Spokane Humane Society has new man at helm

Edward Boks loves cats and dogs, but right now he just has two cats. He has pictures of his rescue cats, Oliver and Belle, on the back of his business cards identifying him as the executive director of the Spokane Humane Society.

Boks took over the position on June 1 following the departure of the former director, Sheila Geraghty, who became executive director of the Spokane Historic Flight Foundation. It was perfect timing for Boks, who could live where he wanted doing what he loves.

“My wife and I have long wanted to come to the Northwest,” he said. “This opportunity came up. It was a win-win.”

Boks has been working in animal control for decades, though he dislikes that term. He prefers animal care or animal services instead. He’s loved animals since he was a child and worked in a small veterinary hospital in his hometown of Harper Woods, Michigan, in high school and college.

One day, early in his time there, he found a lost dog and took it to the hospital. The animal was wearing a tag, which allowed them to call the owners to come pick up their dog.

“They were so elated getting their lost dog back that they gave me a $5 reward,” he said.

The experience taught him two things: He could make a living doing this, and pet identification tags were important.

That was sort of an awakening,” he said.

Boks considered being a veterinarian, but found himself more interested in administrative work. In 1990 he was living in Phoenix where he took an entry-level job in the kennels at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. At the same time, he was the pastor of Grace Chapel and principal at a private school the church ran.

At the time the Maricopa County animal shelter had the highest kill rate in the nation, euthanizing 60,000 animals a year. Boks said he lost sleep over all the animals that were put down.

“I would wake up at night with nightmares,” he said.

But instead of quitting his job at the kennel, he quit working as a pastor and devoted all his time to his job with the animals. Doing that allowed him to work his way up. He later was asked to develop the Maricopa County Management Institute and then asked to return to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control as its executive director at a time when it was being criticized for its high euthanasia rate.

“I realized what that department could be,” he said. “The talent was in the organization; it just wasn’t being utilized properly.”

He focused his efforts on reducing the euthanasia rate and increasing the number of adoptions, which he did successfully. It was a formula he would repeat at New York City Animal Care and Control and L.A. Animal Services. While in L.A. he launched and staffed six animal care shelters.

After spending some time as a consultant, he became the executive director of the Yavapai Humane Society in Prescott, Arizona.

“We did some amazing things,” he said. “We built a spay-neuter clinic. We built a dog park. We really turned that community around.”

But after six years there Boks was eager to get back to L.A., where his wife had remained while he took what he thought would be a short-term job in Prescott. He was once again working as a consultant when the Spokane Humane Society job opened up.

Boks said his priorities are providing community services and lifesaving programs while also taking care of employees. His first task was to do an employee satisfaction survey, which he intends to use to deal with “morale busting issues.”

He also wants to put together a strategic plan to help plan the way forward for the Spokane Humane Society.

“In the meantime, I’m working to fill whatever gaps I can,” he said.

One of his first tasks was to create the Special Treatment and Recovery program at the Spokane Humane Society. It’s a donor funded program that will pay for the medical care needed by abused, injured and sick animals that make their way to the shelter. The program has already helped its first animal, a Siamese cat named Dior who had a severely injured eye that had to be removed.

Though Bok has worked at much larger animal welfare organizations, he said he’s happy to be in Spokane.

“I kind of feel it’s a challenge to go into an organization and see what can be built,” he said.

And he’ll be checking the cages to find a special canine to take home to Oliver and Belle.

“I’m an avid hiker and amateur outdoor photographer,” he said. “I’d love to have a dog go with me.”