Carrie LeBlanc, M.A.
Director of Operations
CarrieL@MercyForAnimals.org

Carrie LeBlanc serves as director of operations for Mercy For Animals, overseeing the organizational finance practices and procedures, human resources policies, and fundraising efforts, ensuring that MFA maintains the highest possible standards and efficiency in each of these areas.

Carrie holds an honors degree in cultural anthropology with a minor in art history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s degree in art history with a concentration in modern and contemporary art also from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she founded the Mark Roskill Graduate Symposium in the History of Art. As a doctoral student in art history and visual studies at the University of Manchester, England, Carrie spoke internationally on the subject of contemporary British art, was published in a peer-reviewed journal, and received numerous awards and research grants, including the annual Pointon Bursary.

Despite her great success in academia, Carrie decided she wanted to engage in work that felt more meaningful to her, so she left England for California, where she began her career in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining MFA, Carrie spent seven years honing her skills by working for and with local and national nonprofits to improve their efficiency and fundraising strategies. During this period she raised several million dollars, consulted for numerous organizations working on a wide variety of social causes, and became a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties chapter.

Originally from Massachusetts, Carrie has cared for animals from as far back as she can remember, and focused as a young teenager primarily on endangered species issues and raising awareness of seal slaughter with a “Save the Seals” campaign, and of in-school, animal-based dissection with a “Frogs are People Too” protest.

She became vegetarian shortly after graduating from high school, and vegan twenty years later after learning of the tragic plight of male chicks hatched into the egg industry. A year after becoming vegan herself, Carrie started a vegan group in her community focused on outreach and education, which grew to over 200 active members in less than twelve months. In addition, Carrie co-founded the Animal Rescue Fund of Santa Barbara, became a board advisor to C.A.R.E.4Paws, and published several articles related to veganism, nonprofits, and fundraising.

Carrie currently resides in Redondo Beach, California with her two rescued dogs, Kita and Kallie. She feels that working with Mercy For Animals is the culmination of everything she has prepared for and is enormously pleased to be part of such a dynamic force for farmed animals.