The Association Blog

Last year, we asked executive leadership to nominate their emerging leaders—the best and brightest who are lighting the way forward for animal welfare. We’re thrilled to spotlight one of those rising stars here

Name & Title: Kim Powell, Communications Supervisor
Organization: Maricopa County Animal Care & Control

The Association: Describe yourself in three words.
Kim Powell: Determined, Curious, Adaptable

The Association: Describe your organization in three words.
Kim Powell: Innovative, Relentless, Compassionate

The Association: How did you get started in animal welfare, and how did you land in the role you are today?
Kim Powell: I was a TV news reporter for 10 years, and covered everything from crime to hurricanes. I was lucky if a story about animals came my way. And I always said, “If I ever get out of news, I want to help animals.”

In 2022, there came a time when I was thinking about getting out of news–which at the time was a scary thought! I had applied to a few PR jobs that didn’t excite me, and then someone who used to be my contact for news stories at Maricopa County Animal Care & Control reached out to me on Instagram, saying the PIO position was open and they thought I’d love it. This was the first time I was ever excited about a job outside of news, and my mind was racing with so many ideas. When I got offered the job, I knew it was meant to be, so I left my career in news to pursue this new dream. I think it was the right move!

The Association: Considering your career so far, what achievement are you most proud of?
Kim Powell: I’m most proud of building a team from the ground up to exactly how I envisioned it when I got into animal welfare. When I started at MCACC, I had to handle all marketing, social media, internal & external communications, news appearances, graphic design, and newsletters all on my own. Now I have two wonderful employees on my team who also believe in the incredible work that goes into animal welfare.

We have reached several milestones on both Facebook and Instagram with a growing number of followers, and we have had multiple videos reach more than 1 million views. We shifted our branding away from panic messaging and “sad” posts to help get dogs adopted to all happy, positive posts. This has attracted more followers to our page, which means more adopters, volunteers, and fosters. After shifting our messaging, our adoption rate exceeded the national average.

The Association: What next goal or milestone are you’re working toward?
Kim Powell: My team and I are launching an animal welfare podcast this year to discuss important trending topics, clear up misconceptions, offer adoption advice, etc. The world of animal welfare is very fascinating, and I think the general public will be interested in learning about the realities of animal welfare and municipal shelters.

The Association: What are your words to live by in one sentence?
Kim Powell: You can’t succeed beyond your wildest dreams until you dare to dream something wild.

Meet More Members

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Word on the Street with Chris Ramon
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