She guides the development and execution of innovative strategies, high-impact programs and policy reforms that deliver lasting protections for animals across the United States and Canada.
Paquette has more than three decades of experience working in the animal protection movement. She joined the organization in 2010 and, in her tenure as vice president of wildlife protection, spearheaded pivotal campaigns to end trophy hunting, promote non-lethal solutions for human-wildlife conflicts, eliminate the fur trade and secure critical protections restricting private ownership and exhibition of exotic animals throughout the U.S. She also served as deputy director of programs and policy and Texas state director where she advanced high-impact strategies, including strengthening state cockfighting laws, enacting landmark legislation regulating puppy mill breeding facilities and enhancing the state’s cost of animal care laws. Before joining us, Paquette spent more than a decade at Born Free USA as senior vice president and general counsel.
She holds a J.D. from Vermont Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from San Francisco State University. She has lectured, testified and presented on animal law and policy at law schools, state and local legislatures and conferences all across the country. She serves on the Boards of the Public Affairs Council, Animal Place and is Board Chair of the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband and their rescue pets, cat Tilly and dog Ruthie.