PAWS of Grays Harbor gets a new alpha as director steps down

On Saturday, Kristina Snyder will step down as executive director of PAWS of Grays Harbor.

But there will be no gap in leadership, because she’s been grooming Dana Staab since January to take her place at Aberdeen’s nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter.

“My position has evolved so much that I really don’t have time to spend with the animals,” said Snyder. “My focus is finance — working with donors, paying the bills. I want to get back to that point where I’m back to working with the animals.”

She started volunteering with PAWS in 2013 as a dog walker. A year later, she accepted a paid position as administrative director. “In 2017, they changed my title to executive director, but my responsibilities were the same,” she said. So, technically speaking, she’s held the reins for a little over three years.

“My husband likes to call it part-time pay for overtime work,” she laughed. “But it’s probably the best I job I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Kristina’s love for the shelter and its volunteers shows in her work ethic and dedication to PAWS,” said Chairwoman Molle Bouche. “Kristina was part of the big changes we saw at PAWS, and now Dana can continue that momentum with fresh eyes and new ideas.”

After taking some time to reduce her stress load and spend time with her husband, Snyder intends to return as a volunteer, working directly with the animals again.

Staab, a Grayland native who now lives in Westport, was brought on board near the end of January to begin training for the position. She’s been working side by side with Snyder since then, learning the day-to-day elements of the position and getting to know the volunteers and community members.

Previously, she worked with the state parks system for four years, then served as the dog coordinator for HAVA in Raymond and as a foster for Harbor Rescue.

There’s no doubt she’s an animal lover. “I have three dogs and four cats — those are my full-timers,” she said. “And then I usually have an extra, a foster.”

Despite the commute, which she said is “no big deal,” Staab is prepared to dig in and make a career out of it. “I’ll probably be here until my husband retires,” she said. “I’m gonna put in my 20 years … probably longer.”

And she plans to hit the ground running.

“Short term, I really want to start a trap-neuter-return program,” she said. “I think it’ll save us a lot of money, and it’ll save a lot of lives — mostly feral cats.”

Staab said she also will follow up on a long-term goal of her predecessor: to lease, purchase or arrange a donation of property comprising 2 to 7 acres, allowing PAWS to board more dogs in an environment where they can run and play. “It’s something we’ve been talking about for a couple of years,” said Snyder.

For these and other reasons, the board has fully accepted Staab as PAWS’ new “alpha.”

“Dana’s outgoing personality, drive and sincere devotion to animals are a few of her traits that will help PAWS of Grays Harbor continue to progress and positively impact the community,” said Bouche. “We are excited about the new opportunities and ideas that she will bring to the organization.”