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Shawver shifts gears as new PAWS executive director

Ginger Shawver, the executive director of PAWS, visits with Katie, an 11 week-old lab-coonhound mix, at the facility in Middletown Thursday.

Staff photo by Pat Auckerman Ginger Shawver, the executive director of PAWS, visits with Katie, an 11 week-old lab-coonhound mix, at the facility in Middletown Thursday.

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By Rick McCrabb, Columnist 8:03 PM Friday, May 20, 2011

MIDDLETOWN — It was time, she figured, to quit working for The Man.

Ginger Shawver has spent most of her adult life working for non-profit organizations, four years in middle management at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and 15 years as executive director of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

She’s grateful for the opportunities she was given at those organizations and the skills she obtained, but now, as a 57-year-old who has “been there, done that,” Shawver has shifted gears.

Her career has gone to the dogs — and cats.

And she couldn’t be happier.

Shawver, of West Chester Twp., recently was named executive director of Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) adoption center on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Middletown.

Sue Hutson, president of PAWS, said Shawver’s well-rounded background in non-profit organization management made her an excellent candidate.

Hutson expects PAWS to “benefit” from Shawver’s writing, marketing and public relations expertise.

As a youngster, because of allergies, Shawver wasn’t permitted to have a family dog. Now she has a kennel full. It’s like the lactose intolerant girl down the street opening a Ben & Jerry’s.

“I love animals,” Shawver said recently while sitting in the cramped lobby of the PAWS office.

Just then the front door opened, and two dogs raced inside. But first they stopped and leaped into Shawver’s lap.

Then she continued. “You get to a certain age, and I guess I’m there, where you decide it’s time to give back to your community. It’s time to start really enjoying life.”

And for her, much of that joy comes from uniting people with pets. What price can you put on a person’s face when they fall in love with a puppy?

“It’s truly gratifying,” she said.

But there’s plenty of work to be done at PAWS, which has operated out of the same facility for more than 30 years. Shawver called the skills — budgeting, grant writing, fundraising and event planning — she obtained during her career with the chambers “transferable.”

Her top three priorities are raising the necessary funds to build a new PAWS shelter, grow the volunteer base, and do a better job of educating potential dog and cat owners.

“It’s all about responsible pet care,” she said.

If those goals are met, Shawver said, she’ll be “very satisfied.”

The hardest goal may be raising the funds needed to build a new shelter. She said a Cincinnati architectural firm has been hired to design a shelter that will be located on the 10 acres across the street from the current shelter.

Once the designs are complete, and Shawver knows the cost of the construction, she can begin raising funds.

“You never get bored around here and I love the challenge,” she said.

Right now, because of the volume of dogs and cats, PAWS isn’t accepting animals. Shawver said 42 animals — dogs and cats — were adopted in March, and 40 in April. Last year, she said, the total was more than 400.

Shawver then disappeared in the back of the shelter. A dog probably needed a pat on the head.

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