The Association Blog

In his role as Director of Operations at San Antonio Humane Society, Aaron brings deep experience with crisis management, nonprofit organizations, budgeting, staffing processes, and program evaluation. We’re honored to feature Aaron in this month’s spotlight—and you don’t want to miss his list of 5 ultimate dinner guests.


Name & Title: Aaron Grady, Director of Operations, San Antonio Humane Society
Member of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement since: 2018

Q&A with Aaron Grady

The Association: Describe yourself in three words. 
Aaron Grady: Determined, Direct, Loyal.

The Association: Describe San Antonio Humane Society in three words. 
Aaron Grady: Adaptable, Dynamic, Unique.

The Association: Tell us about one small victory you had this week—personally or professionally. 
Aaron Grady: I can give you both. Personally – Increasing my self-care by being more active throughout the day. Professionally – Reducing a large project bid below budget.

The Association: What achievement—you or your team’s—are you most proud of, and why?    
Aaron Grady: After a long expansion project, which included building a 13,000-square-foot medical facility and renovating our existing campus, our team has shown resilience in adapting to a new way of working, and I cannot express how proud I am of them.

The Association: Looking back at 2020 and the start of the pandemic, what’s one thing you started doing, either personally or professionally, that you’ve carried over?  
Aaron Grady: Personally and professionally, I have worked on letting go of the “little things” that may add up to larger negative feelings. I feel like we sometimes have a tendency to ruminate on small issues that, overtime, get built into bigger problems. So, I have been making an effort to let go and rise above.

The Association: What do you wish you knew when you started at SAHS?    
Aaron Grady: Working to understand the point of view from those you work with will make you much better at understanding the point of view from the public we serve.

The Association:  What’s the last movie you saw or book you read?
Aaron Grady: I recently introduced my children to the magical wizarding world of Harry Potter.

The Association: You can invite 5 people from all of history to dinner. Who’s at the table?
Aaron Grady: Robin Williams, Rene Descartes, My Great Grandfather Oates, Ivo Shandor, and Amelia Earhart.

The Association: What’s your favorite one-sentence leadership tip?
Aaron Grady: The difficulty lies not in new ideas, but in escaping the old ones. 

Learn More

Get to Know Gloria Dorsey, DVM, MPH
Get to Know Shannon Martin-Roebuck
Get to Know: Lily Yap, MBA
Meet a CAWA: Nell Thompson