Meet Humane Society of Sedona’s Director of Operations
By Jennifer Brehler
As we continue to celebrate, find joy and give thanks throughout this Holiday Season we are also preparing for a New Year and to leave the unprecedented challenges of 2020 behind us. Although our lives have been impacted this year in ways it has been hard to imagine we still have so much to celebrate and be thankful for. For me as the Executive Director of the Humane Society of Sedona I am so very thankful for all of the support and kindness our community has provided the animals and the Humane Society this year. I am also incredibly grateful to our compassionate employees and volunteers who give so much of themselves every day to serve our community and give homeless animals the best care possible. Our employees and volunteers work tirelessly to bring comfort and security to lost, abandoned, scared, sick, injured and displaced animals 365 days a year. In fact, many of our caring team members are working, right now, at our Animal Shelter on Christmas Day making sure the nearly 30 cats and dogs in our care now are not left alone and that they receive extra special treats and love this Christmas.
As the Humane Society of Sedona looks to 2021 it is with great pleasure and excitement we announce the promotion of one of our very own team members to the role of Director of Operations. After serving as Interim Director of Operations since the beginning of the Pandemic Sarah Porter has accepted the Director of Operations position. I can’t even begin to tell you how integral Sarah has been to the Humane Society of Sedona in her Interim role. Sarah’s leadership and uplifting spirit over the last 10 months brought our Animal Care Team through some of the most difficult and uncertain days and she provided me with support to help guide the entire organization through this unprecedented year.
For many in our community and for the more than 300 Humane Society of Sedona volunteers Sarah has been the one-woman welcoming committee to the organization through her role as the Volunteer & Special Events Manager. As the Volunteer & Special Events Manager Sarah grew our Volunteer Program to the great successful program it is today. It’s hard to believe that in just a few short years since Sarah joined the Humane Society we now have over 300 active volunteers serving in every area of the organization. Not only has Sarah recruited all of these compassionate individuals, but she has provided their onboarding and revamped the program to build upon the skills of many of our experienced volunteers who now train and mentor new volunteers. Although the Pandemic made it more difficult to recruit and train new volunteers, Sarah showed once again her ability to work through challenges and took the Humane Society of Sedona’s Volunteer Recruitment to the next level by launching a complete online recruitment and training process this fall.
Prior to the Pandemic when we could gather together in person to support our community and hold large adoption events Sarah would plan, coordinate, set up and was always there representing our organization and the animals. Since 2017 we owe the success of our events and especially our Kids & Critters Camps to the hard work, dedication, thoughtfulness and talents to Sarah. We are looking forward to hiring for Sarah’s previous position and I know under Sarah’s guidance this department will continue to grow.
For everyone who has the pleasure of meeting Sarah it is very obvious in the first 30 seconds the passion she holds for the mission of the Humane Society of Sedona and her love and concern for animals and people. Sarah has extensive experience in personnel management and as a caregiver for the most critical populations working in healthcare related fields with children, elderly and people with disabilities for more than 20 years. As the Humane Society of Sedona continues to grow our Community Support Programs Sarah’s background and experience in health care and her experience with the Humane Society of Sedona makes her the perfect person to lead our Operations Department into 2021 and beyond.
Sarah has lived in the Verde Valley since 1997 and shared her life with many rescued dogs and cats, she currently shares her home with four beautiful and fun loving Chihuahuas – Harley, Margo-Rita & Parker-Lewis who were adopted from the Humane Society of Sedona and little Jackson who she rescued from the streets. Sarah’s husband Momo is a strong supporter of Sarah’s work and the animals. Momo is a volunteer at our Thrift Stores and has been volunteering by Sarah’s side at nearly every special event.
Please join me in congratulating and wishing the best for Sarah Porter in her new role as the Director of Operations for the Humane Society of Sedona!
For more information on resources, programs and services provided by the Humane Society of Sedona, visit www.humanesocietyofsedona.org, or email info@humanesocietyofsedona.org, or call (928)282-4679.
