Carmine DiCenso Named to Board of National Animal-welfare Organization

SPRINGFIELD — Carmine DiCenso, executive director at Dakin Humane Society, was unanimously appointed to serve on the board of directors for the Assoc. for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA).

The national organization, formerly known as the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators, is based in Surprise, Ariz. Its purpose is to create an association with professional administrators employed by organizations generally accepted to be a part of the humane movement. The goal of the board of directors is to design its management and annual conferences in an effort to continually enhance the standards of competence and integrity of its membership, as well as provide a significant benefit to the humane movement.

DiCenso joins a team of more than a dozen animal-welfare professionals from around the country in serving on the board, which is chaired by Lisa LaFontaine of Humane Rescue Alliance.

“The association helps set the bar for excellence in animal welfare; it creates connections between people and facilitates individual growth and impact,” LaFontaine said. “I’m thrilled to work with Carmine, and so many talented and compassionate people who have both wisdom and knowledge to share, and I am particularly proud of the AAWA’s collaborative approach in a profession that inspires passion and profoundly affects so many animals and people.”

Added DiCenso, “I am honored and humbled to have been appointed to this board. I look forward to working closely with top leaders and innovators in the field of animal welfare. I know that I will be inspired and learn so much from this experience, and I look forward to bringing that knowledge to Dakin to assist animals and people in the Pioneer Valley.”