Emancipet and Animal Trustees of Austin explore merger

If completed, merger will take place by end of 2015

Two of Austin’s most respected, loved, and effective animal welfare organizations are formally exploring a merger that will serve their complementary missions and ultimately serve more pets and the people who love them.

The boards of directors of Emancipet and Animal Trustees of Austin have signed letters of intent to merge, and are beginning due diligence to explore the feasibility of a full merger, which could be completed by the end of December, according to Emancipet CEO Amy Mills.  

If the merger is completed, Emancipet will fully incorporate Animal Trustees’ facility, programs, services, and staff. After the potential merger, ATA’s clinic facility on Cameron Road will continue to operate. 

The CEO of the merged organization (which will retain the Emancipet name) would be Amy Mills, CEO of Emancipet. Missy McCullough, the founder and executive director of Animal Trustees of Austin, will join the staff of Emancipet as a key member of the senior leadership and fundraising team. 

Emancipet and ATA have been close collaborators for many years, and Mills and McCullough have a close professional relationship and friendship. The two leaders are excited to explore this opportunity to serve more animals in more communities, with more comprehensive veterinary care. 

“I have been a personal supporter of Animal Trustees of Austin for many years because I believe so deeply in their mission,” Mills says.  “They are often a last resort for people whose pets have serious injuries, and their work saves lives and keeps families together. I am so excited to explore this merger. Adding additional services to our Emancipet clinics would be a game-changer for the people and pets we serve.”

A major benefit of the potential merger is that Emancipet operates a large and growing network of clinics, while ATA offers more types of veterinary services. After a merger, all Emancipet clinics—which includes five clinics in Texas with a clinic in development in Philadelphia—will be able to offer pet owners a wider range of preventive and life-saving veterinary procedures. 

One of Emancipet’s key national supporters, ASPCA CEO Matt Bershadker, says: “Lack of access to affordable veterinary care can sometimes be the difference between safety and suffering – and life and death – for pets in crisis.”

“This merger will allow Emancipet to extend a wider array of life-saving veterinary services to the communities they cover, as well as expand their reach to even more pets and owners in need,” he says. “As a strong Emancipet supporter and funder for many years, we look forward to the enormous impact this alliance will have on underserved communities and vulnerable animals who rely on their expertise and compassion, ” Bershadker says.

ATA’s McCullough says: “It has always been my dream to replicate what Animal Trustees of Austin does all across the country, and with this potential merger my dream will begin to come true in my lifetime.”