TEXARKANA, Ark. - Kayla Tucker has resigned her position as director of the Animal Care and Adoption Center, and an interim director will take over managing shelter operations March 6.
Tucker announced her resignation in a Facebook post Monday, saying she would return to her original home in Oklahoma. City Manager Kenny Haskin confirmed Wednesday he had received her resignation and said shelter employee Brenda Williamson will be named interim director.
In a statement, Tucker cited "life events" causing the change and said she was sad to be leaving but proud of her accomplishments and confident in the shelter's staff.
"The shelter has been my baby, and I've put so much into it. I will always cherish the experience I've gone through and the members of the community I have met. The outpour of support has blown me away," she said.
Tucker took over as director upon the resignation of her predecessor, Charles Lokey, in November 2019. During her tenure, the city secured $875,000 in financing for building a new shelter facility that is expected to open in late spring or early summer. Earlier this month, the shelter announced a $1 million donation from the Neva Nell McCormick Trust.
She thanked Haskin for trusting her "to bring the shelter from the rubble left behind and turning it into something the City of Texarkana, Arkansas, can be proud of."
"I have faith the shelter will continue to blossom. I of course will still be in contact to assist the new interim director and of course the city manager to ensure the shelter continues on the road to success.
"As much as this farewell hurts, life always has a plan for us. I came in and did what I set out to do. I fixed what many thought I wouldn't be able to. I am proud of the accomplishments I've made and those of my staff. I cannot wait to see just how much farther the shelter will continue to go," Tucker said.
Haskin expressed confidence in Williamson's abilities.
"We all have a lot of confidence and faith in her right now to be able to keep operations moving forward. I'm tickled to death and really excited about that deep bench that we're building down there. So when Kayla steps away, I have tremendous confidence that Brenda will step up and do a yeoman's job," he said.