PAWS Gets New Leader

A San Francisco nonprofit that helps low-income people who have disabling HIV/AIDS and other illnesses with their pets has a new executive director.

Aaron Chandler officially took over the top job at Pets Are Wonderful Support this summer.

"I am so excited to join PAWS as the organization closes in on 30 years of enabling vulnerable low-income San Franciscans to continue their invaluable and life-saving connections with their companion animals," Chandler said in a statement from the nonprofit.

Chandler, 30, began in March, and overlapped with former President and CEO Kevin Kosik through June 30. Kosik is now the executive director of the American Lung Association in California for the Greater Bay Area.

PAWS provides pet food, veterinarian care, dog walking, and other services to almost 800 clients.

Chandler stated that as "nonprofits everywhere adjust to the quickly-changing landscape of social services, I'm looking forward to ensuring the organization remains nimble, sustainable, and able to grow its capacity to serve" clients.

In a phone interview, he said he plans to restart a client education and advocacy program at the nonprofit, where a staffer will help clients facing situations like landlords who won't allow pets.

He also hopes "to do more culturally competent client outreach," noting that the agency is located in the Mission district, which is "very heavily Latino" and where Spanish is many people's first language.

"There's not a set timeline to that, but it's a goal of mine for us to really do more in the next year to two years," Chandler said.

The additional work would take more funding and staff, but he indicated finances aren't a big problem.

"Like all nonprofits, we don't rake in money hand over fist," Chandler said. "I wouldn't describe [funding] as a challenge, but funding is always an ongoing need."

The agency, which has seven paid staff and 590 volunteers, has a budget this year of $993,000.

"Our fundraising goal is the budget," Chandler said. PAWS has raised three quarters of that figure and has three months to bring in the rest, he said.

The nonprofit's main funding sources include foundations and corporations, individuals, and events such as the Folsom Street Fair.

Chandler, who lives in San Francisco, declined to provide his salary information. The nonprofit's tax filing for 2013 lists Kosik's reportable compensation from PAWS as $79,400. Chandler said his salary differs from that figure.

Longtime Client

One longtime PAWS client isn't happy with at least one change that's occurred at the organization.

Phoenix Blackhawk, 54, a queer San Francisco man who's living with HIV, has been a PAWS client since 1998 and has volunteered for the group, which has helped him with his 9-year-old terrier mix, Dusty.

Blackhawk complained that PAWS has prohibited clients from also serving from volunteers after someone "accidentally" saw "confidential information" on a computer.

"They just passed a blanket new policy that no clients can be volunteers," Blackhawk said. "Does that make sense to you?" He doesn't remember exactly when the policy was changed but said it was around when Chandler joined the agency in March.

Asked about the volunteer policy, Chandler said, "PAWS is dedicated to preserving a positive experience for both clients and volunteers, which led the decision to keep the volunteer experience separate from the client experience." He said Kosik implemented the change.

Chandler declined to state his sexual orientation, but said, "I've been involved almost solely in LGBT organizations on the board and staff of LGBT organizations, so you can probably infer one way or the other."

For more information about PAWS, visit www.pawssf.org