July 20, 2017
Categories: Announcements

Do you know a leader in the animal welfare industry who demonstrates significant achievement in lifesaving, shows the courage to look beyond the status quo, makes bold decisions to improve the lives of dogs and cats and is a champion of the no-kill movement? If so, make sure you nominate them for the Avanzino Leadership Award!

The Avanzino Leadership Award is named after Rich Avanzino, who is widely considered the “father of the no-kill movement.” The Award recognizes outstanding leadership in the animal welfare community, and will be presented along with a $25,000 grant to the leader’s organization for demonstrating all of the above. The nomination window will be open on the Maddie’s Fund® website from July 24 to August 4, 2017. The winner will be announced on September 15, 2017.

The nomination process is simple. All you have to do is fill out the form on our website and submit by August 4, 2017. While the form is not available until July 24, to prepare you’ll need:

  • The name, organization, email address and phone number of the nominee
  • A description of why you’re nominating this person (including examples demonstrating their qualifications)
  • Your name, email address and phone number

Last year was the first year of the prestigious award, but Avanzino’s outstanding leadership spans back to his days at the SF SPCA in the 1990s. “Dave Duffield was so impressed with Rich’s leadership and the revolutionary work he was doing at the SF SPCA that he asked him to consult with the Duffield Family Foundation (now Maddie’s Fund) as we were just starting to develop our strategic plan,” explained Laurie Peek of the Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team.  “It was during that meeting Dave asked Rich to lead Maddie’s Fund.”

It’s no surprise that Avanzino shared a mutual admiration for Duffield’s leadership. “I was taken aback by the acknowledgment of my leadership from a highly esteemed global leader in the tech industry and was honored to accept the job offer,” said Avanzino. “During my tenure at Maddie’s Fund, I learned a lot from Dave and used a lot of his wisdom in my work at Maddie’s Fund, which helped contribute to the advancement of the animal welfare movement enormously.”

Mark your calendar: The nomination window is only open from July 24 – August 4, 2017! All nominations must be submitted through the form on our website, and are confidential to Maddie’s Fund.