PGSPCA Announces New Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 1, 2024

PGSPCA Announces New Leadership. The SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County Inc. (PGSPCA) welcomes its first Executive Director and a new Board Chair.

Bowie, Maryland, November 1, 2024 – The SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County Inc., or PGSPCA, has named Cassie Hines as its first Executive Director, and volunteer Shannon McWilliams will serve as Chair for the Board of Directors.

Since 1975, PGSPCA has been an all-volunteer organization working to improve local animal welfare. That mission continues, with PGSPCA’s decision to hire a full-time Executive Director signaling its strong commitment to maximizing results. Under the new leadership, PGSPCA plans to expand its programs and services, making an even greater difference for the area’s animals.

“We are so happy to welcome Cassie as our Executive Director,” said Tamela Terry, outgoing president of PGSPCA’s Board of Directors. “Her management expertise and leadership skills, as well as her personal passion for our mission, make Cassie a perfect fit for this role. Together, Cassie and Shannon, as Board Chair, will be a phenomenal team to lead our organization into an exciting new chapter of growth and impact.”

Cassie Hines has over 15 years of executive experience in community outreach, marketing, and public relations through large-scale event planning. Born and raised in Western Maryland, Mrs. Hines later moved to Pennsylvania for college and the early years of her career in hospitality and business management. She has long had a passion for hospitality, event planning, community outreach, and animals. In her spare time, Mrs. Hines has fostered numerous homeless dogs and played an integral role in raising funds and awareness for local animal rescue efforts. She is delighted to mix career and her love of animals, and she looks forward to helping PGSPCA further its goals in the local community. In 2019 Mrs. Hines relocated to Annapolis where she lives with her husband, a veteran of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and their two rescue mutts, Gnarly Dog and Ruger.

Shannon McWilliams has been involved in animal rescue since the age of eight, when she learned to help her aunt care for stray cats. Hailing from Virginia, Shannon attended college and graduate school in upstate New York before returning to work in the DMV area. She joined the PGSPCA in 2020 when looking to help the community cats behind her new apartment building. Shannon then served as a foster and general volunteer before becoming cat adoption coordinator and later joining the PGSPCA Board of Directors. She holds two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees, is a licensed clinical social worker, and enjoys employing those credentials to help people for a living. Shannon is equally passionate about her volunteer work and improving animal welfare in Prince George’s County. A Maryland resident since 2017, she shares her home with three wonderful felines named Lucy, Tallulah, and Daisy.

About the SPCA/HS of Prince George’s County (PGSPCA)

The SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County, Inc. (PGSPCA) is a non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to animal welfare. In operation for almost fifty years, PGSPCA opened the county’s first low-cost spay/neuter clinic and run a 24- hour cruelty and neglect prevention hotline as well as an active pet adoption program. They seek to build a brighter future for Prince George’s County cats, dogs, and the people who care about them.

Contact Information:

Cassie Hines, Executive Director (ExecDir@pgspca.org)
Shannon McWilliams, Board Chair (Admin@pgspca.org)
301-262-5625
www.pgspca.org