HEATHER CAMMISA, MA

PROJECT COYOTE ADVISOR

Heather is an officer with Open Door Veterinary Collective and a senior advisor with Adisa, a mission-based consultancy. She moved to Colorado following an 18-year career serving as the Chief Executive of two non-profit animal welfare agencies and working with a national animal protection organization. She is known for innovative solutions, developing strategic partnerships, and inspiring collaboration. A frequent speaker at regional and national conferences, Heather is a strong advocate for the dissemination of best practices, tools, and education. Although her time was always tight as a chief executive, she made it a priority to teach an eight-hour block of the certification course for animal control officers in New Jersey for more than a decade. She herself has direct field experience as an animal control officer, animal cruelty investigator, and disaster responder and is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA).

Heather has a master’s degree in economics from Rutgers University and worked in financial and social economics before what she calls her “Yogi Berra Fork in the Road” that led to her day-to-day career in non-profit management and cause advancement. She later received a graduate certificate in Wildlife Forensics and Conservation from the University of Florida. She lives off-grid in the mountains of Colorado along with a family of rescued pets and treasures the array of wildlife, including coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats, with whom she shares her 38 acres adjacent to public lands. She also serves as Vice President of the board of her local animal shelter, serves on the board of a wildland fire department, and serves as a special advisor to the board of a youth anti-bullying organization in western Colorado.

As a member of Project Coyote’s Advisory Board, Heather uses her CAWA knowledge and experience as an animal control officer and leader of two animal control agencies to connect Project Coyote with animal control officers around the country who, as she says, are on the front lines of community conflict resolution and public education to promote safety and coexistence between people and wildlife, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. She is working with the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) to offer co-developed materials and resources to their membership and to create a platform for animal control officers to not only share their needs and challenges, but also programs and tools they’ve developed that assist their communities. Heather will also help Project Coyote expand its core programs and campaigns in Colorado and throughout the country.