Jennifer Angelucci, 25

Many people are surprised to find that the president and CEO of Paws Crossed Animal Rescue is 25-year-old Jennifer Angelucci. It’s a position she’s been working toward since the moment she found out that former shelter Pets Alive, where she was a manager, was closing its doors. “As soon as I heard the decision to close the shelter, I spent all my free time drafting a business plan and initiated the steps to incorporate Paws Crossed,” Angelucci explains. After nearly a year of working with Pets Alive and the Greenburgh Town Council, Paws Crossed was chosen as the best candidate to operate the no-kill rescue shelter. Vendors and volunteers lined up to help with renovations, and even the legal fees were pro bono; the shelter opened in September 2016. “My adopted pup profoundly changed my life, and I changed his. Being able to give other people and pets that same experience is priceless,” says Angelucci. There’s still work to be done though: Paws Crossed is holding fundraising events in June and July to help rebuild portions of the kennels and property.