The Monmouth County SPCA Board of Trustees has announced that effective immediately, Ross Licitra, who has been serving as the organization’s interim executive director, has accepted the permanent position of executive director of the MCSPCA.
In a press release, the MCSPCA said that during Licitra’s months of provisional leadership as interim executive director at the shelter in Eatontown, he immediately began working on efficiencies and analyzing costs. In 12 months, adoptions were up by 16 percent and ongoing operational expenditures were reduced by 11 percent, notwithstanding 617 cases of animal cruelty which were investigated in Monmouth County.
Licitra came out of retirement to join the MCSPCA in May 2015. He brought more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement to his job as the MCSPCA’s chief of law enforcement, according to the press release.
During the past year, Licitra has led, effectively prosecuted and rescued animals in dozens of cruelty investigations, most notably one in Howell in June in which nearly 300 dogs were saved from a hoarding situation.
The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1945 to care for the community’s homeless, neglected and abused animals. Its mission is to protect and advocate for all animals, according to the press release.