ELIZABETHTOWN — The Board of Directors of the North Country SPCA has selected Wendy Beeman as its new executive director.

Beeman took over full-time at the Frances Miller Adoption Center in Elizabethtown as of April 1.

Beeman had previously served on the NCSPCA Board of Directors and over the years has fostered and bottle-fed numerous orphaned kittens. Her resume includes an extensive background in nonprofit and advocacy work. She has spent her entire life in the Adirondacks with 20 years’ experience working with nonprofits, which include the NCSPCA, STOP Domestic Violence, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and Mountain Lake Services. She served for a number of years as a Board of Governors representative at the state level to advocate for laws and funding for individuals with developmental disabilities. Beeman worked for the past 10 years as a certified paralegal and mediator at the Whitson & Tansey law firm in Elizabethtown.

“The board is tremendously excited about Wendy becoming our executive director,” board Chair Margaret Miller Reuther said in a press release. “As the board chair for the past two years, she comes to the position with a detailed understanding of the shelter and a strong relationship with the staff.”

Beeman has taken the helm at an especially difficult time for nonprofits and small businesses. She will focus on finding new funding streams and creating new events to assist in getting the shelter through this pandemic and beyond.

“While this is certainly a challenging time for all of us, I know that we will continue to receive the support from our generous and caring community who will do whatever is in their power to assist us with our vital work,” Beeman said in the release. “I am most excited to be working with the wonderful staff and board who continue daily to improve the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected animals in our community and surrounding areas, no matter what crisis gets thrown at them.”

Beeman is a resident of Jay where she lives with her fiance and six rescue animals. When she is not at the shelter, she can be found spending time with her family and supporting other causes.