Name: Sierra Ortiz

Position: Client Services Supervisor

What were you doing before joining the ARL: I worked for a home improvement company called Install America for 2 years. I worked in their call center. I was the lead verifier for canvassers and rescheduled appointments during slow time.  

Do you have any pets at home? I do! I have 3 cats and 3 small dogs. One cat and one dog are ARL Alumni’s.  

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I film beauty content for YouTube on the side as a fun hobby.  

What do you enjoy most about leading the client services team: Helping the team learn and grow. Passing on my knowledge that I learned over the past 7 years.  

How do you ensure that client interactions reflect the company’s values and mission? My department goes through rotating trainings, and I make sure I’m available for my team to coach and guide in as real-time as possible.  

Tell us about a time when your quick thinking led to a positive outcome for a client or your team: I spoke with a gentleman who was looking to surrender his grandmother’s cat. The cat had an abscess on its tail, his grandmother kept taking off the cone, which led the cat’s tail not to heal and get worse. Their vet recommended a small tail amputation. The family didn’t have the funds to cover their vets’ fees and knew they would run into the same issue with the cone. After confirming that, besides the cone, his grandmother does take care of the cat, I recommended surrender prevention surgery and emergency boarding for recovery time. I got it approved, and a foster was willing to house. The feline was helped and reunited with his family, and it was a win for everyone.  

What does animal welfare mean to you personally? It means giving every animal possible a fair chance and making the best decision for that animal, even when it’s a hard one. It also means being able to support the community because without them, we cannot do what we are doing now.  

How do you see our client services department evolving in the future? As the team builds their skills and we grow our volunteer base support team, the goal is for the department to be quicker and more efficient with improved quality in our work. Help as many animals as we can before they even enter the shelter and if they do, try our very best to make sure their stay isn’t long.  

Any last words of wisdom? Working in animal welfare isn’t easy. All anyone can do is be the best version of themselves, take care of themselves, continue to do what makes them happy outside of the workplace, and don’t let work become their identity. It’s the only way you can show up and do your best by our animals and community.