Emily Scott is a San Francisco-based financial guide and navigator, thought partner, philanthropist, advocate for human and animal welfare, and the Co-founder and inspiration behind the first-of-its-kind Veterinary Mental Health Initiative (VMHI), a non-profit program that provides vital mental health support to veterinarians and their clinical staff free of cost.

After compassionate veterinarians attempted to save her rescue dog Mia from a tragic accident, Emily witnessed the stress and traumatic nature of their work and learned that veterinarians suffer from high rates of suicidal ideation due to excessive burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. This revelation prompted her into action to fill the void of resources that address the unique mental health challenges that veterinarians encounter. VMHI was created in 2021 through Emily’s support and under the guidance of co-founder Dr. Katie Lawlor, a Stanford-trained Doctor of Clinical Psychology. VMHI is a program of Shanti Project, a San Francisco organization founded on building human connections to reduce isolation, enhance health and wellbeing, and improve quality of life.

Currently Emily, through her practice at Emily Scott AND, works with clients on all aspects of their emotional side of money. In her prior career she was an executive on Wall Street and spent 20 years as the president of the Pottruck Family Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth and supporting volunteer-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her commitment to animal welfare also led her to work with longtime partner Nuzzles & Co. to found the Purple Paw Program, a program that helps free domestic abuse victims by offering housing to their pets. She later authored the award-winning book, Tails of Devotion, selling 10,000 copies and donating all proceeds to over 70 animal non-profits.

Emily’s leadership spans unique fundraising programs, various boards including the SF AIDS Foundation, KQED, and Fostering Media Connections. Emily is a public speaker and has been widely interviewed on the topics of philanthropy, human and animal welfare, including TEDx Sonoma, Talks at Google, The SF Business Times, The Giving List, and more.