Nan Stuart Named Foxcroft’s Distinguished Alumna 2018

“A lengthy nomination was submitted for Nan,” said Alumnae Council member Annie Bishop ’98 in making the announcement, “but one line clearly resonated with me: ‘Countless times, Nan has climbed trees, mounted roofs, squirmed under houses, even gone down chimneys — all to save an animal's life.’ This selfless commitment and determination are qualities that Foxcroft fosters in all of its girls, and they are but a few of the qualities our alumnae take into their communities and the world.”

Nan’s commitment to our four-legged friends is remarkable. Although she studied sociology and criminology, at Sweet Briar College, she always knew she wanted to work with animals and so, after graduation, she returned to her home state of California and became a state humane officer. This began a lifelong vocation of advocating for and protecting neglected, abused, abandoned, and relinquished companion animals.

Since then, Nan has worked with the Humane Society and Project HEART, became an instructor for the AHA Horse Abuse Investigators School and the National Animal Cruelty Investigations School, in addition to teaching animal control and abuse workshops throughout the United States.

 

In 1985, Nan founded Code 3 Associates, a nonprofit dedicated to providing professional training for first-responders and emergency assistance to pets and livestock affected by natural disasters. With its mobile command center, called BART (Big storm Animal Rescue Team), Code 3 has responded to some of the country’s most notable disasters, delivering technical animal rescue and recovery to communities hit by disaster. Code 3 academies, held across the U.S., have trained countless first-responders, law enforcement, and animal control officers to handle trapped, frightened, and injured animals in difficult conditions, including fires, floods, and HAZMAT situations.

 

A woman of quiet action who sees a need and addresses it, Nan has for many years worked with and supported the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University. Having lost members of her four-legged family to the devastating disease, Nan is dedicated to finding a cure and hopeful that CSU’s comparative oncology approach — collaboration between scientists and doctors working with people and animals — will bring therapies that can save humans as well as animals.

Whether working with NASCAR drivers to promote One Cure, teaching investigators to recognize animal abuse, or enjoying time at her home or office in Longmont, CO, Nan finds that Foxcroft is never far from her mind. As a member of the Board of Trustees for eight years, she helped the School realize many goals, including a new Strategic Plan and the construction of a new dormitory (which bears her name), Stuart Hall. She has been an integral member of the Centennial Campaign Steering Committee, has served as Class of 1971 representative to the Alumnae Association, and has brought speakers, such as NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, to campus to meet with students.

 

Nan held a Code 3 workshop on campus for many years, and she and her canine friends have long been a familiar sight. These days, golden retriever Kelsey is never far from her side, whether she is at a board meeting, at a Covert reception, or walking across campus. In fact, when Kelsey appears in a doorway, you know that Nan is not far behind — and you know that her immeasurable energy and heartfelt passion for animals, and people, will soon fill the room.