Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello, everyone! I’m Shafonda Allen, CAWA, and I’m excited to be your guest host for Community Conversations throughout the month of August — beginning Wednesday, August 5 at 11 a.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Eastern.

I’ve spent more than two decades in animal welfare, from frontline work to executive leadership. I’ve served as Executive Director at APS of Durham and in leadership roles on national, regional, and local boards. Today, I’m the Founder and Principal Consultant of Back to Basics Animal Welfare Leadership Consulting, a DEI Ambassador with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, a Contracted Educator with C.A.R.E., and an Advisory Council Member with the AnimalKeepers Council.

My work centers on leadership development, organizational culture, and strengthening the people who make this mission possible. I love creating spaces where we can learn from one another — and I’m looking forward to spending Wednesdays in August with you, sharing conversation, connection, and a little unsolicited wisdom.

Discussion topic: Are you ready for a new day and time for Community Conversations? Tell me how this shift works for you — and what you’re hoping to get out of our time together. Every week brings fresh insights, shared experiences, plus, each month Maddie's Fund will award up to $10,000 in grants for your organization for joining (live or on-demand)!

Register for the new season: 🔗 https://maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration2026.

Can’t wait to be in community with you.

Let's connect on LinkedIn - Shafonda Allen CAWA | LinkedIn 

#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement

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Shafonda Allen, CAWA
Founder & Principal Consultant
Back to Basics Animal Welfare Leadership Consulting
Durham, NC. 27712
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Hi Shafonda! 

I am in NC! I just finished watching live the community conversation for today, and then went to view the on demand conversation from last week and found out that you were in Durham! 

Shafonda, I really appreciate the way you continue to center community, access, and shared power in animal welfare. I'm in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and am in the early stages of developing a community-based animal stewardship model that looks upstream of shelter intake-particularly around stray animals, prevention, veterinary access, volunteer infrastructure, and community partnerships.

I'm also taking the time to think more deeply about the philosophy underneath the work: what responsible stewardship of animals looks like, how communities can share responsibility for animal well-being, and how we can build systems that support both people and pets rather than waiting until a crisis reaches the shelter.

Given your experience in Durham and your work now helping organizations build stronger, more community-rooted systems, I would really value learning from you. If you were starting something like this in a community from the ground up, what would you identify as the most important relationships or pieces of infrastructure to establish first?

I'm especially interested in learning from people who have already done this work and can help me avoid reinventing the wheel. Thank you for the work you're doing and for sharing your perspective with the field.

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JOY WILLIAMS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
HOPE TO THRIVE
NC
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