Siân Perry, News-Leader
With the Nassau Humane Society in the final leg of its capital campaign for a new shelter, Executive Director Brandy Carvalho is leaving for a job with the White Oak Conser-vation Foundation in Yulee.
Carvalho announced her resignation in a letter Feb. 21. “I feel very good about what I have done as an employee of the organization and that it is an appropriate time to step aside and allow for someone else to take the reins, preparing NHS for its next phase,” she wrote.
“When the new executive director takes over, they will play a lead role in transitioning operationally into the new shelter. Shelter management is not my background, so I think this is a good time for someone to take over,” Carvalho said in an email interview.
Carvalho’s professional and educational interests are heavily focused on wildlife and conservation, and she will be pursuing that passion at White Oak, raising funds for conservation projects. “It is a real honor to be returning,” she said.
Carvalho was membership manager at White Oak from 2007-10 before the 7,400-acre center for rare and endangered animals – founded by late paper magnate Howard Gilman in 1982 – fell on hard times and was put up for sale. It was purchased in March 2013 for nearly $17 million by Mark Walter, CEO of Chicago-based Guggenheim Partners, LLC, a global financial services firm.
John Landregan, NHS board of trustees co-president, said the search for a new executive director will begin immediately and praised Carvalho’s work.
“Brandy structured a solid capital campaign program. She conducted presentations in the community and was ‘hands on’ in delivering the capital campaign message to everyone she met.
Thanks to those efforts, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new shelter was held Nov. 21 and campaign donations and pledges total $1.650 million to date. The goal is $2 million. Though her last day on the job is March 31, Carvalho will continue to provide support for the campaign, at least through the completion of the new shelter, and will remain as a volunteer, Landregan said.
Carvalho has a degree in public relations, with an outside concentration in Wildlife Ecolo-gy & Conservation, a master of public administration and is completing a master of natural resources. She also recently passed the Certified Fundrais-ing Executive exam.
Carvalho, who grew up in Yulee and moved to Fernandina after college, has been involved in conservation outreach and education since high school. She is a member of The Girls Gone Green, which promotes awareness of environmental, animal welfare and health issues. Most recently that includes the Hang Up the Foam campaign, working with Jack-sonville Beach restaurants to switch from Styrofoam to eco-friendly containers.
“She has a ‘lead by example’ attitude in getting things done,” Landregan said, noting that under Carvalho NHS has enjoyed the greatest number of adoptions in its history. “To demonstrate her animal rescue commitment, Brandy has seven cats of her own. Once again, she ‘walks the talk’ in opening her heart and home to homeless animals,” he said.
“Brandy’s contribution to NHS has exceeded my expectations. Her positive and energetic attitude has made each of the NHS board members and volunteers better animal rescue advocates. ... Although we hate to see Brandy leave us as the executive director, we congratulate her on a well-earned promotion.”
To learn more about the Nassau Humane Society’s capital campaign visit nassauhumanesociety.com, email executivedirector@nassauhumanesociety.com or call 869-7478.
The new shelter will replace the current facility located across from the airport.
sperry@fbnewsleader.com