Investing Your Energy in the Right Foster Program - Maddie's Community Conversations (On Demand)

As Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist, Kelly's focus is on helping shelters and rescue organizations increase lifesaving through the implementation of robust foster care programs. Her role includes consulting with shelters, creating and providing training for organizations and their foster coordinators, writing and assisting with research on foster care.

Kelly previously coordinated a foster program that brought orphaned children to the United States in order to find them permanent adoptive homes, worked as the Foster Expansion Coordinator for a national study of foster care, and assisted with the behavioral foster study that was conducted at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Her work with foster care and social media has been featured in many national publications, websites and networks, including Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, iheartdogs.com, HuffPost Live and Fox News.

Dana is the project coordinator at Detroit Animal Care and Control where she has worked for 9 years. She oversees the foster, adoption, transfer, and volunteer programs. She is also the Executive Director of Friends of DACC, the nonprofit group that supports the shelter.

Dana has a BS in Language, Literature, and Writing and a minor in Communications from Eastern Michigan University. Before finding her career in animal wellbeing, she was a proofreader. She's passionate about pit bulls, Detroiters, and reading. Her goal is to make her city a better place for pets and their people. Dana has one pit bull, DD Beans (who does not want any dog friends), and a chinchilla, Hufflepuff.

Shafonda Davis Allen, CAWA, is a nationally respected animal welfare leader whose work centers equity, community partnership, and the belief that people and pets thrive when systems are designed with compassion and access at the core. With nearly three decades of experience, she brings deep operational knowledge, policy insight, and a lived-experience lens to conversations about the future of animal well-being.

A proud Durham, North Carolina native, Shafonda began her career as an adoption counselor and advanced through every level of shelter operations, ultimately serving more than 12 years as Executive Director of the Animal Protection Society of Durham. Her leadership is marked by resilience, transparency, and a commitment to dismantling barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Shafonda is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator and has served on the Board of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, where she continues to contribute as a member of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She previously served on the boards of the North Carolina Animal Federation and Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity.

Today, Shafonda is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Back to Basics Animal Welfare Leadership Consulting, where she mentors emerging leaders, supports organizations navigating complex challenges, and advocates for community-rooted solutions. Her work is grounded in shared power, strong networks, and the courage to reimagine humane care for both people and animals.