Animal Services director named to national board

Posted On: October 9, 2020

Volusia County Animal Services Director Adam Leath has spent his entire career protecting defenseless animals from cruelty and abuse. And now, Leath will be putting his expertise to work with a national organization devoted to maintaining the highest professional standards in the field of animal welfare and public safety.

This week, Leath was selected to serve as a director on the board of the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). Leath was among five new directors elected by NACA’s membership to the organization’s board. The all-volunteer board of directors helps guide NACA’s activities, which include professional training and a certification program for animal care workers. Formed in 1978, one of the chief objectives of the organization is to promote responsible animal ownership. It’s a passion that Leath shares.

“Animal services is an extremely rewarding field, and I’ve always endeavoured to further the profession through training, networking and advocacy,” said Leath. “I’m so honored to have been elected to the NACA board because it will give me the opportunity to continue helping to raise the standards of our profession on a national level. The pets and their owners in our community and around the country deserve the very best service that we can provide.”

Leath has been the Volusia County animal services director for two years. He has a graduate certificate in veterinary forensic science and a bachelor’s degree in animal science as well as numerous certifications for both animal cruelty and disaster response. Prior to coming to Volusia County, Leath was operations manager and chief of animal control in Lee County and also served as regional director of the investigations division for the ASPCA's field investigation and response team. Leath also is a courtesy assistant professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine and an immediate past president of the international veterinary forensic sciences association.

Two of the five new NACA directors elected this week are from Florida – Leath and Pasco County’s assistant animal services director, Spencer Conover. The other three are from Arizona, Texas and Virginia. Leath’s term will run until 2023.