Controversial Santa Fe Animal Shelter CEO Resigns

Less than two years after coming on board, Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society CEO Jack Hagerman has left the position. Shelter Director of Philanthropy Pamela Weese Powell tells SFR Hagerman’s last day was July 31. Hagerman did not respond to a request for comment from SFR yesterday. According to a news release, Hagerman resigned “to pursue other opportunities.” The shelter’s board, meanwhile, is “actively searching” for an interim CEO and will also be conducting a national search. “We’re just in transition,” Weese Powell says. “We wish Jack all the best. Operations are still normal, everything is still the same at the shelter and we look forward to moving forward and working with the community of Santa Fe and encourage their support during this time.”

SFAS also announced a new board member—Elizabeth Rice—along with the return of four board members: Bill Feinberg, Diana Brown, Mary Mitchell and Sheila Vaughn. Several board members resigned recently in response to turmoil at the shelter under Hagerman’s leadership. One point of contention during Hagerman’s tenure involved the shelter’s inactive trap, neuter and release program for cats (the shelter does accept feral cats for surgery before 10 am Tuesdays through Thursdays, but people have to bring them to shelter in a covered trap and pick them up the same day).

Hagerman wrote periodic animal columns for SFR and sparked a backlash in April with a piece about felines. The uproar had a significant impact on Felines & Friends, Executive Director Bobbi Heller tells SFR, with its intake of cats doubling as people who either “believed [the Santa Fe Animal Shelter] would turn them away or who were turned away” bringing their cats to Felines & Friends instead. She says she’s optimistic “balance will be restored” now. “I think overall the board will do everything they can to ensure the right choice and right path forward,” Heller says.

Weese Powell tells SFR that while the shelter is in transition, “we look forward to moving forward…I can assure the community of Santa Fe our mission is still to support animals, save lives and spread compassion, and we will continue doing that every single day.” She also encouraged people with concerns or comments to stop by the shelter or contact the shelter at info@sfhumanesociety.org.

Former Shelter Board member Leta Worthington tells SFR in a statement that based on her nine years on the board, “I can say first hand what a challenging job managing it for the director or CEO truly is. In spite of the fact that Jack Hagerman was trying to implement programs that were statistically successful nationwide, they did not prove to work well in our small community. The resultant outcry and pushback were more than could be ignored. My hope is that the shelter will continue to be a flagship example of amazing animal rescue organizations and that the people of Santa Fe will unflinchingly continue to support it with open arms, volunteer work, and donations.”

Longtime shelter supporter actress Ali MacGraw echoed that hope in an interview with SFR, saying: “I think that what we have all learned from these past several months is that Santa Feans are passionate about their animals and their community shelter and humane society. I truly hope that this step is in the right direction and will be reflected in even more support for our animals and our all important organization.”