Former animal shelter staff deliver blistering public critique of local SPCA leadership, operations

"I have never witnessed or experienced a toxic culture and unethical practices like I witnessed at CASPCA..."

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Over the years, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA has been chosen in familiar reader polls run by local media as one of our favorite non-profits, and just last week Angie Gunter, the CEO of the CASPCA, announced that 2022 was a record year for adoptions.

"It's an amazing community for pets for sure, like we are so grateful to this community,” Gunter told CBS19. “They keep supporting us and we just couldn't do what we do without them so just so eternally grateful to this community for what they're doing for the pets.”

This week, however, 57 former and current CASPCA staff members and volunteers released a blistering critique of the organization under Gunter’s leadership, calling for an investigation into animal care practices they find "deeply concerning."

"During my career in animal welfare I have never witnessed or experienced a toxic culture and unethical practices like I witnessed at CASPCA," wrote Taylor Lefebvre, the recent former Director of Operations at CASPCA, one of 14 people who wrote letters accompanying a January 17 letter by the group to the CASPCA Board, all of them similarly critical of Gunter’s leadership.

"All of the issues I will be addressing stem from one underlying issue, the current CEO,” Lefebvre continued, “Angie Gunter’s leadership is at best ineffective, but in practice is divisive, harmful, and destructive. She has fostered a culture of fear and miscommunication, along with zero transparency. Her lack of knowledge regarding animal welfare, and unwillingness to collaborate, is frankly astounding and detrimental to the Charlottesville community and animals."

The DTM asked Gunter for comment and CASPCA board president Jenn Corbey responded, saying the Board has "received the letter and is in the process of reviewing its contents."

"The Board takes seriously its commitment to the organization," Corbey added, "and its mission to provide compassionate treatment for the animals in its care."

In an email to The DTM, an anonymous member of the group said "multiple people coordinated" the effort to release this information, and indicated that member spokespersons would soon be available for camera interviews.

According to 990 tax filings, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, under the Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Inc., was running in the red in 2019 and 2020 (2021 and 2020 filings were unavailable). In 2019, it reported a $129,000 loss in net income with a total revenue of $4.7 million. In its 2020 filing, the CASPCA reported a $261,131 loss in net income with a total revenue of $4.6 million. Comparatively, the CASPCA reported a $636,231 gain in net income in 2018 and a $1,645,280 gain in 2017.

The last time the CASPCA ran in the red, according to available 990 filings, was in 2016 when they reported a $357,805 net loss in income. At that time, contributions totaled approximately $1.3 million. Remarkably, for its 2017 filing, after Gunter (who, according to the 2020 filing, made $168,400 a year) took over as CEO, the CASPCA reported a $1.6 million net gain in income and contributions totaling over $4 million.

Our local SPCA opened in 1956, and Sally Mead became the director of Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA in 1967. Former Daily Progress writer David Maurer described Mead as "a guardian" who protected animals with "legendary zeal" in a 2009 story about her.

"This organization was run by a wonderful person, Sally Mead, and it was her passion," wrote a DTM reader on Facebook, responding to the group’s letter. " It was about the animals, not about the money. It seems that now, it is just all about fundraising and the dollars. So sad to hear this."

“We’re not bleeding hearts, but for most of the animals in here, we’re their only family,” Mead said in a 1987 Daily Progress interview.

“Somebody’s got to speak for them, and we do — loudly. The quality of their life is very important.” Mead was still directing the shelter when she died in 1989.

Maurer described the expansion in 2004 to Bermar Drive and the continuation of Mead's legacy of caring for animals. There’s a courtyard there in her name.

"In the end it might be found that such places help redeem, in some small measure, the human failings that make them necessary," Mauer wrote.

1.23.23 Update:

Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA Board responds to allegations from former staff

"The Board of Directors of the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA has heard your concerns. We take them seriously. The Board of Directors, like many of you, want the future of the CASPCA to be bright. We are dedicated to the CASPCA’s future as a “best in class” shelter for the local community, the region, and all the animals that come into our care. In all cases, we want to ensure that those animals’ lives are made better by coming through our doors.

The Board intends to pursue diligently the goals of making the shelter a better place for both the animals and the hard-working employees and volunteers on whom they rely. We believe that Angie Gunter is the best person to lead this effort forward and she will continue to act as the CASPCA’s CEO. The CEO and the Board will work closely together to ensure that your concerns about staff development, workplace enhancement, and organizational and leadership development are addressed in a meaningful way. We ask for your patience as this process moves forward."

Update: 1.31.23

The former staff members of the CASPCA who called for an investigation into the alleged "toxic culture and unethical practices" at the organization under CEO Angie Gunter, are continuing their public campaign, sounding more every day like an advocacy organization themselves, organizing protests, establishing a website and social media presence, documenting alleged abuses, and sending out press releases and statements anonymously as "CASPA Concerns," the latest one below.

Meanwhile, journalist Courtney Stuart has been providing some great coverage of this story on her Charlottesville Right Now radio program on WINA. They've compiled Stuart's segments on the show here:

Update 2.2.23:

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA has announced plans to engage an outside investigator to look into claims made by former staff members about mismanagement and abuse at the local animal shelter. No investigator has been named or a timeframe been determined for the investigation. But the former employees say they are "glad to hear the Board and the Executive Team purportedly plan to take our accounts seriously" in their own press release today.

However, that hasn't deterred the whistleblowing group, now known as CASPCA Concerns, from continuing to criticize CASPCA CEO Angie Gunter.

"Given the number and gravity of our accounts of her mismanagement, as well as her well-established practice of threatening staff with retaliation, she should, at the minimum, be relieved of active leadership responsibilities while the investigation is conducted," the group said.

In addition, the group suggests shelter employees would fear "threats of retribution" from Gunter if they were to speak honestly to investigators. The group also remains skeptical that the CASPCA Board, which they claim has a history of "hiring personal friends to conduct business," would conduct an impartial investigation.

Update 2.8.23:

A month after 57 ex-employees and volunteers at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA stunned the animal-loving community by publishing a blistering letter accusing the animal shelter of engaging in unethical practices and creating a toxic work environment under CEO Angie Gunter's "harmful and destructive" leadership, the CASPCA Board has finally hired the law firm McGuireWoods to conduct a 90-day investigation into the matter. The CASPCA Board has been slow to respond to such explosive allegations by so many ex-employees and volunteers, and first responded by saying that Gunter was "the best person to lead" the organization as they moved forward. Meanwhile, the ex-employee/volunteer whistleblower group now known as CASPCA Concerns, has continued to pepper the local media with press releases voicing their concerns. They're still calling for Gunter to step down and a restructuring of the Board, and are planning another protest outside the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA on Berkmar Drive this Saturday, February 11 at 12 PM. CASPCA Board President Jenn Corbey has declined interviews, and a Board statement makes it clear that they'll be mum during the investigation. Read more from The Daily Progress.