Mary Sarah Fairweather

Vice President of Sheltering

Mary Sarah Fairweather is thrilled to bring more than 28 years of non-profit experience to the Dumb Friends League. She started her career in the performing arts, first in development at Carnegie Hall and later in leadership at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. While living in Manhattan, Mary Sarah volunteered as an adoptions counselor for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and was soon recruited to deploy nationally on natural disaster and animal cruelty operations. In 2008, she decided to pursue a full-time career in animal welfare, dedicating most of her time to traveling across the country with the ASPCA on deployments. 

Five years later, Mary Sarah joined the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) as the director of the Cape Cod Adoption Center, where she oversaw the construction of its new facility and raised major gifts for the capital campaign. In addition to managing MSPCA operations, she was also responsible for organizing special events, generating earned income, and soliciting major and corporate gifts, bequests, and foundation support. In 2020, Mary Sarah assumed the role of Vice President of the ASPCA’s Cruelty Recovery Center in Columbus, Ohio. There, she led programming and operations for a 100,000+ facility, housing animals removed and recovering from cruelty operations across the country.

Mary Sarah received a dual degree in Economics and Music from Haverford College in 1994. She and her husband, Sam, share their home with their adopted Olde English Bulldogge, Julep. When not at work, Mary Sarah enjoys listening to opera, watching football, gardening, and skiing. In her short time in Denver, she has discovered an immediate affection for the city and spectacular surroundings.