New Leadership Ahead for Roice-Hurst Humane Society: CEO Anna Stout announces departure

GRAND JUNCTION, COLO. – After almost nine years at the helm of Roice-Hurst Humane Society, Chief Executive Officer Anna Stout plans to depart from the organization this spring. The organization’s board of directors has begun a nationwide search for a successor.

Stout’s impactful tenure has been defined by her focus on leading a groundbreaking, people-centric animal welfare model and transforming the organization into a stable, nationally recognized industry leader. In 2015, Stout accepted a position as Roice-Hurst’s Interim Executive Director during a time when the shelter was on shaky financial ground and at risk of losing its liability insurance coverage and having to shut down due to the magnitude and frequency of safety incidents. Knowing that the organization’s remaining funds would deplete in just a few more rounds of unsustainable payroll cycles, Stout got to work fundraising, implementing best practices, establishing sustainable structures, and standardizing animal care – all in the context of a one-year interim commitment.

That temporary rescue project became a permanent CEO position after just a matter of months. “I saw how much potential the organization had to really rethink our role in the community and rebuild trust with our supporters, but I knew it would take longer than the year I was originally brought in for,” Stout said. Stout’s efforts enabled Roice-Hurst to increase annual gifts and contributions from $330K in 2015 to an average of $1.2M annually over the past five years, start an endowment that is now worth over $1.3M, and increase the organization’s net assets from $855K in 2015 to over $3.5M in 2023.

Under her visionary leadership, Roice-Hurst has become known not only for its excellent care of more than 1,000 pets annually, but for its innovative programming helping pets remain united with their people, much of which is at the forefront of animal welfare efforts nationwide. Programs spearheaded by Stout include Homeward Hounds, a first-of-its-kind in the nation partnership with HomewardBound of the Grand Valley that provides dignified shelter for people experiencing homelessness with their pets, and the Community Health Through Shelter Pets initiative that made Roice-Hurst one of the first animal shelters to create a human social worker position on its staff. Stout has been a strong national voice advocating for the unique role of animal shelters in improving individual and community health.

Other notable accomplishments across Stout’s impressive tenure include the purchase of a custom-built mobile veterinary clinic which allows the shelter to perform spay/neuter surgeries on-site and deploy services throughout the community, the purchase of six acres of adjacent land north of the shelter enabling opportunities for future growth, the expansion of services to Delta and surrounding communities by opening a Delta satellite facility, and multiple awards for workplace culture, safety, and wellness. As a member of the Animal Welfare Association of Colorado, Stout has played a vital role in legislative advocacy for animal welfare at the state level.

“We have built an incredibly talented team of professionals at Roice-Hurst, and our mission is in the most capable of hands. Because of our generous community and amazing team, Roice-Hurst is stronger than it has ever been and is well-positioned for this transition and for continued success,” Stout said. “What we’ve accomplished together has been the honor of my professional life. The decision to pass the organization off to new leadership was a profoundly difficult one, but I know our team is well-equipped to carry the organization into its next exciting iteration. I look forward to spending time traveling and working on some personal projects that have been on hold for some time. I’ll always be a passionate champion for this vital community pillar, and of course, will continue to open my home to Roice-Hurst’s neediest kittens as a foster mom.”

The leadership transition process is overseen by Roice-Hurst Humane Society’s board of directors.

“On behalf of the board of directors, we are tremendously grateful for Anna and the labor of love she’s poured into Roice-Hurst over the past near-decade,” Bill Wade, Roice-Hurst board member, said. “We are very fortunate to have had Anna’s leadership for these nine years. Anna has certainly created a deep and lasting legacy here. Her passion and vision have built the thriving and award-winning organization we have today, and the board is dedicated to ensuring that this momentum continues into exciting new leadership. We mean it when we say we wish Anna all the best with whatever comes next, and we know it will include many more little foster kitten success stories.”

About Roice-Hurst Humane Society

Roice-Hurst Humane Society is a nonprofit animal shelter based in Grand Junction, Colorado, that provides individualized care and adoption services for dogs and cats, as well as innovative support programs for owned pets in Mesa and Delta Counties. The organization was founded in 1963 and is the oldest animal welfare organization in the Grand Valley. Roice-Hurst is a socially-conscious animal shelter that works diligently to match animals to loving homes, however long that may take. Learn more at RHhumanesociety.org.

For more information, contact:

Jenna Kretschman
Communications Coordinator
Roice-Hurst Humane Society
970-434-7337 ext. 108
jenna@rhhumanesociety.org

###