Maddie's Candid Conversations

Maddie’s Candid Conversation: Dianne Prado

Our Season 3 premiere features Dianne Prado, Founder and Executive Director of the Housing Equity & Advocacy Resource Team (HEART LA [https://www.heartla.org/]), a unique non-profit that was truly born from the heart.    Heart LA is a legal non-profit that helps ensure people and their pets remain housed.  Dianne's compelling story reveals the values, mind-set and skills she's used create meaningful and impactful work, despite the challenges of many odds - not the least of which was discrimination in many forms.  Maddie's Fund® Executive Leadership Team member Mary Ippoliti-Smith hosts the discussion and Q+A.  Dianne is an appointed public member of the CA Veterinary Medical Board, trainer and consultant for the Stay Housed Los Angeles (SHLA) eviction defense program, and Lecturer in Law for UCLA Law School teaching Los Angeles Housing Law and Policy.

Maddie’s Candid Conversation: Special Edition with Bobby Mann and Shakela Brown

How can we as animal care professionals help pets in service deserts where access to care is extremely limited or even non-existent?  How can we better reach and build trusting relationships with their caregivers?  Both Bobby Mann and Shakela Brown of Humane Rescue Alliance have answers.  Their impact on the programs they manage is palpable, especially in communities with limited access to basic items like pet food, toys, and supplies – and where pets and the people who love them struggle to stay together.  The result of their work is replicable and can help fulfill our mission to support pet owners and keep their animals happy, healthy and in loving homes.

Maddie’s Candid Conversation with Geraldine D’Silva

Growing up in India, Geraldine D'Silva developed a deep understanding of equality and the human-animal bond.  From an early age, she’d care for stray dogs in her neighborhood, feeding them and taking them to a local shelter for further care.  Later, that compassion expanded using her degree in Sociology which took her to remote villages to study the caste system and women’s empowerment, and then volunteering with those experiencing homelessness.  An M.B.A. from the Edinburgh Business School gave her even greater skills, but as a foreigner both in Scotland and then in the U.S., finding meaningful work was a serious challenge.  Join us for an inspiring look at her journey across the globe and learn how her unique approach to adversity helped change the lives of animals and the people who love them.  Maddie's Fund Executive Leadership Team member Mary Ippoliti-Smith hosts the show.

Maddie's Candid Conversation with José Ocaño

From a very early age, José Ocaño learned to care for animals thanks to his mom who instilled a love of living things and helping people. Growing up in Barrio Anita gave José the grit, tenacity and life skills he would later need to work in some of the most challenging ecosystems. But just like the people from his community, José's resilience and heart carry him forward. Nothing shows that more than his success as Senior Director of People and Culture with Best Friends Animal Society.

Maddies Candid Conversation with Elijah Brice Middleton

In our Season 2 premiere, Elijah Brice-Middleton, Director at Plainfield Area Humane Society (PAHS) in New Jersey, reveals the values and skills he uses to face challenges of being, in his words, "a brown face in a white world."  Maddie's Fund Executive Leadership Team member Mary Ippoliti-Smith hosts the conversation and Q+A. Growing up in a household that cared for a menagerie of dogs, cats, snakes, monkeys, tarantulas and a bird named Diablo, Elijah learned early on to love all living creatures. That passion drove him to undergraduate degrees in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. On his way to a PhD in ecology, he realized something was missing. After a stint in the financial technologies sector on Wall Street, a happy, accidental interview led him into the field of animal well-being - and straight into the kennels of Animal Care Centers of New York. Now, as a leader at PAHS, he advocates cultivating the talents of his team so they have what they need to excel as professionals.   Every animal shelter director - or anyone in a hiring position  - should have a listen!