Mayor Malik Evans on Thursday announced Pennsylvania native Anastasia (Staci) Papadoplos as the new director of Rochester Animal Services — the first change in leadership in roughly 25 years.
Papadoplos has 16 years of experience in animal welfare and most recently was regional director of operations at the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, overseeing shelter operations, veterinary services, and animal population management in Philadelphia, Danville, Lancaster, and Phoenixville.
In a statement, Evans introduced Papadoplos as "the new leader of one of our most important City services, providing for the well-being of shelter animals.”
“I am confident that her expertise and years of experience will be a tremendous asset to our city, as well as to the staff and volunteers who care for the animals daily, as we move into the future with Rochester Animal Services,” he said.
Papadoplos takes over a shelter in Rochester that is undersized, outdated and currently without a full-time veterinarian.
“I look forward to becoming part of the Rochester Animal Services team to support its employees, volunteers, and partners, as we provide shelter animals with the premium care they deserve until they find permanent homes,” Papadoplos said in a statement.
She is in her third week on the job — replacing longtime director Chris Fitzgerald, who resigned earlier this year. Papadoplos' starting salary is $103,841. Fitzgerald left at $114,264, according to the city.
“When my husband and I arrived in Rochester, we were overwhelmed by the city’s impressive character, meld of diversity, and welcoming people," she continued. "My goal is to create a Rochester Animal Services that reflects the same richness of hope and opportunity that this city has to offer.”
Papadoplos' other experience includes being a former executive board member with the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania, described in the city news release as "the nation’s first constantly active alliance of animal welfare agencies, whose mission is to improve and promote the animal welfare, in part through the implementation of legislation."
She has a bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus in pre-veterinary medicine from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.
