Executive Director

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Executive Director	Ms. Emily Holland
E-mail	executivedirector@animalharbor.org
Term Start	February 2020
Emily's Experience: "Emily has the training, knowledge, skills and passion to lead Animal Harbor into the next decade as the executive director," said Gail Castle, Animal Harbor president of the board of directors. "She is a natural leader who is creative, innovative, energetic, and sees organizational growth as a strategic process." Growing up on a farm in rural Tennessee, she has always had her hands in animal husbandry. Taking in and befriending dumped dogs "out in the country" was customary and a huge part of Emily's childhood. From everything to a bug to a domesticated cow, she has cared for every creature under the sun! Along the way her natural curiosity and love for animals drove her to want to learn even more about animal behavior and wellness. Holland received her Bachelor of Science degree in zoology and animal biology at Auburn University in 2010, specializing in conservation, animal behavior, and biodiversity. Her passions include ecological research, wildlife conservation and ornithology. Upon graduating, she was immediately accepted into a graduate research program at Alabama A&M University where she earned a Master of Science degree in 2014. "Emily's experience of leading research teams, teaching high school science and successfully fulfilling the role of shelter manager at Animal Harbor for two years has prepared her for this next level of leadership and management as executive director," Castle said. When Emily first came into the shelter, as a true researcher would, she dove right into the previous year's data and operational functions and found ways to make operations and animal welfare better. Holland said: "The work our shelter does is very rewarding and satisfying. The staff prides ourselves in the hard work we have accomplished to provide more animals with quality care and emergency care.

Staff

Full Time Staff	1
Part Time Staff	11
Volunteers	30
Contractors	0
Retention Rate	75%

Plans & Policies

Does your organization have a Fundraising Plan?	Yes
Does your organization have a Strategic Plan?	Yes
Years Strategic Plan Considers	3
When was the Strategic Plan adopted?	November 2020
Does your organization have a Management Succession Plan?	Yes
Does your organization have a Policy and Procedure Plan?	Yes
Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy?	Yes
Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy?	No
Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy?	No

Evaluation

Is there a formal evaluation for...		Frequency (if applicable)
CEO/Executive Director	Yes	Annually
Senior Management	Yes	Annually
Non-Management	Yes	Annually

Affiliations

Affiliation	Year
Tennessee Animal Control Association	2018

CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments

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Because shelter work is difficult and sometimes unpleasant and because we are unable to pay our staff the wages we all believe they deserve, we have a fairly high staff turnover. We have addressed this by instituting annual bonuses to better compensate our staff and providing for paid time off after six months of employment. Each member of our staff is entitled to adopt a pet from us with the adoption fee being waived. We added other 'perks' such as an occasional staff lunch, and we have made efforts to include staff in such areas of our work as attending conferences, writing appeal letters and attending remote adoptions to have the staff feel they are a part of the total operation.