Shelter Operations Director
Student Spotlight
I never received any management or leadership training despite previously holding management roles. I was promoted based on my animal care and handling skills rather than my team management skills. I wanted to learn and develop skills to help me hire and retain a successful team, give valuable and relevant feedback, and create relevant and accessible employee documents.
Christa Nelson, Director of Operations, Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston, Montana
As a student of the online Shelter Medicine program at the University of Florida, Christa Nelson serves as the director of operations at the non-profit Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston, Montana. She also previously held supervisory roles in another shelter, a general practice clinic, and was the general manager of a dog boarding facility. In addition to her graduate students, Christa enrolled in the program’s leadership courses to gain leadership skills and practical knowledge to support her career advancement.
Christa found that the program’s curriculum prepared her for her vital leadership role at the Stafford Animal Shelter. “I never received any management or leadership training despite previously holding management roles,” she said. “I was promoted based on my animal care and handling skills rather than my team management skills. I wanted to learn and develop skills to help me hire and retain a successful team, give valuable and relevant feedback, and create relevant and accessible employee documents.”
The leadership and management course helped her identify her strengths as a leader while revealing areas for improvement. “I have applied these tools to my work as a shelter director and have since seen better staff retention and staff engagement, and my confidence in this role has increased significantly,” she said. Through these courses, she gained skills in hiring for a culture fit, performing effective annual evaluations, creating a successful training program for staff, and managing interpersonal conflict within a team.
The program’s focus on crisis management helped Christa prepare for the unexpected, especially when she began her operations leadership post with Stafford Animal Shelter after the shelter was heavily damaged by flooding from the Yellowstone River. “I took a position at an organization physically destroyed in a natural disaster,” she explained. “We rebuilt and reopened with a completely new leadership team and all new staff.” Christa faced the challenge of a staff with no formal training or standard operating procedures. The best practices she learned from the online Shelter Medicine program proved crucial to creating and implementing critical protocols for effective shelter management.
The grand rounds sessions – virtual presentations featuring national and international leaders in the field – are among Christa’s favorite UF courses that provided invaluable career insights. “I have had a lot of favorites! I don’t know if I can pick just one,” she said. “While not a management-specific rounds session, I really learned a lot from Dr. Cynda Crawford’s presentation a couple of years ago, ‘Update on Canine Distemper Virus in Shelters.’ This came at a perfect time, as only a little while later, I dealt with my first distemper outbreak at my new shelter that had no written procedures in place.”
The support from instructors and staff aided Christa’s success in the program. “Everyone leading these courses has been prompt to answer questions, provided helpful feedback on assignments, and genuinely seemed invested in my success in the courses. I am incredibly grateful to the instructors for developing a course that taught relevant information and directly addressed my struggles.”
Christa provides parting advice for applicants interested in the Online Shelter Medicine program: “Set aside plenty of time every week to work on school, take lots of notes, and share what you are learning with your organization! It is worth every second, and the knowledge gained is invaluable.”