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Certified Animal Welfare Administrator

Certified Animal Welfare Administrator

Laura Chavarria, the director of Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC), has achieved the highest level professional designation for animal welfare professionals, having earned the Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) credential. She is one of only 100 shelter professionals to have this distinction.

Candidates must meet strict eligibility requirements in leadership, management and animal welfare experience and successfully pass a rigorous exam, developed to meet the highest competency standards. According to the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) which oversees the CAWA program, “the designation provides independent, third-party validation of the knowledge and skills necessary for competent practice as an animal welfare or animal control executive.”

 

An Ohio native, Chavarria is a graduate of the Ohio State University, where she was a biology and animal science major. She became director at WCAC in June 2013, and currently oversees all facility and field operations, as well as a staff of 20, including a full-time on-site veterinarian and three animal control officers She previously served as a quality assurance officer for East Tennessee Clinical Research, and as an animal care specialist, animal control officer and office manager for Lee County Domestic Animal Services in Ft. Myers, Fla.

Williamson County Animal Center is located at 106 Claude Yates Dr., next to Franklin High School, (615) 790-5590.  Adoptable animals can be viewed at www.adoptwcac.org or at the center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.