ST. GEORGE — As CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, Julie Castle helms one of the most well-known animal welfare organizations in the United States. She spearheaded the “no-kill by 2025” nationwide campaign while working at the country’s largest no-kill sanctuary in Kanab — but she didn’t start at the top.

After graduating from Southern Utah University, where she majored in history and political science with a minor in communication, Castle pursued a career in law and completed two internships in Washington, D.C.

Before she was set to leave for the University of Virginia School of Law, Castle and her friends embarked on “one last trip” to Mexico, where they ran out of money.

“We had just enough for a candy bar each and gas to get home,” she said. “And we were in my 1979 Dodge Colt that I’d been in so many accidents in that each panel was a different color — so, it was a prize.”

En route to Salt Lake City, Castle’s friend begged the group to stop at an animal sanctuary in Southern Utah.

“None of us wanted to,” Castle said. “Finally, we gave in and pulled into this spectacular red rock canyon that, in any other state, would be a national park and I was just awe-struck by the beauty of this place.”

The group toured the sanctuary and learned about Best Friends’ no-kill movement, Castle said.

“It was a simple question,” she said. “‘Why are we killing our best friends? Why don’t we work to save them?”‘

Before visiting the sanctuary, Castle said she’d only been to the Enoch City Animal Shelter, which was a “tin shed down by the dump.”

“When I visited for the first time there, I was looking to adopt a cat,” she said. “And when I walked into the shelter, all the cages were empty, and the animals had been disposed of earlier that morning. And piecing that experience together with my experience when I pulled into Best Friends — I thought, ‘Well, this is what I want to do.’

“So, I called my dad from a pay phone here in Kanab and said, ‘I’m not going to law school. I’m going to move to Kanab and work at an animal sanctuary.’ And that was 26 years ago.”

Castle said she was “employee number 17,” and her first paycheck was $183 for two weeks of work. She lived in her van and showered at the local gym until she found an apartment.

“It’s one of those stories where I’ve started in the proverbial mailroom,” she said. “And I’ve basically done every job in the organization except for HR — I never did that. And now I’m CEO and it’s a really huge honor.”

Seeing every aspect of the organization, including operations, administration and animal welfare, prepared her to “approach the work from a 360 view,” Castle said, adding that having a leader “who’s been there from the early days” has been important for Best Friends’ culture as well.

“When we started, we were 17 employees,” she said. “We were a $800,000 organization — we’re now $130 million and have 850 employees all over the country. And so it’s been really rewarding to have had a front-row seat to all this incredible work that’s been happening to save lives.”

As CEO, Castle said one of her greatest responsibilities is to Best Friends’ employees and that when it’s parsed out, “it really comes down to the people who have raised their hand to join the cause.”

“As an employer, I feel like it’s really critical that you recognize that and realize that people are spending most of their waking lives at a job,” she said. “And so it should be one of the greatest experiences they ever have. I really believe that if you treat people the way you want to be treated, they’re going to show up every day and do their level best.”

Being a leader

While the most challenging aspect of her job is “that there aren’t enough hours in the day,” Castle said she’s faced challenges specifically as a woman in leadership.

“At the end of the day, we still are in a patriarchal society,” she said, adding that she recently read statistics stating there are more men with the same first name than women CEOs. For instance, a 2020 report found that, in the S&P 500, more men named Micheal or James were chief executives than women.

Castle said women leaders are “unique” as they are more likely to collaborate.

“And I think that bears witness in any woman that you study. And I think it’s a very undervalued trait because I think together, we’re stronger,” she said.

Women are “well-poised to do a lot of good in this world,” Castle said, adding that she thinks “we’re just seeing the first wave of it.”

“But it’s challenging,” she said. “You know, there’s a lot of firsts for Best Friends, and me as a woman CEO, and I think it’s a path that I absolutely enjoy and crave — to be able to carve that out — put me in the game. I’m ready to go.”

Castle’s advice to young women interested in pursuing leadership positions is, “don’t be shut down by somebody else telling you you can’t do something.”

“Buck the system; think differently about how you want to approach your life,” she said. “There is such a thing as being a professional and being a mother. There is such a thing as having a career and changing the world. Just because, for millennia, men have been at the helm and in the driver’s seat — women are the ones that are behind the scenes getting the work done. Why not be in the front of the scenes getting the work done?”

Animal welfare

Castle said she’s most proud of being “part of a journey that’s way bigger” than herself.

“I look across this country, and I look at all the great causes out there and great nonprofits — most of them don’t have a cure,” she said. “They don’t have a solution, but we do.”

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nonprofit’s “heart and soul,” broke ground in 1984, Castle said.

“Our entire mission is to bring about a time of no more homeless pets,” she said. “Our current goal right now is to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025.”

When Castle began her work at Best Friends in the early 1990s, millions of cats and dogs were euthanized per year “because they had no safe place to call home,” according to a news release the nonprofit issued to St. George News.

“After four years with Castle as Best Friends’ first female CEO, however, that number has dropped to 355,000,” the release states. “While that’s inspiring, she won’t be satisfied until it’s zero.”

To that end, Castle spearheaded the creation of the “most comprehensive national data on sheltered animals that exists,” representing approximately 93% of the nation’s cats and dogs, according to Best Friends.

“This has brought animal welfare out of the dark and created a tangible way to bring resources into the areas that need it most,” the release reads.

Castle helped establish the Best Friends Network, comprised of public and private shelters, rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations in the United States, providing them with professional resources and mentorship opportunities, according to the release.

The Best Friends shelter collaborative program was also launched during the CEO’s tenure. The initiative pairs mentors from no-kill shelters with peers who have not yet reached that goal.

Additionally, under Castle’s leadership, the nonprofit partnered with Southern Utah University to create the country’s “first university-endorsed animal services leadership program,” the release states.

“Students can join the next generation of leaders who are implementing the lifesaving programs, policies and practices to achieve and sustain no-kill for cats and dogs nationwide,” according to the nonprofit.

Castle said she invites the public to visit the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, which she describes as “unique to this world,” and encourages individuals to adopt pets.

“There are animals all over this country in shelters that would love to be a part of your family,” she said. “And they bring such joy and unselfishness and nonjudgement to our lives.”

For more information about Best Friends Animal Society, visit their website here.

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