JULIE CASTLE

CEO
Best Friends Animal Society

After graduating magna cum laude from Southern Utah University, Julie was headed for the University of Virginia Law School when she happened to stop by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary during vacation. The Sanctuary, which is located near Southern Utah’s National Parks, along with its no-kill ethic and founders’ vision, had a profound effect on her. It inspired her to trade her lawyerly ambitions for a low-paying job as employee number 17 at Best Friends. 

During the organization’s growth, Julie was appointed Executive Director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah in 2000. No More Homeless Pets, a statewide no-kill coalition led by Best Friends, is comprised of 166 rescue organizations, animal control agencies and veterinarians. During her six-year tenure, shelter deaths were reduced by 50 percent statewide, and Utah now has more no-kill communities than any other state in the country. 

In 2011, Julie took on leadership of the organization’s communication and marketing efforts. Several years later, she assumed development responsibilities as well. In subsequent years, fundraising grew by 48 percent, reaching its highest level of $130 million annually while enjoying a membership growth of 30 percent. 

Over the years, Julie has championed the concept of organizations and municipalities joining forces to tackle reducing the killing of dogs and cats in shelters. She organized the design, groundwork and coalition-building for NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles), an initiative that brought together the City of Los Angeles and more than 130 organizations. Launched in 2012, NKLA has helped Los Angeles grow from a save rate of 56 percent to 90 percent today.

In 2016, Julie put a stake in the ground on behalf of Best Friends, aiming to take the entire country to no-kill by 2025. In 2018, Julie was appointed to the position of Best Friends CEO, the first woman to lead a major national animal welfare organization. 

Julie was celebrated by InStyle Magazine as one of 50 Badass Women “who show up, speak up and get things done,” and in January 2019, she was selected by TheEveryGirl.com as one of “18 Women Who Inspired Us in 2018.”