Staffing, board and budget woes hit local Humane Society

PULLMAN — The monthly Whitman County Humane Society board meeting July 25 opened with the resignation of the senior management team of Animal Haven, the society’s animal shelter.

Animal Haven Director Annie Lindsey resigned, citing increasing workloads and ambiguous policies and procedures.

Her resignation was followed by that of Zoe Skiadopoulou, the training and enrichment coordinator and the interim foster care coordinator.

Skiadopoulou cited similar concerns and expressed a desire for a more compatible workplace culture.

Three of the other four Animal Haven staff members had submitted their resignations to Lindsey prior to the meeting, she said.

In recent weeks, three board members have also abruptly resigned.

“There are many of us who have serious concerns that Animal Haven and the Whitman County Humane Society as we know it today will not exist in the near future,” said Gabriela Mazur, one of the three directors who resigned. “We believe major changes have to happen and they have to happen soon. That is why we are going public with our concerns.”

Following the resignations, business manager tom Harris began to explain the agency’s budget woes.

He presented a draft budget that will require the board of directors to find ways to raise approximately $15,000.00 per month from July through December of 2022 to balance the budget.

It was not evident how much has been raised so far this month.

One member of the public, a longtime volunteer, said she had no confidence in the present board.

Another member of the public questioned how the board planned to continue running the shelter with “no money and no staff.”

Incoming President John Musselwhite of Lewiston, Idaho, did not provide a clear or detailed answer, but was quoted, in a July 26 press release from AnimalHaven, saying that the local organization “has the funds” to hire new staff.

Additionally, under public questioning, no current member of the board of directors identified as a dues-paying member in good standing, which is a requirement to be a director.