In our Season 2 premiere, Elijah Brice-Middleton, Director at Plainfield Area Humane Society (PAHS) in New Jersey, reveals the values and skills he uses to face challenges of being, in his words, "a brown face in a white world." Maddie's Fund Executive Leadership Team member Mary Ippoliti-Smith hosts the conversation and Q+A.
Growing up in a household that cared for a menagerie of dogs, cats, snakes, monkeys, tarantulas and a bird named Diablo, Elijah learned early on to love all living creatures. That passion drove him to undergraduate degrees in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. On his way to a PhD in ecology, he realized something was missing. After a stint in the financial technologies sector on Wall Street, a happy, accidental interview led him into the field of animal well-being - and straight into the kennels of Animal Care Centers of New York. Now, as a leader at PAHS, he advocates cultivating the talents of his team so they have what they need to excel as professionals.
Every animal shelter director - or anyone in a hiring position - should have a listen!