Entrepreneurial Executive Lauren Apolito Joins Pet Partners Board of Directors

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Press release: Pet Partners

Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions (AAI), is proud to welcome Lauren Apolito, senior vice president of strategy and business development at HFA-Rumblefish, to its board of directors.

Apolito is an entrepreneurial executive recognized for her ability to launch new businesses and lead companies through growth, diversification and digital transformation. Her career hallmark is to identify and execute on opportunities arising from technological, financial or regulatory disruption and leverage her experience across diverse industries and cultures. In her current role, she was honored as a Billboard Digital Power Player in the music industry and prior she held positions at Citibank and Nikko. Apolito is also a mentor to companies in the social impact and diverse-founder space. She is a creator and a connector.

One of Apolito’s greatest passions lies in health and wellness, and she was previously a proud Pet Partners registered therapy animal team with her chihuahua, Jack.

“Jack and I volunteered mostly in senior care facilities in NYC such as Brown Gardens. Jack would sit on the laps of the eager residents, listening to the stories of their lives and making the residents feel seen and heard,” said Apolito. “It was truly a touching, humbling, and rewarding experience, and I’m thrilled now to join the Pet Partners Board and continue supporting this mission.”

Apolito has an MBA in Finance and International Business from Fordham University, Graduate School of Business. She also has a BA in Economics and Spanish from Bucknell University and studied at Regent’s College European Business School in London.

“We at Pet Partners help make the powerful connections between pets and people possible every day, and Lauren is a connector herself, so this appointment seems like a natural fit for her,” said C. Annie Peters, president and CEO of Pet Partners. “We are excited to have Lauren bring her passion and expertise to the organization and have no doubt she’ll be a great addition to the Pet Partners Board.”

Pet Partners is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities and education. Since the organization’s inception in 1977, the science proving these benefits has become indisputable. With thousands of registered teams making millions of visits annually, Pet Partners serves as the nation’s most diverse and respected nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Pet Partners teams visit with patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students, veterans with PTSD, people who have experienced crisis events and those approaching end of life, with the goal of improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond. With the release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard.