Numbers and inspiration at NMHPU

As an employee of NMHPU, numbers are a significant portion of my job: The e-metric rate is discussed and is a good way for us to measure the success in the state in association with the shelters’ euthanasia rate. The adoptions department updates staff on weekend adoption numbers. After one of our fundraising events everyone eagerly awaits the amounts raised. As a non-profit we are reminded to turn lights off or run the air conditioner sparingly to stick to budget.

Specific to the program I coordinate (spay and neuter vouchers for qualified applicants), I track my spending and payments to vet clinics, I keep tally of how many dogs and cats the voucher program has fixed and how many applications are coming in from each county; I pay attention to certain shelter intakes, euthanasia rates and adoption rates.

Numbers are spoken of throughout the NMHPU office, and I’m quite keen to the conversation. I majored in Economics and have a slight zeal for statistics, graphs and organization, so tying numbers in with my love for animals is a delightful way to make a living.

As with most jobs, there is always a boss thrown in the mix, and this individual can be the key element in the evolution of each staff member and their duties. The boss can also be a detrimental part of any advancement and a cause for staff to dread their job and put their frustrations in place of their passion for an organization’s goals. My boss, Holly Sizemore, is nothing of the latter; she is mostly comprised of the leader that makes me recognize the tangible change in my work when the numbers don’t.

She assesses personalities, as a boss should, and customizes her approach to each employee, thus she captures the attention of her employees and their trust. She uses my statistical skills to evaluate my program, better it and discuss it with the public and with me. She’s a prime example of a director who is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the animal rescue world, statewide and nationally, and she keeps herself updated daily. She’s passionate, personable, firm, intelligent, spicy, respectful, inspiring, funny and visionary; she sees the best in her staff and has an elegant humor towards their imperfections. She is the only supervisor I have had that makes me feel important because I am important, because the dependency that falls upon NMHPU is a need that falls on me. With this awareness, I put my best foot forward every day of work--even on the days where the hopelessness of homeless animal realities are heaviest.

After ten years with NMHPU, Holly has resigned and taken a position to assist animals on a broader level; I commend her achievements. Though I am sad to see her leave, I look forward to the statistics she’ll be improving and the great save rate numbers to come out of NMHPU from the legacy she leaves behind.

Andrea Torre
Free Fix Director