Dr. Haston received a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of California Santa Barbara and a MBA in finance from Rice University.

After working for Amoco and Arco in Houston, Dr. Haston moved to Colorado in 1998 where he started and grew a successful business in geophysical data processing. He had a strong desire to give back to the community and became involved with Humane Society of Boulder Valley as a volunteer, board member and board chair. He also worked with both for profit and non-profit organizations on strategy and leadership development with a strong focus on creating mission-driven organizations.

His passion for helping animals continued to grow and in 2012 he committed himself full time to animal welfare and took over as Executive Director at the Animal Assistance Foundation where he has merged his passion for science, business, and people to help the animals of Colorado and beyond. In 2016, he joined PetSmart Charities as the Chief Innovation Officer. He has become a nationally recognized leader in data, metrics, analysis and assessing impact. He is a highly sought-after speaker who has presented on a number of animal welfare and economic topics around the world.