Maricopa County Animal Care & Control Hires New Director

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control Hires New Director

A long-time Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) volunteer has been chosen to lead the department as its new director.  Michael Mendel is an experienced social worker and animal welfare advocate with more than 20 years of experience guiding nonprofit and governmental organizations.

“I cherish the opportunity to continue my passion serving the animals in MCACC’s care – a path I began in February 2008 as a volunteer. Now, 14 years and more than 12,600 hours of service later, I embark on implementing a data-driven, evidence-based vision that sees all at MCACC as social workers – amazing individuals navigating the significant challenges of a large municipal shelter system in one of the nation’s fastest growing counties by providing direct, empathetic services to the County’s animals and its citizens.”

Most recently, Mr. Mendel served as Senior Program Officer for the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust where he co-managed its Phoenix-area human services grantmaking portfolio and animal welfare grants in Arizona (over $8 million since 2014). Prior to this (1997-2011), he was Senior Project Manager for the URS Corporation in Phoenix and San Diego, supervising military planning staff in projects that identified and rectified gaps in mission delivery for the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force.

Mr. Mendel has an extensive knowledge of local animal welfare.  He managed grants with each member of the Alliance for Companion Animals (Altered Tails, Animal Defense League of Arizona, Arizona Animal Welfare League. Arizona Humane Society, HALO, and PACC911).  He also oversaw the Fix.Adopt.Save. Initiative that provided free and low-cost spay/neuter and vaccinations for owned animals, an average 39,000 surgeries annually.  This initiative has resulted in an 86% reduction in Euthanasia and 43% reduction in the intake of homeless pets.

Mr. Mendel earned his Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kent State University and a Master of Arts in English from the State University of New York College at Buffalo.