News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The city of Cookeville has a new animal shelter director.
City Manager Mike Davidson on Tuesday announced the hiring of Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy.
Hutchinson-Tracy said Cookeville’s support for the animal shelter led her to accept the job.
“This awesome friends group that they have is not something that I’ve had at any of the other shelters,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “I’m really excited to be a part of a sheltering community where the community itself is so engaged in helping the shelter.”
Hutchinson-Tracy has extensive experience in animal control and she spent the past six years managing an animal shelter in Fayetteville North Carolina.
“I’ve been working in animal control and animal shelters since 2005. The shelter in Fayetteville was one of the largest in the state of North Carolina, taking in an average of 11,000 animals a year,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “I’ve seen a few things and learned a lot and I hope to bring some of that experience here.”
Hutchinson-Tracy said it was a “happy coincidence” that she found Cookeville.
“My husband and I had been thinking of relocating more towards western North Carolina or eastern Tennessee,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “I had some job alerts set up on my email and Cookeville popped up. I started researching it and liked the sound of it.”
Hutchinson-Tracy said she will evaluate and prioritize before making any changes to the Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter.
“I’m sure there will be some changes. I’m one of those people that’s never completely satisfied with where things are and I’m always looking to improve,” Hutchinson-Tracy said.
Hutchinson-Tracy officially began serving as director on Monday. She replaces Sarah Hawlik-Webb. Webb recently announced her intentions to resign after serving as director of the animal shelter for the past thee years.
