Laura Cox, national strategist, shelter collaborative program
Laura began her animal welfare journey around 12 years old volunteering at her local shelter. Her animal welfare career really began when she began working at what is now known as Care Humane Society in Auburn, AL. After graduating with Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences from Auburn University, she worked at a zoo and a few vet clinics, and ultimately landed at Best Friends Atlanta in 2022. Laura worked her way up to Lifesaving Programs Manager of the Atlanta team during her tenure there.
Her most recent work involved piloting the transition of the Best Friends Atlanta Lifesaving Center team to being a fully remote “hubless” transport hub. They rely on local medical partners, boarding facilities, and their Atlanta based drivers to help get cats and dogs from shelters in the Southeast adoption ready and then transported to rescues up north who have the capacity for them. One of Laura’s favorite parts of building this program was forming the relationships with the various external partners and that’s what led her to the Shelter Collaborative team. She is excited to now be a part of the Shelter Collaborative Program at Best Friends and be in a position that will help shelters specifically in Texas (where she was born)! Laura resides in Alabama with 1 dog and an 80lb Sulcata tortoise.