The purpose of this talk is to reintroduce the Cheyenne Animal Shelter to our community. For over 50 years, the Shelter has served the community in a variety of different ways. Today, that role is changing again and it's important for people to understand the Shelter is much more than a depository for unwanted and displaced animals. As with many long time institutions, the Shelter's history sometimes plagues it, making it difficult for the community to see, understand, and embrace positive and exciting changes. Attendees will hopefully leave this presentation thinking differently about the Shelter, better understanding its vision and programs.

Britney Tennant has been the CEO of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter since 2021. The only Certified Animal Welfare Administrator in the state of Wyoming Britney brings knowledge and experience in the business of animal sheltering shared by only 800 colleagues. Since she began her tenure with the Shelter, the organization has seen a 30% increase in its annual operating budget, successfully secured the first multi-year contract with the City of Cheyenne and Laramie County in its history, and developed more than 250 original policies and procedures - creating one of the most robust sets of standard operating procedures for an open-admission animal shelter in the country. Britney is widely recognized by her peers as an innovative thought-leader, having played a central role in developing the Socially Conscious Sheltering model, a philosophical and operational framework now adopted by other shelters and companion animal rescues worldwide. She is a Cheyenne native, a graduate of the University of Wyoming, and the founder and past Executive Director of Cheyenne's Black Dog Animal Rescue. In her free time, Britney is writing a book, running long distances, and most importantly, parenting her 16 year old son Cameron, a student at East High School.