The Best Friends Podcast Episode 61
To listen to part two of our discussion with Ed, click here.
In 2017, Ed Jamison left his position as Chief Animal Control Officer in Cleveland, Ohio, to take on the director position at Dallas Animal Services (DAS) in Texas. With an annual intake of more than 32,000 animals that year, he accepted what many would call a formidable challenge laid out by city officials to create a safer community for people and pets.
In 2018, they launched the Dallas90 campaign, a rallying cry to the community to step up and support the effort to save every healthy or treatable pet at the shelter. It was an ambitious goal, but DAS attained a 90% save rate for the 2020 fiscal year.
From his decision to join the Army the day after September 11th, 2001, to his first position as the only full-time shelter employee in Garfield Heights, Ohio, Ed shares what he sees as the keys to his success, and the lessons he’s learned that we can all use.
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
- Operation Kindness: Ed Jamison named as Operation Kindness’ new CEO
- My Sweet CharityDallas Animal Services Top Dog Ed Jamison To Become Operation Kindness CEO On March 29
- City Dogs Cleveland
- Texas Unites for Animals
- National Animal Care & Control Association
Ed Jamison
CEO, Operation Kindness
Ed Jamison became CEO of Operation Kindness in March of 2021. With a history of providing lifesaving care for homeless pets since 1976, Ed is leading Operation Kindness into a new chapter of growth. With the recently completed renovations and expansion of the OPK facility, the organization is ready to help even more pets in need.
Previously, Ed served as the Director of Dallas Animal Services (DAS). When he joined DAS in 2017, the animal situation in Dallas had been the center of public scrutiny. Ed was tasked with increasing public safety by getting loose animals off the streets, while also increasing positive outcomes. To accomplish that, Ed led a staff of more than 200 employees, maximized the relationships with the rescue community, rebuilt the volunteer base, and instituted new, progressive programming. The “Dallas 90” campaign was designed to help create a community where all people and animals are safe, treated with respect, and have access to the resources needed to thrive. With a dog and cat intake of over 39,000 in 2019, Dallas had the 3rd highest intake in the nation.
With a passion for serving and an extensive background working in the animal welfare field beginning in the early 2000s, Ed worked in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. In the position of Chief Animal Control Officer for the City of Cleveland, Jamison pushed to redefine functionality and public perception of animal control. The award-winning, trademarked CITY DOGs Cleveland Adoption and Volunteer programs continue to be flourishing programs copied throughout the country.
Ed is currently the President of Texas Unites, Vice President of the National Animal Care & Control Association, and Board Member for the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement and Shelter Animals Count.
Episode Transcript