Sonoma County hires new animal services director

Sonoma County announced Tuesday that it has hired a new Animal Services director, a particularly unstable post for managers in recent years.

John P. Skeel, 50, becomes the fourth person to lead Animal Services in the past three years. County officials said he brings 27 years of management experience in public and private roles to the job - but no direct experience working in animal services.

Officials said Skeel previously held management positions at the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, El Dorado Hills Community Services District in San Ramon and at the Evergreen Parks and Recreation District in Colorado.

“I will work closely with our dedicated animal welfare community in Sonoma County,” Skeel said in a statement. “There are a lot of partnerships we can continue to strengthen. My experience in public service and building long-term relationships with community members can be an asset here.”

Skeel will be part of a new management team for Animal Services. Brian Whipple, who has served as interim director of the agency since September 2014, will assume the newly created position of operations manager and oversee day-to-day operations of all field, shelter and administration functions. Whipple is a former animal control officer.

Health Services Director Rita Scardaci made the case Tuesday that the new structure will give Skeel more time to engage with the community “and do some of the activities that haven’t been provided for in the past.”

Scardaci said she’s hoping the new director will focus on building community relationships, enhancing communication with the county’s animal welfare partners and delivering quality services.

She acknowledged the challenges Skeel will face in leading an agency that has struggled to keep a director.

“I think it’s a complex and difficult position,” she said. “We’re pleased that John is up for the challenge.”

The county fired Brigid Wasson in August for reasons that were never divulged after Wasson had served in the top post for just 11 months.

Wasson replaced Amy Cooper, who resigned suddenly in June 2013, citing a need to spend more time with her family. It was Cooper’s second stint running Animal Services.

In July 2010, Cooper, then the director of the agency, was fired by county Agricultural Commissioner Cathy Neville, who oversaw the animal care division at the time. Cooper’s firing sparked a county investigation that ultimately led the Board of Supervisors in September 2010 to authorize the transfer of Animal Care and Control from the Ag Commissioner’s Office to the Health Services Department. Neville later was fired by Supervisor Efren Carrillo, then chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

Animal Services provides field and animal licensing services for the town of Windsor, the city of Santa Rosa and unincorporated areas within Sonoma County. The agency operates a public animal shelter that takes in nearly 3,000 animals annually.

Skeel’s starting salary is $102,420.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@deadlinederek.