New Director Named to Lead County Department of Animal Services

The Board of Supervisors today approved the appointment of a longtime animal shelter executive to take the top spot at the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
In a closed session vote, the board named Mary Martin executive director of the agency, which has been a focal point of criticism for several years due to high euthanasia rates and other policies.
"Mary has long professional experience in the field of animal welfare, including a proven track record of reaching a 90% live release rate at large shelters,'' board Chairman Manuel Perez said. "She has developed pet support programs to help keep pets with their owners, sought adoption techniques that find pets new homes and brings a collaborative spirit to working with the community to find solutions to. shared issues and concerns."
Martin is currently assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas. Her past positions have included executive roles at Maricopa County Animal Care in Arizona, Santa Fe Shelter & Humane Society in New Mexico and Animal Care Centers of New York City, according to the county Executive Office.
"I am eager to work collaboratively with all groups interested in seeking solutions,'' Martin said. "I'm excited to be part of this vibrant county and its many communities. I will listen to everyone to understand. what is working well, what needs work and how to get to our common goals -- more live outcomes for animals in Riverside County."
The Executive Office said among factors weighing in favor of Martin's selection was "her tenure with Maricopa County."
"She took the shelter from an 80% save rate to 96%,'' the agency stated. "In Santa Fe, she took the shelter from a 65% live-release rate to a stable 94%."
Martin was among 57 applicants vetted during a nationwide recruitment campaign to find a new Department of Animal Services director, initiated in October after the county hired Berkeley-based Koff & Associates to handle the executive search at an unspecified cost.
A panel consisting of Perez, Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, county CEO Jeff Van Wagenen and San Diego Humane Society President Gary Weitzman ultimately interviewed seven prospects for the job, choosing Martin as the best fit.
"Mary's extensive background in animal welfare is a huge asset for both Riverside County and organizations like ours,'' Weitzman said.
She'll be paid $230,000 a year, and among her main duties will be coordinating with Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems in the Department of Animal Services.
Outcomes for Pets was hired by the board in September at a cost of $2.69 million to improve pet inventory management and slash county shelters' "kill rates," which at least one nonprofit organization has called the worst in the nation. The contract runs to Dec. 31, 2026.
Prior animal services head Erin Gettis faced a barrage of criticism, almost going back to when she took the helm in 2021, due to euthanasia policies. Gettis exited her post at the end of September and was rotated into an administrative position at the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
A lawsuit filed in August, spearheaded by Rancho Mirage-based Walter Clark Law Group, is seeking a permanent injunction against the Department of. Animal Services' euthanasia programs.
Clark called it a ``ground-breaking case'' that's predicated on the 1998 Hayden Act. That legislation, authored by then-state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica, states in part, ``no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home.''
A few animal welfare activists have appeared before the board since October, complaining that Hassen's work has been less admirable than touted by the Executive Office. Speakers have said she has a history of focusing exclusively on ``what's happening inside shelter walls,'' not outside, ignoring community programs that prevent pet overpopulation in the first place.