Our Season 3 premiere features Dianne Prado, Founder and Executive Director of the Housing Equity & Advocacy Resource Team (HEART LA), 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.

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.

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.