Paula Powell

Paula was named director of El Paso Animal Services in April of 2018 after spending several months implementing positive changes as interim director and team lead for El Paso's Shelter Reform Taskforce. In this short time as Animal Services' leader, Paula and her team have increased the live release rate from 68 percent to an average of 86 percent.

Besides her commitment to never giving up, Paula has a multitude of management strengths centered on operations and strategic planning. Through numerous improvements to departmental functions and programs, Paula has developed a "we will" mentality for her team and community, resulting in more lives being saved.

Prior to leading Animal Services, Paula spent 24 years serving the City of El Paso in various operational positions. Before that, Paula served as a 1st Lt in the US Army and was stationed at Fort Bliss. She began her college education at the United States Military Academy and culminated it with her master's in public administration at the University of Texas at El Paso. She received her certification in Shelter Management in 2018 and continues to look for new ways to learn and grow in order to lead her community to reach its goals.