Meet Julie Castle.

• Author: Steinbrech, Amy

The CEO of Best Friends Animal Society almost went to law school. Then a trip to the nonprofit changed her career path forever.

When Julie Castle and her friends decided to gather their money and take a road trip to Mexico after college graduation, they ended up in Kanab, Utah, at Best Friends Animal Society's Sanctuary. She had just been accepted into law school. But that road trip, and that stop along the way, forever changed Castle's life and career path, and she could not be happier.

"I had this life-changing moment and decided I didn't want to go to law school [and] live that litigious life; I'd much rather do something that really makes a difference," Ms. Castle recalls. She changed her path and became the organization's 17th employee, taking on a variety of tasks from animal care giver, to landscaper, to tour guide.

Fast forward to present day and she is now CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, devoting her heart and soul to helping thousands of animals find forever homes. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation's largest refuge for abandoned and special needs animals sits on 3,700 acres in the beautiful red rock canyon country of Southern Utah.

TAKING A NONPROFIT NATIONAL

Best Friends is a national animal welfare organization focused on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters, and it has evolved dramatically over the past 34 years. "When I first started with Best Friends our annual revenue was $800,000. This year it just hit $130 million and we have 801 employees," Ms. Castle says. Over the...