Animal-control supervisor honored with national 'Trailblazer' award

The Crestview City Council honored Katie, the city's animal control supervisor, with the Trailblazer in Animal Welfare Award from Humane World for Animals. Mayor J. B. Whitton said the award recognizes "outstanding dedication to building a more inclusive movement by advancing equity and access in historically marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented communities." Chief Akoski credited Katie's leadership and said the city made her a supervisor this year because of her work.

Katie accepted the recognition and thanked city staff and leaders for support, saying, "I obviously owe this award to the city of Crestview, to chief, to Jessica, for allowing me to build something that didn't exist before in the city." Council members spoke in support after the presentation and the group posed for an official photo. No formal action was required for this proclamation and presentation.