After two years as CEO of Operation Kindness, Bob Catalani has announced his retirement. We are deeply grateful to Bob for his dedicated leadership and service to animals in need. Bob will continue to support our mission as a member of the Board of Directors.
With the completion of our facility renovation and expansion, Operation Kindness is embarking on a new chapter of growth. The Board of Directors identified Ed Jamison as the top candidate to lead the organization into the future.
Ed brings a wealth of animal welfare and leadership experience, most recently as Director of Dallas Animal Services (DAS) since 2017. At DAS, Ed led a team of more than 200 employees, maximized relationships with the rescue community, rebuilt the volunteer base, and instituted new, progressive programming.
Dallas Animal Services is also Operation Kindness’ top rescue partner – we transfer more animals from DAS than any other shelter. During his time there, Ed consistently collaborated with the Operation Kindness leadership team to transfer animals, share resources, and strengthen our relationship to save more lives.
Under Ed’s leadership, DAS instituted an innovative neonatal kitten program to save the lives of vulnerable young kittens. And, DAS improved their save rate by such an impressive amount that it received national recognition. Check out this New York Times article on his efforts!
Ed has had an impressive career dedicated to animal welfare and brings a wealth of experience and passion to Operation Kindness. Before coming to Dallas, Ed was the Chief Animal Control Officer for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. His career in animal welfare began in the early 2000s as the Animal Warden for the City of Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland.
In his time serving Cleveland, Ed made a push to redefine the way animal control functions and re-brand the public’s perception of the industry, and particularly “pit-bull” type dogs. The award-winning, trademarked CITY DOGs Cleveland Adoption and Volunteer programs are flourishing and copied throughout the country.
As a well-respected leader in the animal welfare community, Ed is also president of Texas Unites for Animals, Vice President of the National Animal Care and Control Organization, and a board member of Shelter Animals Count and the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.
Known as an innovative thought leader, he is frequently requested to speak at conferences including the Best Friends Animal Society National Conference and the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement annual conference.
Ed’s love for animals means that he also has many pets at home, including a few foster fails. His pets include his dogs (Gurble and Esme), cats (Bertram, Deliah, Riley, Weston, Nestor, Merwin, Scrappy, and Kiwi), goldfish (Iragoo), cows (Cookie, Sprout, and Oliver), and miniature donkeys (Fern and Evie).
We are thrilled to welcome Ed to the team starting March 29, 2021. Bob will work with Ed during his first few weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
Ed has the full confidence of the Operation Kindness Board of Directors and leadership team. We look forward to a bright future for North Texas animals!
