Pet Partners Hires Jennifer Gilbertson as Chief Marketing Officer

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Press release: Pet Partners

C. Annie Peters, president and CEO of Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, is excited to announce Jennifer Gilbertson as Pet Partners’ chief marketing officer and director of marketing for the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP).

AAAIP officially launches in 2022 and will organize a community of professionals who incorporate therapy animals into their practice, including mental health providers, educators, researchers, trainers, behaviorists and more. AAAIP will offer education, certification, connection, research and resources to its members.

In her new role, Gilbertson will lead all marketing strategy and initiatives for Pet Partners and AAAIP. She brings with her 20 years of marketing experience with a special focus on association marketing. Most recently, Gilbertson spent 14 years at Health Industry Distributors Association in Alexandria, Virginia.

In addition, she has worked at the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and the National Wildlife Federation.

“We are thrilled to have Jenn join the Pet Partners team. Her previous experience, coupled with her enthusiasm and deep background in traditional and digital marketing, will be a true asset to both Pet Partners and AAAIP as we enter this exciting new chapter,” said Peters. “We welcome Jenn and look forward to the launch of AAAIP and further advancing our marketing efforts.”

Gilbertson, a graduate of Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, is a certified digital marketing professional by the American Marketing Association and the Digital Marketing Institute and remains active with the American Marketing Association.

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.