Kate Atema

As Director of Community Grants & Initiatives, Kate leads the team managing a grant portfolio across the United States and Canada dedicated to ensuring that families can provide their pets what they need to stay happy, healthy, and together, especially during times of crisis. Their current focal issues include accessible veterinary care, pet food security, and disaster relief.

Before joining PetSmart Charities, Kate spent over a decade leading the Community Animal Program at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (ifaw). During her time there, she worked with communities across the globe to ensure better access to veterinary care as part of public health and community safety programs. She also oversaw ifaw’s disaster response program, working with global leaders in emergency response to provide critical support to agencies in times of disaster.

Prior to focusing on companion animals, Kate campaigned to protect wildlife from human threats and international trade, apprenticed at a national assistance dog training organization and researched and authored corporate social responsibility and business leadership trends while working at a social science research institute in Berlin, Germany.