José Ocaño

Senior Director, People and Culture
Best Friends Animal Society

José Ocaño has spent over fifteen years working on behalf of people and animals. Innovation, determination and grit were foundational as José navigated his career in animal welfare; starting as an entry level kennel attendant in one of the highest intake and under-resourced shelters in the country, to eventually leading that organization to become a national model, José’s focus on culture and people has been the secret sauce to being an effective change agent and leader.  

José joined Best Friends Animal Society in 2017 and serves as their first Sr. Director of People and Culture. In this role, José works to advance the CEO’s goal of making Best Friends a Top Workplace and an organization that leads with its heart.  Through institutionalizing Best Friend’s Guiding Principles of Leadership, Transparency, Positive Influence, Authenticity and Kindness into everyday operations and leveraging modern People Analytics, José and his team focus on creating a culture where people can bring their whole and best selves to work. Through collaboration and engaging the entire workforce of Best Friends, José aims to co-create an inclusive environment that maximizes people’s experience and potential to make meaningful contributions towards Best Friends mission and strategic priorities.  

In 2021, The Salt Lake Tribune named Best Friends as a Top Workplace based on how employees assessed their experience working at the organization. José operates under the fundamental belief that employers have a duty to create cultures that prioritized the employee experience as integral to meeting and sustaining mission and business objectives. He says, “It’s not just the right thing to do-it’s the responsible thing to do.  If companies and organizations want to stay competitive and relevant in today's market, they will have to ensure that taking care of their staff is of the highest priorities.”