The Mae Bachur Animal Shelter has hired a new executive director who plans to increase community engagement and fundraising opportunities, aiding in the shelter’s resurgence as a successful non-profit organization.

“It’s something that I’m really excited to undertake, and hope I can make a positive difference in the community,” Shelley Williamson told the Star during an interview Monday at the Tlingit Street facility.

Monday was Williamson’s first day as the shelter’s executive director. The position had been vacant for approximately a year.

Williamson said she is optimistic that her skill set will be beneficial to the shelter’s growth.

“I have a non-profit background, I’m an animal lover and I believe the marker of a good society is how we treat our most vulnerable and in particular animals that don’t have their own voice,” Williamson said.

“I’m hoping to move the society in some positive directions.”

With a new leader at the helm, the shelter is looking to ramp up community engagement in the coming year.

“I think there’s a really great relationship already, but there is opportunity to expand on that,” Williamson said.

Establishing strong relationships with community members will be key to the shelter’s success, Williamson said.

Extensive community engagement goes hand-in-hand with finding new opportunities to fundraise.

“I would say absolutely one of the basic and most important aspects is funding,” Williamson said.

“Given this economic climate, we have to be creative and we have to be reaching out.”

The previous year has seen the shelter combat severe financial challenges, culminating in an entirely new board of directors being installed last winter.

“I will say there are challenges, but there are also opportunities,” Williamson said.

“I wouldn’t have taken on this role if I didn’t feel I couldn’t move some of these initiatives forward that we are thinking about and working on … we’d like to make a new start with the humane society.”

Williamson is optimistic that a fresh perspective on the board and in the director position will help push the shelter in the right direction.

Williamson worked previously as the executive office manager for the Arctic Winter Games. She has previous work experience as an election observer in Europe and with the federal government.

She has a degree in global development specializing in peace building, an educational background she says has been beneficial in her career working with non-profit organizations.

“It’s bridging gaps, a lot of that is transferable,” Williamson said.

One of the newest board members, Michael Lyndon, was responsible for bringing a new director on board.

He said Williamson had an impressive résumé that brought non-profit experience and social media savvy to the table.

“Shelley stood out; not only is she a long-time Yukoner, the fact that she has done non-profit work,” Lyndon said.

“Shelley really came up with some innovative ideas. I think we saw her working with Arctic Winter Games, especially when you look at the social media, that’s something we really want to expand.

“Since we have social distancing as a reality right now, we have to redo the way we’ve classically done business and we really have to get that message out remotely.”

The shelter opened in November 1998 after volunteers had cleared the land the previous spring to prepare the site for construction.