Follow the money. And the actions. They will lead directly to the misallocation of resources at SPCA Tampa Bay.
Before Martha Boden, former CEO of the Humane Society of Indianapolis, took the helm at SPCA/TB, the mission statement read:
Protect and shelter the sick and the injured, the homeless, and the unwanted animals.
Find loving, new homes for homeless animals.
Educate the public concerning the humane care of all animals.
Assist in the enforcement of laws and ordinances for animal protection.
According to long-time volunteers, the agency’s services reflected that — until Boden took over in July of 2011.
To bring the agency in line with her agenda, Boden changed the mission statement to:
We improve our community by promoting humane care, preventing animal cruelty and reducing pet overpopulation
A local activist was asked what the agency is doing to live up to this new mission statement. The response:
“Nothing. They don’t go anywhere to make presentations, or to schools to educate about humane care or to prevent animal cruelty. You know how they reduce pet overpopulation, by aborting puppies and euthanizing dogs with the smallest of issues that are deemed to not meet their adoption criteria.
“They think by opening up that multi-million dollar clinic, that’s going to help the pet overpopulation in the community and keep pets in the home. We already have plenty of those clinics, and the shelters are still bursting at the seams. Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco County Animal Services are totally full and offering free adoptions, and SPCA sits there with their empty kennels. And Martha boasts that animal intake is down. I’d like to know where? It may be down, but not enough to keep the shelters from still having to euthanize for space. To me, that’s no sign of progress.”
Who benefits? Not the animals
Boden’s talent for taking control of and exploiting an agency for the personal gain of a select few was obvious during her time at HSI. She is equally adept at misallocating contributions. Sadly, this is allowed to continue unabated at SPCA/TB. The agency’s 2014 990 tax return indicates Boden’s salary and benefits totaled $122,600. Director of Business Administration Bibi Shaffer Goeddert was compensated $71,000 in salary and benefits. The year’s contract with Chapell Roberts Media Group, LLC, a local marketing and communications firm retained to “build the brand”, totaled $259,628.
That is a lot of donor money to promote an image and maintain the charade.
The hoodwinking continues with smiles and handshakes, while SPCA kennels remain as empty as the character of the administration and board of directors.
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See what the current HSI director, John Aleshire, had to say about HSI when he took over after Boden’s termination, here.