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PetSmart Charities Appoints Elliott Francis to Board of Directors

Glenn Polyn//February 2, 2021//

PetSmart Charities Appoints Elliott Francis to Board of Directors

Glenn Polyn //February 2, 2021//

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Press release: PetSmart Charities

PetSmart Chairities, the foremost funder of animal welfare in North America, has announced the appointment of Elliott Francis to its board of directors. Francis will lend his expertise to provide governance and oversight of PetSmart Charities in its mission to connect and keep people and pets together.

As chief diversity and inclusion officer at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Francis provides leadership and drives change through the development and implementation of strategic diversity and inclusion initiatives in the life sciences industry.

Prior to this role, Francis led the development, implementation, and management of an enterprise-wide Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Partnering Program across 40 business units at Booz Allen Hamilton. Francis has also held leadership roles in the federal government, where his work focused on ensuring the linkage between diversity and inclusion initiatives to federal strategic goals and objectives, and at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he led the agency-wide Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Action Planning and Employee Engagement Initiatives.

“PetSmart Charities continues to work with change-making organizations to help transform the lives of people and pets and is committed to focusing on diversity and supporting animal welfare in under-represented communities,” said J.K. Symancyk, president and CEO of PetSmart and chairman of the PetSmart Charities Board. “Elliott brings a wealth of valued experience in accelerating diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are looking forward to learning from and leveraging his expertise.”

“I am excited to join the industry leaders and passionate individuals that support this impactful organization,” said Francis. “PetSmart Charities has long been considered a leader in animal welfare, and I look forward to continuing its precedence of excellence while exploring new opportunities to support pets and the needs of our communities.”

Francis has a deep passion for animals and continues to serve as a volunteer aiding people who are unable to be active with their dogs, allowing pet parents to maintain the human-animal bond while helping pets live healthy lifestyles.