Long-time animal advocate brings professional expertise and hands-on experience to national organization
Sacramento, CA (June 2, 2006) – United Animal Nations (UAN) has selected Nicole Forsyth, an animal advocate with more than ten years of experience in non-profit public relations, development and education, as its new president and CEO.
Forsyth brings a rare combination of professional expertise and hands-on experience working with animals to UAN. She was previously the fund development associate at the Placer SPCA in Roseville, California and the development director for American Wildlands, a science-based habitat conservation advocacy organization in Bozeman, Montana. She has provided communication and fundraising consulting to a number of animal protection organizations, including the Wildlife Care Association in Sacramento and the Hancock County SPCA in Mt. Desert, Maine.
Committed to applying scientific data to her advocacy on behalf of animals, Forsyth is completing a master’s degree in animal biology/welfare at the University of California, Davis, where she is studying the effects of cage size and enrichment on laboratory mice. She also holds a master’s degree in communication from the University of Maine, Orono, and a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of an organization so dedicated to bringing animals out of crisis and into care,” Forsyth said. “I look forward to the opportunity to help individual animals through our rescue and relief efforts, and to advocate for the humane treatment of all animals.”
Forsyth will oversee a staff of nine and an annual budget of $1.3 million; implement UAN’s strategic plan; and administer its full complement of programs, including the Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS), the LifeLine grant program for emergency veterinary care, and the Anti-Premarin Campaign, which educates the public about hormone replacement drugs made from pregnant mares’ urine and helps people adopt horses once used in the manufacturing process. Recently, she joined a distinguished group of international animal welfare experts for a week-long online forum on avian influenza.
Forsyth is also committed to helping the animals in her own community. She has been a bird care volunteer with the Wildlife Care Association, a stranding volunteer at The Marine Mammal Center and a clinic volunteer at Coalition for Cats. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC), a nonprofit organization committed to reducing pet overpopulation through aggressive spay/neuter efforts.
About UAN: Now celebrating its 20th year, United Animal Nations (UAN) is North America’s leading provider of emergency animal sheltering and disaster relief services and a key advocate for the critical needs of animals.
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