March 1, 2019 by Sarah Aguilar, Marian Cannell, Jordan Craig and Mike Kaviani

Audience: Executive Leadership, Public, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers

Video Length: 77 minutes

Municipal Shelter Leadership: Getting and Starting the Job - panel

So, you want to work in a municipal shelter? Great news, the industry needs more no-kill leaders like you. Yes you! Join this session for expert tips and tricks and leave with a strong understanding of how to apply for, land and start a leadership position at a municipal shelter. This presentation was recorded by Maddie's Fund® at the 2019 American Pets Alive! Conference.

About Sarah Aguilar

Prior to moving to Tucson to work at Pima Animal Care Center, Sarah was a program coordinator at the municipal shelter in Ventura, CA, where she managed their first formal foster program which placed nearly 3,000 animals into foster homes annually and tripled the number of cats adopted through partner pet stores and offsite events. Her experience as the training general manger for a national restaurant chain, combined with degrees in business management and accounting, have enabled Sarah to bring a unique customer service and systemic, data driven approach, to leading a municipal shelter.


About Marian Cannell

Marian Cannell began her work with dogs in 2011 when she was approached with the opportunity to attend a local training academy in Austin, Texas. She decided to leave the sector of private dog training in August 2012 to work at her local shelter, Austin Pets Alive!. Soon she was invited to join the behavior team under the direction of Mike Kaviani. Shortly after joining the team, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary provided the opportunity for APA! to integrate a new position into the behavior department, the Canine Good Citizen Coordinator. Marian Cannell enthusiastically accepted the position. She is currently a manager of shelter operations at Dallas Animal Services.


About Jordan Craig

Jordan started her career in animal welfare in the non-profit sector, working in wildlife rehabilitation and then domestic animal sheltering. She became a part of Austin Animal Services in 2010, starting out cleaning kennels during the overnight shift. For the next eight years she worked closely with her colleagues to create innovative strategies to not only maintain a 90% live outcome rate, but to strive to always improve. Jordan has also had the privilege of speaking at regional animal welfare conferences to help other agencies learn about programs and strategies to help improve processes and break through barriers in the field of animal welfare.


About Mike Kaviani

Mike Kaviani began working with shelter animals at the Irvine Animal Care Center in California when he was 18. His "3rd Chance for Pets Program" received national recognition when IACC was given the 2007 Shelter of the Year award primarily due to this program. In 2010, Mike became the Director of Training and Behavior at the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. At SASF, he worked under the guidance of Aimee Sadler, and together their work resulted in the shelter consistently reaching one of the highest save rates in the country. In the Spring of 2012, Mike joined forces with Dr. Ellen Jefferson and became the Dog Behavior Program Manager for Austin Pets Alive!. APA! had already achieved a 90 percent save rate for the entire city of Austin, and Mike's focus was to save the last 10 percent, which primarily comprises large dogs with behavior issues. The city's current canine save rate now holds steady at 98 percent. Mike moved up to Director of Lifesaving Operations at Austin Pets Alive! (APA) and led the organization's shelter staff, working alongside hundreds of volunteers, in planning and carrying out all of APA!'s programs for cats and dogs. Mike is now the director of OC (Orange County) Animal Care.