-related impact of shelters across the country by effectively utilizing the knowledge and expertise of Best Friends staff and peer shelters via proven successful programming.

Kimberly began her career in animal welfare by serving on the board of a rescue group in central Florida. Prior to being employed by Best Friends, Kimberly was a Best Friends volunteer for four years, taking on small and large projects with increasing levels of responsibility within the organization. Her experience is a good example of a volunteer taking on responsibilities that were once thought to be the purview of paid staff.

Kimberly earned her degree in Psychology, spending 18 years in the corporate world in various sales, management, customer service, and training capacities.  She lives in Gainesville, Florida along with her canine family members, and enjoys reading, traveling, camping, and hiking.