Kara Shannon (she/her) lives in East Montpelier with her scruffy rescue dog, Luna- a Central Vermont Humane Society alum. Kara earned her bachelor’s degree in environment and development from McGill University and earned a J.D. and certificate in food and agriculture law from Vermont Law School. She has been in the broader animal welfare space for a decade and is currently the director of farm animal welfare policy for the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). In that role, she works to advance state and federal policies to end factory farming and transition toward a more humane food system. As an ASPCA employee, she’s also able to deploy to assist with disaster response and emergency sheltering operations as well as learn from the organization’s expert animal behavior teams. She is thrilled to support the incredible work of the Mitzvah Fund and can be found hanging out with beloved Mitzvah Fund mascot Carat on most farmers’ market Saturdays.