The Association Blog

Former Association Board Member and Respected Animal Welfare Leader Has Passed Away

We wish to honor the legacy of Kent Robertson, a veteran leader who spent more than 30 years in the animal welfare profession, who passed away on December 31, 2023, at age 73. Kent served on the Board of Directors for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (then known as SAWA) in the late 1990s.

Nancy McKenney, CEO for Marin Humane, reflected on her time serving with Kent on The Association’s Board. “When I think back on his leadership, I recall how respectful he was during our SAWA board meetings and often shared his successes and failures with us,” McKenney recalls. “One time a small group of us were meeting in St. Louis and visited the newly built Humane Society of Missouri. I recall how proud Kent was of the new facility, and having overseen the fundraising and construction was very impressive!”

According to McKenney, Kent was unique in that he worked in both nonprofit and municipal animal shelters in various states including California, Missouri, Texas, and Washington. The last ten years of his career were spent leading the City of Dallas Animal Services.

“I also recall there was one specific workshop he co-presented that made an impact on me for a long time. He and a consultant he worked with gave a workshop on ways CEOs could do better with time management, as well as improve their relationship with their board chair, through prioritization of where they really spend their work time and through regular communications with the board chair. His advice made so much sense and I hung on to the handouts from that workshop for a long time,” McKenney shares.

Kent is survived by his wife, children, and 15 grandchildren. Please send condolence notes or share a memory of Kent with his family through this Tribute Wall.