Vicki was a vice president in human resources at Wachovia Bank before coming to the PETA Foundation, but her dream was always to work for animals. She had become a vegetarian 13 years earlier, after reading a story about a downed cow in a PETA publication. So she quit her job to volunteer full-time for PETA, knowing that she wanted to work for the Foundation as soon as a position in its Human Resources Department became open.

Now, more than six years after being hired, she says, “Working here has been like a dream come true.” It’s been excellent for PETA, too—not only does Vicki bring her energy, enthusiasm, and devotion to the animals to work every day, she has also instituted invaluable changes that make PETA a sought-after employer and has hired some of the best employees in the world.

“One of the wonderful things about working at the PETA Foundation,” she says, “is that we get to stretch our abilities by working on special projects, such as the PETA fundraiser in New York, where I coordinated all the volunteers. And of course, I’m always thrilled to help deliver doghouses and table at community events.”