Longtime NHSPCA CEO to Retire
- The longtime president and CEO of the New Hampshire SPCA announced her retirement after 32 years leading the Stratham campus. - She transformed the facility from a small 'shack' into a regional hub with adoption, veterinary, and humane education services. - Her tenure included major expansions and built a strong community network benefiting animals across the region (unionleader.com).
Lisa Dennison, the president and chief executive of the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is retiring after 32 years leading the Stratham shelter. (unionleader.com) The retirement was announced this week, capping a tenure that began in the mid-1990s and turned the organization from a small shelter into a larger regional animal-welfare operation. Seacoast Online reported in January that Dennison planned to step down later in 2026 after 31 years, while the Union Leader on April 22 described her tenure as 32 years. (seacoastonline.com) (unionleader.com) During Dennison’s time in Stratham, the New Hampshire SPCA grew from 10 employees to 56, expanded its annual operating budget from $400,000 to more than $4 million, and increased its campus from 6 acres to 15 acres. (patch.com) The campus also changed physically. A $6 million renovation and expansion unveiled in 2021 added a full veterinary clinic, a horse barn, and updated animal spaces, replacing what Dennison has described as a much smaller and more limited facility. (witness.usatoday.com) (seacoastonline.com) That growth left the organization operating far beyond adoptions alone. The New Hampshire SPCA now describes itself as the state’s oldest and largest animal shelter, offering pet adoption, cruelty intervention, dog training, humane education, summer programs for children, and low-cost spay and neuter services. (nhspca.org) The retirement comes as the organization is also building for its next phase. The New Hampshire SPCA is running a “Campaign for Changing Times” to grow its endowment and support programs including cruelty investigation, humane education, and animal care. (nhspca.org) The shelter’s scale matters in New Hampshire because it serves animals and pet owners well beyond Stratham. New Hampshire Business Review said the organization reports roughly $4.1 million in annual revenue and provides rescue and cruelty-and-neglect investigation services across the state from its Portsmouth Avenue campus. (nhbr.com) The New Hampshire SPCA was founded in 1872, and Dennison’s retirement closes a long stretch of leadership at one of the state’s oldest animal-welfare institutions. The organization has already posted an active search for its next president and chief executive. (nhspca.org) (noeticsearch.applytojob.com)
