Alessandra Navidad joined the Arizona Animal Welfare League as President & CEO in March 2021. Under her leadership, AAWL has embraced innovative approaches to community engagement at the state’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter, including training pet health “promotoras” to increase pet care knowledge in Phoenix’s Latinx communities. Navidad’s background in social justice advocacy has influenced AAWL strategies focused on more empathetic, inclusive, and collaborative efforts to expand behavior and adoption programs to keep pet families together and provide more affordable, accessible vet care for pet owners. Navidad shares a home in South Phoenix with her husband, Alex, their four kids (ages 16-19) and a pitty rescue named, Charli, and Olie, their cattle dog rescue. Alessandra graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an MBA from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida to immigrant parents from Brazil and Argentina and speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.
