Dia DuVernet, who for five years led the Pasadena Humane Society, has resigned as the organization’s CEO and president.
DuVernet, 59, was credited with expanding programs at the 121-year-old Raymond Avenue-based animal shelter, which serves 11 cities, including Pasadena and Glendale, and takes in 12,000 animals each year.
Officials declined to comment on why she left.
In 2019, DuVernet stepped in to lead that service, after serving as the CEO of the Virginia Beach SPCA.
She would take the reins of a organization in the throws of the Covid-19 pandemic. She implemented “significant operational changes to keep staff and animals safe,” according to a statement from the organization.
DuVernet also provided key leadership on the organizations key initiatives, officials said, including the establishment of the Animal Resource Center, the expansion of a wildlife program with the opening of the Sandra J. Goodspeed Wildlife Center, and the growth of the group’s Helping Paws program, including the Pet Food Pantry, according to the Pasadena Humane.
In the last couple of years, she oversaw the organization’s successful effort to have a float in the Tournament of Roses parade, in a partnership with sponsor Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Those years coincided with a column she wrote on the goings-on at the shelter, along with shedding light on volunteers and issues related to animals.
And they culminated in just this past month, a month like no other in the Pasadena area, when the devastating Eaton fire displaced more than 1,000 animals – from dogs to horses to birds.
The organization credited her with spearheading efforts to provide shelter and medical care to those animals, many of which remain at the shelter. And she paved the way for coordination of fire-trained search-and-rescue teams from across the state to help in the recovery.
In the statement, officials said the board has appointed Vice President and Chief Programs Officer Chris Ramon, who has served at Pasadena Humane since 2018, as its interim CEO.
An executive search firm is seeking a permanent leader.
Jamie Holeman, spokesperson for the organization, said day-to-day operations will continue as usual at a “critical time in our community.”