Seattle Humane Mourns Passing of Interim CEO Paula Littlewood

It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of Paula Littlewood, our beloved Interim CEO at Seattle Humane, who passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this week. Paula stepped into this leadership position more than a year ago, at a time when Seattle Humane most needed her strength, guidance and willingness to make hard decisions. Paula joined Seattle Humane with the intention of serving on an interim basis, and we are so grateful that she was willing to stay on and help steer Seattle Humane much longer than expected, and even after receiving this devastating diagnosis. She was also heavily involved in the search committee tasked with finding a permanent CEO.

“Paula had been doing double duty for the past 11 months, both guiding and reinvigorating Seattle Humane and waging a battle on the health front,” said Seattle Humane Board Chair John Wenstrup. “We will be forever grateful for her leadership and passion, empowering Seattle Humane with innovation and creativity during the pandemic, and for her support in the rigorous search process.”

The entire Seattle Humane community is grieving this incredible loss, and our hearts and thoughts are with Paula’s family, who provided this following statement:

The family of Paula C. Littlewood is very sad to share the news that Paula passed away on Monday, December 14th, 2020 from pancreatic cancer. Paula lived a full life with energy and compassion, completely supported by the incredible communities she created. Her career spanned decades of service to the public, including posts at the University of Washington School of Law, the Washington State Bar Association, and most recently Seattle Humane. The impact of her creative thinking and positivity has been felt nationally and internationally. Paula’s legacy will be continued in the legal community and the many other areas where she shared her knowledge and passion. Paula was a force for good, and we mourn her death.