Animal House - Rick Johnson and Pam Williams Share Passion For All Critters

Rick Johnson and Pam Williams don’t believe in leaving work behind at the office. Instead, they enjoy talking about their days and their special events at the dinner table. They met while working for the Marin Humane Society and now hold key positions for separate animal organizations in Sacramento. Johnson is Executive Director of the Sacramento SPCA and Williams is Director of Development for The Sacramento Zoological Society.

“We spend a great deal of time talking about what we do,” says Johnson. “We help and support each other because we understand the business.”

“We like being a team and that speaks well for both organizations,” adds Williams. They attend each other’s fund-raisers where they see many of the same donors. “They are people who care about animals,” says Johnson.

The couple, who have been married for five years, had a menagerie of animals as children – everything from dogs and birds to rats and a snake. Their two dogs go to work with Johnson, who has a gate across the entrance to his office and a nameplate with “Top Dog” on the door. Oliver, 10, a Rottweiler mix, and Sydney, 2, a golden retriever, greet guests as enthusiastically as Johnson and Williams.

As Executive Director, Johnson provides vision for the SPCA, which has 1,100 volunteers, 85 staff and 12 board members. He was Associate Executive Director at the Marin Humane Society for 25 years before coming to Sacramento five years ago. “The job here seemed like a challenge, I grew up in Sacramento and my parents, who are in their late 80s, live here,” he says.

Under his supervision, the number of volunteers has increased (from 700) and the Spay and Neuter Clinic has been remodeled. “We’re starting to have an impact (on the dog and cat population),” he says. “Over 12,000 animals a year are spayed and neutered.” He’s also developing a program to help older people keep their pets in their homes. “Pets are strong companions for the elderly.”

SPCA membership has grown to 15,000 members. “A lot of people want to help and that’s been one of the biggest joys,” Johnson says.

He worked with animal groups in Colorado after graduating from Sacramento State as an anthropology major and University of Oregon grad school. He attended high school in Novato.

Pam Williams worked for the Marin Humane Society for almost 21 years before taking on her newly created position with the Zoological Society this past January. She’s in charge of raising funds for the Society, which operates the zoo and has 10,500 members. Her current project is the renovation of the giraffe exhibit, appropriately called “Tall Wonders.” The habitat will double in size and be the new home for the three female giraffes: Valentine, 14, Goody, 10, and Skye, 8. “We hope to add a male,” she says. The Society is close to its goal of raising $1.5 million for the habitat.

Williams grew up in New Jersey, majored in business at Marymount College in Arlington, VA. and moved to California in the ’70s. She volunteered in the Dog Training Center at the Marin Humane Society, soon joined the organization and was its Development Director for 16 years.

She’s enthusiastic about the zoo’s family nights and overnight safaris. “The educational programs help children have an appreciation for all animals.”

Johnson and Williams live in Wilton (on three acres for their dogs) yet still feel a strong attraction to Marin, often returning for visits. They have four adult children – Johnson’s two daughters and Williams’ two sons.

Yes, they’ve been on safari – Williams twice and Johnson, who has led groups on safari, about seven or eight times to destinations including Kenya, South Africa and Namibia. They enjoy traveling, especially to Costa Rica to visit their only granddaughter, age 6. They go for long walks with the dogs and spend about two weekends a month at Tahoe in dog-friendly hotels, of course.

Sixty-five percent of households have animals of some kind, but the economy and the real estate downturn have affected the SPCA. “Around 30 percent more animals are coming in, adoptions have dropped and donations (including those to the thrift store) have slowed down,” says Johnson. The SPCA is helping pets displaced due to foreclosures, but 13-14-year-old dogs are difficult to place.

Under a new Adoption Program, the SPCA is picking up and helping to place animals from 15 area shelters. “We also have a strong focus on reaching out and providing education about animals to children, encouraging them to connect at an early age. “It’s never too early to volunteer,” Johnson says.

Asked to brag about each other, Johnson says, “The amazing thing that Pam brings to her work is her incredible talent for sharing a vision of the organization with the public. She is an outstanding development director. She is a compassionate, caring person who shares the same values and love for animals.”

Williams says, “Rick has smarts, integrity and a great sense of humor. He has the ability to move things forward in a way that never offends anyone and his programs such as helping seniors keep their pets are popular. Rick has a good charisma with his staff. He has a lot of compassion and his staff and Sacramento are fortunate to have him.”

“We both feel lucky that we’re able to work with caring people in what we do and can help improve things,” says Johnson.

                “We’re doing something we believe in,” adds Williams. As for the future, she says, “I hope people will say that we made some difference; that we made things better for the animals and better for their people.