Jan Elster has worked as a consultant and trainer in the animal sheltering world for 25 plus years.  With a background in non-profit work, Jan took her knowledge of "people skills" and translated them to the world of animal welfare and protection.  She has helped numerous sheltering organizations including staff, management and boards to improve work effectiveness, to develop enhanced leadership skills, to design and implement strategic plans and to deal more easily with any kind of customer imaginable.

Jan belives that that no matter what the topic, every consultation or workshop must be tailored specifically to the audience, in this case the animal shelter and clinic culture.  Jan prepared for translating her work from the non-profit world to the animal welfare world by volunteering in shelters, clinics and in the field.  Early on in her career, she enjoyed her time walking shelter dogs and took her own shelter-adopted dogs to obedience classes provided by her local humane society. Later in her career, she was awarded American Humane Association's Lifetime Achievement Award for "her long-standing reputation and the tremendous contributions she has made to groups that work with animals."   

Jan lives in Tucson, Arizona with Lola, a perfect "maltese-maybe," a 30-year old desert tortoise named Scout and two desert box turtles, Pearl and Ida, who roam her backyard, soak up the desert sun, and hibernate under the cacti.