Board and Committee Activity

Strategic Plan

The Board of Directors met in late July to develop a detailed strategic plan. The purpose of this plan is to focus our priorities and serve as a guide for our efforts during the remainder of 2007 and in 2008. Final revisions are now being drafted. The completed plan will be posted here in early September.

Pet Haven’s New Leadership

by Sally Morton, past President

Marilou Chanrasmi was unanimously elected the new President of Pet Haven at the Board of Directors’ organizational meeting on May 12, 2007. Marilou began volunteering with Pet Haven last year when she fostered and then adopted “Missy”, a pitbull/lab mix. Last fall she was appointed by the Board as Pet Haven’s HR Director, responsible for our volunteer management program. She has served on the Board of Directors since November, 2006.

While Marilou’s tenure at Pet Haven has been relatively short, her contributions have been tremendous. A few short weeks after she became HR Director Marilou volunteered to step in as the interim Dog Division Chair. She did a great job pulling together a team of experienced volunteers and directed the dog adoption program through a transition in leadership. She has since assembled and handed off this role to a new team and Pet Haven's dog adoption program continues to be strong. In her role as HR Director, Marilou brought many new volunteers into our organization and implemented a new volunteer orientation program. Her dedication to Pet Haven's mission is infectious!

Marilou has been a valuable member of the Pet Haven leadership team and we are very fortunate that she is willing to now serve as Pet Haven's President. Marilou's vision for improving the welfare of companion animals is expansive and we can all look forward to some great new ideas and programs in the next couple of years.

In addition to electing Marilou Chanrasmi as President, the Board appointed Sally Morton as Vice President, Kris Lawson as Secretary, Eldora Anderson as Treasurer, Kristen Denzer as Development Director, Paula Vest as Dog Chair, and Mary Ann Cameron as Cat Chair. Sue Simons and Frieda Wilson round out the list of volunteers currently serving on the Board of Directors. You may contact the Board of Directors at admin@PetHavenMN.org.

Pet Haven Board of Directors Meetings

Pet Haven is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership. The full Board and the Board’s steering committees meet regularly to conduct business. These meetings are open to all volunteers, members, and donors. The Board encourages interested parties to attend. Please refer to the schedule on the left side of this page for information regarding upcoming meetings.

In order to facilitate the effective management of both its operational and strategic responsibilities, the Board of Directors has formed 3 sub-committees called “steering committees”. These committees are each assigned responsibility for specific programs and functions within the organization. All Board members serve on at least one steering committee.

The Governance Steering Committee is responsible for compliance with statutory and other legal requirements, financial management, insurance, general administration, Board meetings, membership management, and annual meetings.

The Operations Steering Committee is responsible for the cat and dog adoption programs, the low-cost spay/neuter program, and volunteer management.

The Development Steering Committee is responsible for fundraising, public relations, coalitions/outreach, public education, advocacy, public policy, program development, the newsletter, and administering the Spay/Neuter Initiative grant program.

Please contact us at Admin@PetHavenMN.org with any questions.

Website Designed by Designzoo