The New England Federation of Humane Societies is celebrating its 75^th anniversary because of the people who’ve invested their energy and passion into the Fed these many years. Today, there is much to celebrate. And, as we look to the future, we may be excited or worried (or both) about the changes in our field that are well underway here in New England. Where will pets come from? Are our services and programs relevant to our community? Is funding available to support animal welfare rather than sheltering? Should we be “out of business” as we joked about for years? And personally, do I have a place in this future work?

Our keynote speaker, Jodi Buckman, served on the board of New England Fed in the mid 90’s and went on to work in animal welfare nationally for the ASPCA and American Humane, and locally in Minnesota, Ohio and now in Colorado. Although Jodi won’t answer these questions for us, she will share her perspective on past and current trends in our field, suggest how that past can help inform our future, and share some tools we can use to explore what our own answers to those very big questions and our future might be.