Guelph Humane Society appoints new executive director, Lisa Veit

GUELPH — The Guelph Humane Society’s (GHS) board of directors has announced the appointment of Lisa Veit as its executive director. 

LISA VEIT

Veit has served as acting executive director since Adrienne McBride’s departure in March.

 “Lisa brings extensive experience and expertise to this leadership position,” says Meaghan Middleton, GHS board chair. 

“Her knowledge in animal sheltering and welfare is vital to our growth as we build on our past successes and enter this new era in GHS’s strategic development. The board is thrilled to have her at the helm,” she continued.

Veit has dedicated her career to advancing animal care and welfare.

She is a past board member of the Association of Animal Shelter Administrators of Ontario and served on Humane Canada’s Accreditation/National Standards Advisory Committee.

“This is a very exciting time for GHS as we build on our 129-year history of delivering critical services and original programs that meet the needs of the people and animals living in Guelph and Wellington County,” said Veit. 

“I’m passionate about the essential role animals play in our community and proud of our team’s work to advance animal welfare, promote compassion and enhance the human-animal bond.”

Prior to working with GHS, Veit held leadership roles as a member of the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre’s management team and as Ontario SPCA’s director, animal care and wildlife services. 

Veit holds a BSc in wildlife biology from the University of Guelph and a MSc in biology from Queen’s University. 

Plenty of pets

She lives in Guelph with her family and adopted pets- two dogs, two cats and a guinea pig.

Since joining GHS as associate director in 2015 Veit has championed significant program development, including: 

– strengthening the GHS Cares program to preserve the human-animal bond during challenging times; 

– advancing the organization’s nationally recognized wildlife program, one of the most innovative programs of its kind in Canada; and

– playing a central role in capacity planning to re-image and relocate GHS to its new location at 190 Hanlon Creek Blvd.