Embattled Montco SPCA replaces its board president amid ongoing turmoil at the $67 million nonprofit

The Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is in the process of replacing its board president amid ongoing scrutiny into welfare conditions and mismanagement at the wealthiest animal shelter in the state.

April Lownes-Hostler, 57, resigned as the leader of the shelter’s board of directors in November, ending a 20-year run on the shelter’s supervisory committee. The SPCA confirmed the departure on Wednesday in a statement, describing the move as one part of a broader overhaul of the shelter’s top leadership.

“Montgomery County SPCA is reconstituting its Board of Directors as part of a comprehensive and ongoing effort to advance our mission,” the statement said.

Lownes-Hostler did not respond to a request for comment and her replacement was not immediately named. The shelter is expected to provide updates in the coming weeks.

The move marks the latest in a series of upheavals at the nonprofit since September, when The Inquirer revealed signs of mismanagement, hazardous conditions, and alleged animal mistreatment at the SPCA’s three branches.

Under longtime executive director Carmen Ronio, the Montco shelter amassed $67 million in net assets, making it by far Pennsylvania’s wealthiest, while spending about $3 million a year on operations. Yet the paper’s investigation found that the wealth did not result in better outcomes for animals. Instead, the SPCA had become riven by understaffing, high euthanasia rates, and deteriorating kennel conditions.

» READ MORE: 7 things to know about our investigation into the wealthy, yet rundown, Montco SPCA

Dogs often escaped through broken cages, injuring themselves on frayed metal wires. Foster and adoption programming was virtually nonexistent compared with other regional shelters. An analysis of self-reported shelter data found that Montco also holds the lowest save rate among shelters in the Philadelphia region — and one of the lowest in the state, experts said.

Since the September investigation, backlash has been intense, drawing a protest outside the shelter’s main Conshohocken branch. Several donors threatened to withhold contributions to the nonprofit until reforms were made.

The shelter’s top veterinarian resigned days before The Inquirer published its findings. Ronio, the SPCA’s longtime executive director, retired two weeks later, ending his five-decade tenure. And the Pennsylvania attorney general has since launched an audit of the nonprofit’s books.

» READ MORE: Wealthy Montco SPCA hit with a state audit as the nonprofit searches for a new leader

Lownes-Hostler was, until recently, the shelter’s spokesperson during this turbulent transition. Following Ronio’s resignation, she assured staff and stakeholders that the shelter was moving in the right direction.

“We know this has been a difficult time for MCSPCA employees and other critical stakeholders, but we’re confident we’re going to emerge stronger and more committed to our mission than ever before,” she said in a statement on behalf of the board.

In October, she announced the appointment of interim executive director Tracie Graham, who served as the shelter manager at the nonprofit’s Perkiomenville branch since 2012. A national search for a permanent director is underway, with the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania SPCA providing on-site assistance to managers in the meantime.

The shelter remains open for adoptions.

“MCSPCA leadership is working collaboratively with regulators through this transition,” the SPCA said in its statement Wednesday. “We invite any interested families to visit during regular hours to meet with loving animals in need of homes.”