We're dedicated
to saving lives.
featured pets
Ellen Schmidt, 
Senior Manager of Humane
Education & Outreach
Ellen Schmidt originally joined the Animal
Humane team in March 2008 and worked as
the Adoptions Lead through August 2009.
After a year's absence to complete a degree,
she returned to the shelter work she loves in
October 2010. In 2011, Ellen and her colleague
Lyndsay Anderson developed and launched
Animal Humane's 505 Pit Crew program.
A native New Mexican, Ellen received her BA in History, magna cum laude, from the University of New Mexico. She also holds a MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York in York, UK. She is a life-long animal lover, and has worked hands-on with animals in veterinary clinics, grooming salons, doggy day-cares and with the American Kennel Club. She found the perfect match for her love of pets in animal welfare.
Ellen is passionate about educating people about their companion animals as a
way to improve the lives of animals and the people
who care for them. She is a strong advocate for
compassionate living and believes that teaching
and learning respect and kindness towards all living
beings and the Earth itself is of huge import for early
character development.
In her down time, Ellen helps out with Irish Wolfhound rescue for the state of New Mexico, visiting with and educating families interested in the breed. She does Rally Obedience with her own wolfhound, and is an avid hiker and camper. She lives with her husband, Franz, and their three fur-babies: Darcy, the Irish Wolfhound, and two rescued kitty brothers, Bubba and Monk.