Anna Frostic’s lifelong passion for protecting animals launched the 2007 McGeorge School of Law alumna to a top role for an international non-profit.

Now serving as the senior vice president of programs and policy for the Humane Society International, Frostic said it was her time at McGeorge that defined her path, which has included successfully advocating for improved animal welfare.

“In law school, I took courses about environmental law, natural resources, and international law, which really allowed me to find a career that combined my interests in wildlife protection with my legal education,” said Frostic, who earned her undergraduate degree in physical and biological anthropology.

She also worked as Professor Stephen McCaffrey’s research assistant and was intrigued by his international water law practice. This opened her eyes to how a legal degree could be applied to international policy issues.

Frostic has many professional accomplishments, but one of her proudest accomplishments is work she did early in her career to eliminate a loophole in federal law that allowed chimpanzees to be subjected to invasive biomedical research. Because of her efforts, the United States has not engaged in basic biomedical research on chimpanzees since 2015.

She has also been involved in efforts to end trophy hunting around the world. In the United States, she filed multiple lawsuits to prohibit the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from issuing permits to allow trophy imports of African lions. At the international level, she helped pressure the South African government to prohibit the captive breeding of lions. As a result, the South African government recently issued a policy document paving the way to end the industry.

“Anna is a tremendous example of a McGeorge alumna making a difference and serving as a voice for the voiceless in the legal system through her advocacy on behalf of nonhuman animals,” said Professor Courtney Lee, who teaches animal law at McGeorge. “Anna has worked extensively to protect wildlife, exotic animals and animals used in scientific research.”

Frostic encourages law students to explore nontraditional legal careers. She says it is important to recognize that having a law degree is valued in a variety of professions.