Questions and Answers About Carol Novello
1. Carol, you’ve had a long career in high tech, most recently serving as a vice president at Intuit. What made you want to work for Humane Society Silicon Valley?
After leaving Intuit in 2007, I took a few years off but quickly got antsy and began looking for a new professional challenge. In the interim, I met Melissa Dyrdahl, HSSV’s Board Chair. Subsequently, she and Christine Benninger, HSSV’s outgoing president, asked me to join their Board. I was excited to see such a well-run organization and decided it would be a great match with my personal interests and professional background. After being on the board several months, Melissa and Chris approached me about Chris’ desire to retire and the opportunity to step into the role of president.
Meanwhile, I had developed a list of criteria regarding the type of organization I wanted to lead. If I found an organization with at least six out of ten criteria, I thought that would be reasonable option. I never imagined I would go from high tech to non-profit. However, much to my surprise, when the HSSV opportunity presented itself, I found it matched all ten criteria.
Those criteria are: compelling mission; strong, talented team; predecessor "going out on top;" organization ready for the next level, small yet big (small enough to get arms around operationally yet big enough to make significant impact in its field); less than 30 minute commute one-way; shared operating values; familiarity with organization and vice-versa; pets allowed at work; outside of high tech.
Given how it's played out, "pets allowed at work" is even better than I imagined. I now work in a place where having cat hair on my clothes increases my professional credibility rather than detracting from it.
2. What changes do you hope to bring to HSSV with you at the helm?
One of the things that attracted me to HSSV is it's a well-run organization. It's really about taking the organization to the next level rather than needing to change anything. With our new Animal Community Center, we're well positioned to reach-out and engage with the community in ways that weren't possible in our former facility. We are now in a position to help people keep pets in their home so they never end up in our facility in the first place. By offering training classes, education, and support, we are offering people resources to help them throughout the entire lifecycle of being a pet "parent." At one end, there is learning to care for a pet and what to consider when adopting and at the other end is support for grieving pet loss. In addition, we want our offerings to reflect the diversity found within Santa Clara County. For example, offering dog-training classes in Spanish.
3. What are some of the challenges you anticipate in your new position?
We are on track to ensure that no healthy or adoptable animal will be euthanized in Santa Clara County in 2010. Our challenge will be to save animals with medical conditions. This requires additional funding, access to specialized veterinary expertise, and families & individuals able to open their hearts to an animal with special needs. The recent story on Max the dog that The Town Crier ran is an example. I anticipate establishing a medical fund, which will enable us to save more of these animals. Plus, we are fortunate to have access to some wonderful veterinarians with specialized practices who work with us on complicated cases. Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos is a great example. We need to continue to cultivate these kinds of community relationships to help save all animals who could have a good, quality of life if their immediate medical conditions can be resolved.
These types of things matter because how we care for animals is a precursor to how we care for human beings. Mahatma Gandhi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." I really believe this is true. Continuing to advance our ability to care for animals builds compassion, tolerance, and respect for all living beings - including ourselves as human beings.
4. What are your goals as president of the Humane Society?
In the immediate short-term, I want to experience the operations of the organization from the ground up - both by doing the actual jobs as well as getting to know the people doing the work. HSSV has an extremely diverse set of programs in its portfolio: adoptions; affordable spay/neuter and vaccination services; regional rescue; pet supplies retail store; doggie day-care, grooming, and boarding; members only dog-park; educational programs for children and special field trips for kids in title 1 schools; and training classes for people and their pets. Understanding how all of these programs work together to support our overall mission of saving and enhancing lives is critical to carving out how we'll adapt and evolve in the years ahead.
For the long term, crafting a strategic plan for what the organization looks like in the next 5-10 years will be key. The over-arching vision for such a plan includes being able to:
- Ensure each abandoned animal’s tale ends with a loving, lasting home
- Celebrate Silicon Valley’s caring and innovative spirit by setting an example for what's possible: a unique community center, where people and pets learn, play, teach, and share their gifts with each other”
- Strengthen the foundation of human-animal relationships by teaching people about animals, their needs, and the important contributions they make to society
- Cultivate a community where people truly understand their four-legged companions and animals are respected and valued for their unique gifts
- Create an innovative, pet-friendly place honoring the deep bond between people and animals and empowering us to be good citizens together
- Championing animals so each new generation of pet owners values and appreciates what pets bring to our community
Read our press release on Carol Novello.