Anna Gonce Named Executive Director of Humane Society of Sarasota County

October 21, 2020 – Sarasota

The Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC) has named Anna Gonce as Executive Director. Gonce brings 20 years of experience in animal welfare to the organization at a time when HSSC is expanding to be the state’s premier no-kill shelter. 

Gonce spent many years with Best Friends Animal Society, which runs the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals. Gonce helped Best Friends launch several national initiatives designed to reduce the number of animals entering shelters. She then led their Salt Lake City–based program, delivering a strategy to make Utah a no-kill state. She operated a pet adoption center, high-volume spay/neuter clinic, mobile spay/neuter clinic, kitten nursery, and led a statewide coalition. 

Gonce was previously Executive Director of The Gabriel Foundation, one of the country’s largest parrot sanctuaries. She also worked for the American Humane Association, first as their public relations manager, then as the manager of their animal emergency services program. 

Gonce was the secretary of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition and founding board president for Spay Neuter International Project, based in Costa Rica. She has presented at animal welfare conferences and workshops across the country. 

Most recently, she worked in philanthropy for Habitat for Humanity Sarasota, which was the first nonprofit to be named the Small Business of the Year by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. 

Gonce’s animal-welfare expertise includes domestic and international disaster response, delivering spay/neuter services, operating pet adoption centers, return-to-field programs for community cats, no-kill strategic plans, and coalition building.