Next Level
New SSPCA head brings animal welfare experience to Sacramento
By Cathryn Rakich
February 2025
Without hesitation, Jennifer Brent says spay and neuter is the most important service the Sacramento SPCA offers the community.
“I think it’s the most powerful tool we have to limit pet overpopulation,” says Brent, who was recruited last year to head the SSPCA after CEO Kenn Altine retired.
Brent says the SSPCA is a national leader in spay/neuter, calling its 10,000-square-foot Zoe K. McCrea Animal Health Center “phenomenal.” The center performed more than 18,000 low- and no-cost spay/neuter surgeries in 2024.
But with a wait time of four to six months to schedule a spay/neuter appointment, Brent also recognizes a challenge. “We would love the wait time to be less. The reality is demand far exceeds capacity,” she says, citing the nationwide veterinarian and registered veterinary technician shortage.
The SSPCA has six veterinarians. The health center has four surgery suites, each with two tables, allowing for eight surgeons to perform spays/neuters at a time. Last year saw fewer surgeries than previous years due to staffing shortages.
“We could definitely add more surgeries, but I don’t know if we would ever meet the demand,” Brent says, noting the high number of pets acquired during the pandemic who still need altering. “There is such an overwhelming number of people who want the services.”
Brent says the need to increase spay/neuter capacity will be part of a “strategic plan” she is developing with senior staff and the SSPCA Board of Directors, with input from volunteers, donors, constituents and leaders from other local animal shelters.
“I think the strategic plan will tell us what the needs are in the community. Tell us where we can best serve the most people and the most animals,” says Brent, who hopes to have a plan in place by April.
Brent lived in Los Angeles for 30 years before moving to Sacramento to head the SSPCA, which has an $11 million annual budget and 121 employees. Her most recent stint was eight years as executive director of the California Wildlife Center in Southern California, with a $2 million annual budget and 14 full-time employees.
Brent’s companion animal experience includes roles at the Jason Heigl Foundation and Michelson Found Animals Foundation, both animal welfare advocacy groups. She also served as a commissioner to the Department of Animal Services for Los Angeles from 2014–2016.
“Really my background is in companion animals,” Brent says. “With wildlife, you can’t touch the animals. You can’t make eye contact. Wildlife was an interesting time, but I have a much closer connection to companion animals.”
Despite no previous hands-on experience heading a companion animal shelter, Brent says her role at the SSPCA is a continuation of her time at the wildlife center. “It was all about providing financial sustainability, working on infrastructure,” she says.
“It’s a similar structure. A nonprofit. Working with animals. A strong volunteer core. Working with staff. The development portion is just as important and challenging in wildlife as it is in companion animals.”
Brent brings the experience of running mega adoption events in the LA area, partnering with city and county animal shelters, “and also working with foundations and understanding the dynamics of all those pieces working together to help animals,” says Dawn Foster, SSPCA director of communications.
Brent, who moved to East Sacramento last October, has two senior rescue dogs. Elf is a yorkie/chihuahua mix from the Downey shelter in Los Angeles County. Olivia is a long-haired chihuahua abandoned outside the East Valley shelter in the city of Los Angeles.
“East Sac is perfect for the dogs,” she says. “We can walk to McKinley Park. The people have been lovely.”
At the SSPCA, “I love to go to the kennels and see the animals, see them get adopted and get some cuddles,” Brent says. “There are so many wonderful systems in place. We can only just get to the next level.”
Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@surewest.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
