She Came for a Dog and Stayed for the Mission
Christina Hegele’s introduction to Seattle Humane was the same as many people’s: she came looking for a dog.
It was 2021, and Christina was ready to add a four-legged member to her family. She left with Cody, an Australian Cattle Dog with more energy and personality than she may have fully anticipated.
“Australian Cattle Dogs are built to work all day. Cody has made sure I understand that personally.”
What started as an adoption quickly turned into something more. Christina began volunteering with Seattle Humane’s Dog Exercise and Socialization program (known as DES) in late 2023, spending time with dogs who needed activity, attention and a familiar face.
“Most people think of Seattle Humane as the place you go to adopt a pet. Once you’re here regularly, you realize how much more is going on: a pet food bank, low-cost veterinary services, community outreach, behavior support. It’s a much bigger mission than it appears from the outside.”
That growing understanding, combined with a desire to contribute at a deeper level, led Christina to join the Seattle Humane Board of Directors this spring.
In her professional life, Christina serves as Director of Strategy, Planning & Operations and Chief of Staff at Adobe, where she has led large-scale operational and strategic initiatives across a global organization. Prior to Adobe, she held senior leadership roles at Microsoft and the BBC and has lived and worked across six countries. As Adobe’s Employee Champion for the Employee Community Fund in 2024, she helped secure a $20,000 grant for Seattle Humane, an early example of how her involvement is already translating to impact.
Christina is serving on the Donor Development Committee, where she is focused on strengthening how Seattle Humane engages its community of supporters, connecting people more deeply to the mission and building the kind of long-term relationships that sustain an organization over time.
“I’ve spent my career thinking about how organizations scale their impact while staying true to what they’re really about,” Christina says. “That’s exactly the challenge that excites me here.”
Outside the boardroom, Christina has called Seattle home for more than a decade. She travels whenever possible with her husband, Bodo, bakes German cakes, practices yoga and writes contemplative nonfiction. She also has ambitious plans to go paddleboarding with Cody this summer, though she acknowledges that keeping a water-obsessed cattle dog on a board may be the most complex operational challenge she has faced yet.
