Maui Humane Society CEO Lisa Labrecque has resigned from her role at the nonprofit as she looks forward to spending more time with her family. Courtesy photo

Maui Humane Society CEO Lisa Labrecque, who helped save thousands of pets by reuniting them with their owners or finding them new ones after the August 2023 wildfires, has resigned.

“It has been the greatest pleasure of my professional career to serve as CEO of Maui Humane Society for the past two-plus years,” Labrecque said. “After considerable thought, I have made the difficult decision to leave MHS. I am committed to supporting a smooth transition and have embraced every part of this journey. The last two years have been a lot of hard work and very rewarding. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family.”

Labrecque plans to take time off and eventually do spay neuter work on a contractual basis for Maui Humane Society.

“I will always remain a supporter of this incredible organization and the animals it serves,” she said.

Maui Humane Society operates the island’s only open-admission shelter and provides care for more than 4,900 animals a year with three-quarters of its budget provided by donations from private individuals and nonprofit groups.

Maui Humane Society also offers high-volume, low-cost spay and neuter clinics for pet owners, as well as animal-control services and running the Molokai Animal Shelter.

Labrecque came to Maui Humane Society as a veterinarian and the inaugural director of the nonprofit’s spay and neuter programs.

As she leaves the role, Labrecque is credited for helping to establish the spay and neuter programs and for laying the foundation for Maui Humane Society’s community-based field initiatives.

Labrecque returned to the organization as its chief executive officer in July 2023, shortly before the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

Labrecque led Maui Humane Society through the organization’s response and recovery efforts, and under her guidance, Maui Humane Society has strengthened its lifesaving programs and expanded community partnerships.

“Dr. Labrecque has shown extraordinary dedication to Maui Humane Society and the animals of our island,” said Hillary Nauss, chair of the Maui Humane Society board.

After the fires, Labrecque helped lead the search and rescue and reunification efforts in Lahaina as Maui Humane Society deployed teams of animal trappers while also treating burned and injured animals at its veterinary clinic. In addition to the 900 animals treated by Maui Humane Society, 1,500 were treated at emergency hubs or in mobile veterinary clinics in West Maui.

Maui Humane Society continued its work with affected pet owners by providing resources for pets such as food supplies, housing resources, rental support and veterinary care. The organization also set up a Lahaina Pet Resource Center outside the burn zone near the Maui Food Bank.

Labrecque said Maui Humane Society finished placing pets found in the burn zone in August 2024.

“It took us that long to get all the animals out, reunite them with their owners or find new adoption homes for them, or transfer them to other agencies,” Labrecque said, adding that pet friendly housing is scarce on Maui.

Labrecque said Maui Humane Society continues to see people surrendering their pets as they find temporary housing where they can’t keep pets.

“It’s really, really devastating for these families that aren’t able to keep their animals,” she said.

Last year Maui Humane Society paired pets with Maui firefighters in their fundraising calendar that raised $95,000.

Maui Humane Society also has a “Beach Buddies” program that pair residents and visitors with animals for a day trip and also the “Alaska Angels” program with Alaska Airlines, where a visitor can take an animal with them from Maui on their flight free of cost to partner shelters, who will meet the animals at the airport.

“It truly saves lives because it basically guarantees an adoption pathway for these animals,” Labrecque said.

Labrecque, who holds a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of California, Davis, began her career as the owner and medical director of a private veterinary practice. She became the medical director of Maui Humane Society’s mobile animal surgery clinics, which spayed and neutered more than 6,000 animals in 18 months.

In 2016, she became the director of the community spay and neuter programs at Maui Humane Society. In 2019, she left to work as the director of veterinary services at the Humane Society of Sonoma County in California. She later worked as senior director of veterinary services at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.

In July 2023, she moved back to Maui to serve as chief executive officer of Maui Humane Society.

With Labrecque’s resignation, Chief of Operations Nikki Russell will serve as interim CEO.

Russell has been part of Maui Humane Society for over 13 years including eight as an employee and five as a volunteer. Russell has served in multiple leadership roles for the organization.