CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Bradley County has appointed an interim manager of operations and is seeking bids on veterinary services for its animal shelter.
The recent appointment of officer manager Kristin Harvey to the interim position was made a week after the Sept. 15 announcement that Jordan Williams, the then-manager of operations, had taken a personal leave of absence.
"Ms. Harvey has shown excellent attention to detail and coordination with employees and volunteers," Chris Turner, treasurer and secretary for SPCA, said in an email. "She has proven to have care for animals as evidenced through her employment with SPCA and her volunteer efforts over the last several years."
Turner said he did not retain a copy of Harvey's resume, but did review it, stating that she holds an associate degree and her background "includes increasing responsibility in each position she has held and long-term service and commitment to her previous employer."
According to work experience listed on Harvey's Facebook page, she has worked as a teacher at Landmark Christian School since 2007, served as a phone volunteer with Dixie Day Spay since January and joined SPCA as its office manager on Aug. 19.
No date has been given for Williams' possible return to duties.
Williams is "wanting his privacy for the moment," Ed Elkins, president of the SPCA board, said previously.
No plans have been discussed for hiring a permanent manager of operations, given "the unplanned leave of absence," Turner said. However, the matter likely will be reviewed at the board's October meeting, he said.
The request for veterinary service bids comes during a concentrated effort by a recently rebuilt SCPA board to reset its operations.
Requested services include spay/neuter surgery, rabies and other vaccinations and microchip implants. Proposals must be submitted to the SPCA facility at 1570 Johnson Blvd. by Oct. 10.
Other measures involving the organization's financial efficiency are expected to be discussed at the SPCA board's Sept. 29 meeting, including liability insurance, grant writing and a transportation fund.
The efforts to revamp operations have been described as "camouflaging" the organization's problems, said Bradley County Commissioner Mark Hall, who serves as a county representative on the SPCA board.
During the summer, four board members resigned and the shelter's second full-time director was dismissed, all of which happened in less than six months of the shelter's March 17 opening.
Earlier this month, Hall called for an end to the county's $80,000 annual agreement with SPCA, which provides animal sheltering services to county residents and pickup services for Bradley County's emergency responders.
Hall's attempt to cancel the SPCA contract was tabled by the Bradley County Commission in an 8-6 vote on Sept. 2.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Contact him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.