Meet the finalists: Animal Services Manager

Staff Reports

SAN MARCOS – The City of San Marcos will host a meet and greet to introduce the finalists for the Animal Services Manager. The event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at the San Marcos Rec Hall, 170 Charles Austin Drive, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Community members are invited to come and go at their convenience. The candidates will introduce themselves at the beginning of the event.

The meet and greet is part of a two-day assessment that will give the community an opportunity to provide feedback to the hiring committee. The finalist selected through this process will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter.

The three finalists include:

Christie Banduch has 20 years of local government experience in animal welfare and care. Banduch is currently serving as the Interim Animal Services Manager at the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter and has been with the shelter for two years. She completed coursework in veterinary technology and biology at Palo Alto College.

While working at the City of Kirby, she gained support for a trap neuter and release (TNR) program that lowered the cat and kitten intake rate by 80% over a two-year span, led an outreach initiative for low cost spay/neuter, and established vaccination services, wellness clinics, a pet food pantry, and humane education programs.

During her career, Banduch established partnerships across the animal welfare community including rescue groups, animal control agencies, and animal foundations. Banduch was the 2017 recipient of the Maddie’s Fund Hero Award in the lifesaving category and was awarded a $10,000 grant that was used to subsidize spay/neuter vouchers for low-income pet owners.

Allison Harper has 14 years of local government experience in animal welfare and care and is currently serving as the Animal Services Manager for the City of Brenham. In 2020, the Brenham Pet Adoption Center was chosen to participate in the American Pets Alive! Human Animal Support Services (HASS) coalition which resulted in a reduction of intake by 50% over the prior year.

She has an associate degree in commercial photography from Seattle Central Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Kaplan University. Harper has raised over $30,000 in donations and grants and enhanced shelter adoption programs in several agencies, which resulted in an increase of adoptions and development of strong relationships with local veterinarians and local rescue organizations to promote a positive image.

Lauren Hartis has 15 years of local government experience in animal welfare and care and is currently serving as the Animal Services Director/Warden for the City of Humble and the Secretary on the Boards of Directors for the Texas Animal Control Association. Hartis has received an associate degree from the Animal Behavior College and completed a shelter medicine and vet tech program through Texas A&M.

She established free spay/neuter clinics, rabies programs, and hosted local events. Hartis developed multiple TNR programs that enhanced adoptions through partnerships that support nationwide adoptions. Through a successful marketing campaign, which included coordination with agency partners, Hartis established a tracking program that allowed lost animals to be reunited with their owners prior to shelter intake.

For more information about the meet and greet, contact Linda Spacek at lspacek@sanmarcostx.gov.