The Association Blog

The Association’s incoming Director of Professional Development shares her plans for her new role, along with a sneak peek at some exciting changes in the works

In the three months since I joined the Association, I have had similar conversations with multiple people as they began to introduce me to animal welfare. They have told me about their love for the field and how proud they are of how much the field has evolved and accomplished during their career. And then, almost as frequently, they pause and say some variation of “But this work can be really hard.” Already I have seen storms of intense criticism aimed at leaders, leaders pushed out of their roles due to external (and internal) pressures, the joy for their work and their ability to do it well (or at all) tested by unrelenting pressures.

While I am new to the Animal Welfare field, I am not new to working with professionals who are deeply invested in their important, world-improving work, and also stretched thin by the demands of that work. For the past 15 years I have created professional development programs for professionals ranging from medical professionals addressing substance use and addiction to scientists combating climate change. One common thread has tied together my approach when working with all these people: the power of learning in community to lift up both individuals and the work of the entire field.

I have seen two common paths that people walk when the load feels too heavy, and when resources, time, and support feel slight. Some clench their teeth and push themselves to keep going through sheer force of will. Before long, and quite unintentionally, as they react to emergency after emergency by putting their head down and trying to figure out the way forward by themselves, they are left depleted. On the other path are those who instead look up and reach out to learn from and lean on their peers and colleagues. And in that process, they learn to work strategically to amplify their impact and to reclaim the joy in their work.

Get Ready to Learn in Community

This is the challenge I am most eager to tackle as I start this role.  When we tackle problems and learn passively and in isolation, learning is rarely deep or transformative. And many of The Association’s members already know this truth, whether from instinct or experience. That is why you have asked for opportunities that connect you with your peers, provide deliberate coaching, and allow you to dig into real-time problem solving. So prioritizing ways for you to learn from and with each other is the standard I will hold myself to as I take on this role and lead The Association into the next iteration of Professional Development offerings.

The Association has always provided a wealth of knowledge and resources for the field, and moving forward we intend to build on that strong foundation to provide opportunities designed intentionally to support both established leaders and to build a pathway of learning resources for emerging leaders to prepare to take on more senior leadership roles.

Here is a sneak peek of some of the exciting changes:

• A New Sponsor for a New Learning Center – We are grateful to partner with Purina as we work to refresh The Learning Center. Big projects like this wouldn’t be possible without their generous support. Look forward to a new design to make it easier for learners to access content. You can expect curated learning pathways, as well as new trainings and certificates in the coming months.
• New Interactive Learning Formats – You may notice that we have been offering fewer webinars that require you to just sit back and absorb information from experts. We will continue to offer events that provide ways for you to engage more actively with the experience and with your peers.
• New Collaborative Learning Opportunities – You can expect a string of announcements of what’s already in the works over the next year. We are busy building a mentorship program for emerging leaders, a cohort-program for mid-level managers, spaces for senior leaders to engage in thought leadership on important topics such as access to care, and events to work with peers to level up your advocacy work.

Not everyone finds their way to that second path, to looking up and reaching out instead of pushing through alone. If that’s been you, I hope some of what’s coming makes it easier to find. And wherever you’re starting from, I hope you’ll join me as we build more of that path together.

I still have a lot to learn about this field, and I look forward to learning together. I am so grateful for the many warm welcomes that I have received already, and can’t wait to meet many more of you soon.

Feel free to reach out anytime to kgonyer@theaawa.org or connect with me on LinkedIn.

– Kristy Gonyer, Director of Professional Development
The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement

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