Jennifer Skiff is a bestselling author, award winning journalist and effective animal advocate. Her inspirational books, The Divinity of Dogs and God Stories have been published in seven languages. Her most recent book, Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World, received three 1st place literary prizes.
For more than a decade, Jennifer crisscrossed the globe as an investigative correspondent for CNN, receiving several honors including the prized Environmental Media Award. Before CNN, she was the assistant managing editor of a nightly national news program in New York and worked as an editor and reporter at network affiliates in Fort Pierce, Florida, Salt Lake City, Utah, and in Bangor, Maine.
Jennifer has more than 25 years of experience leading animal welfare organizations and leads by example. After witnessing the torture of Asiatic bears in 1998, she initiated and led the successful campaign to build the first bear sanctuary in the country of Laos. Today that sanctuary is home to 22 bears. In Indonesia, she negotiated the release of twelve chained monkeys from a hotel zoo into their natural habitat. Her intervention was credited for shuttering the zoo six months later. And in Australia, in 2021, in what was called a global first for animal welfare, Jennifer co-authored the position paper that led to West Australia Parliament passing sweeping legislation to end puppy farming. The new laws require mandatory dog sterilization, dog breeder registration to increase transparency and traceability, a statewide registration system to help authorities identify irresponsible breeders of dogs and cats, and the transitioning of pet shops into adoption centers.
In 2019, Jennifer was appointed Director of International Programs for the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action in Washington. She specializes in public policy and corporate reform initiatives to benefit animals. As a private consultant, she works with governments and NGOs as a strategic policy advisor, examining issues that affect people and animals and creating solutions that benefit all.
In her aforementioned book, Rescuing Ladybugs, Jennifer coined the phrase “The Compassion Movement.” She defines it as “the collective quest to alleviate suffering for all forms of life.” Teachers around the world are using the book to inspire students to create lasting change.