Indianapolis Animal Care Services will have a familiar face leading the pack as its new director come mid-July.
Mayor Joe Hogsett on July 2 announced Amanda Dehoney-Hinkle as the new Director of Indianapolis Animal Care Services, effective July 21.
Dehoney-Hinkle has served in various shelter and animal control leadership roles for over 15 years. She has spent the last nine years as the superintendent of Greenfield-Hancock Animal Management, where she led innovative programs in shelter design and enforcement procedures.
The mayor’s office says Dehoney-Hinkle played a “pivotal role” in developing Greenfield-Hancock Animal Management into a “modern, community-focused” shelter that enhanced the well-being of both animals and staff.
Dehoney-Hinkle is also no stranger to IACS.
Her career in animal welfare started at the southwest side shelter, considered the “state’s busiest animal welfare facility.” While at IACS, she served as deputy chief of kennel operations and also acted as interim director.
She also holds multiple certifications in shelter medicine, disaster response, animal handling, and leadership from the ASPCA, FEMA, and from University of Florida’s Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program. She is also a certified “yellow belt” in the Lean Six Sigma process improvement approach.
Hogsett said in a July 2 release that Dehoney-Hinkle’s expansive experience will serve her well as director.
“Throughout the course of her career, the well-being and safety of animals have always been at the center of Amanda Dehoney-Hinkle’s work,” he said. “When you combine her passion for animal welfare, her care and commitment to the communities she serves, and her ability to lead a team through a transition to a new facility, Amanda’s experience will serve her well as the Director of Indianapolis Animal Care Services.”
Outside of her professional life, Dehoney-Hinkle lives with her husband and their blended family of six kids, two dogs, and a cat. She adopted two dachshund sisters named Biscuit and Gravy from IACS in 2013.
This story was produced by WISH-TV’s Michaela Springer.