Foster to Adopt Programs: Supportive pathways from shelter to home

Lauren Nickerson is the CEO at Hawaii Island Humane Society.  Prior to transitioning to animal welfare, Lauren enjoyed a career as an educator. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Master's Degree in Mind, Brain, and Education from Harvard University. In her time as an educator, Lauren specialized in working with children with learning differences, with an emphasis on understanding how the brain functions in the classroom and real-world situations. In 2016, Lauren and her husband adopted their 3rd rescue dog Pearl from the Hawaii Island Humane Society. Pearl was born blind and deaf, and demonstrated reactivity in new situations. In striving to meet Pearl's needs and to give her a full, happy life, Lauren embarked on her journey to better understand dog behavior. This lead her to want to support shelter dogs in her community. Through Pearl's online social media presence, Lauren successfully raised over $50,000 in one year for shelters and rescues nationally. After joining HIHS in 2019, Lauren's emphasis has been on developing programs and building pathways to place animals in homes, to educate on responsible pet ownership, and to advocate for animals as individuals. In addition to her responsibilities as an executive leader, Lauren finds joy in serving as one of the organization's photographers and managing social media. Today, Lauren and her husband share their life with five rescue dogs and two rescue bunnies. 

Katie Hutchinson is a dedicated animal advocate who began her journey into animal welfare as a foster with Pima Animal Care Center (PACC). After years of firsthand experience in the challenges and rewards of shelter animals, she jumped at the chance to lead PACC's Animal Placement team three years ago. Since then, Katie has worked to break down barriers, integrate teams, and streamline processes to help more pets find loving homes. >span class="TextRun SCXW226831613 BCX0">, PACC has doubled the number of large dogs being placed in foster homes and boasts an industry-leading adoption rate of over 60%. 

Katie is passionate about making foster programs accessible and enjoyable for everyone. She particularly believes in the potential of these programs to serve as a low-barrier way for communities to engage with shelter animals and to cultivate the next generation of shelter advocates. 

Never one to turn down a snuggle, Katie can always be convinced to take home kittens at the end of the night and loves taking shelter pups out for "paw-jama parties" on the town.  She shares her home in Tucson, AZ with 5 foster fails and one very enabling partner.