Video Length: 42:30
Join us for a conversation with Paula Powell, the director of El Paso Animal Services, led by Kristen Hassen-Auerbach. With an animal shelter that sees an annual intake of over 26,000 animals, Paula has brought significant changes to increase El Paso's lifesaving. This session will shed light on the last two years that Paula has been fighting for El Paso's animals and the people who love them.
This presentation was recorded by Maddie's Fund® at the 2020 American Pets Alive! Conference.
Under Kristen's leadership at Pima Animal Care Center, the county shelter is saving more than 90 percent of the cats and dogs who come to the shelter including orphaned puppies and kittens, pets recovering from illness and injuries and animals who have been victims of cruelty or neglect. In 2017, she oversaw the opening of the newly constructed, state-of-the-art, animal services facility.
Kristen has received national recognition for her innovative, lifesaving programs. Her efforts have been featured in numerous national publications and websites, such as Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, BarkPost, the Dodo and Buzzfeed, and on TV networks, including CNN, Fox and ABC. Kristen formerly served as the Deputy Director at Austin Animal Center in Austin, Texas as well as the Assistant Director at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Fairfax, Virginia.
Paula was named Director of El Paso Animal Services in April of 2018 after spending several months implementing positive changes as interim director and team lead for El Paso's Shelter Reform Taskforce. In this short time as Animal Services' leader, Paula and her team have increased the live release rate from 68 percent to an average of 86 percent. Prior to leading Animal Services, Paula spent 24 years serving the City of El Paso in various operational positions. Before that, Paula served as a 1st Lt in the US Army and was stationed at Fort Bliss. She began her college education at the United States Military Academy and culminated it with her master's in public administration at the University of Texas at El Paso. She received her certification in Shelter Management in 2018 and continues to look for new ways to learn and grow in order to lead her community to reach its goals.