PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – Dr. Melanie Wagner has been appointed Bureau Manager for Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS), under the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM). She brings to the role extensive experience and knowledge about animal care and the LBACS Compassion Saves model and has over 20 years of professional experience. Dr. Wagner began her role as Bureau Manager on Jan. 31, 2024.

“Congratulations to Melanie on being named Manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services. Great things have happened at LBACS under her leadership of the Bureau in recent months to support the health and wellbeing of shelter animals, and greater things are in store in the years ahead,” said Brent Dennis, Director of Parks Recreation and Marine and Animal Care Services.

Dr. Wagner joined LBACS in May 2023 as Superintendent and has served as Acting Bureau Manager since the June 2023, following the resignation of former Bureau Manager Staycee Dains. After a thorough recruitment and selection process, Dr. Wagner was identified as the best candidate to fulfill the responsibilities of this role. As Bureau Manager, Dr. Wagner will oversee a staff of 50 and lead the bureau that provides animal care services for Long Beach, as well as the Cities of Los Alamitos, Signal Hill and Cerritos. LBACS’s Compassion Saves operating model supports people and animals through outreach, education, guidance and support services. LBACS protects shelter animals by creating an environment of care through enrichment and innovative programs such as low-cost pet clinics, adoption events and fostering programs.

"I am honored to accept the position of Bureau Manager of LBACS. Long Beach is a unique city and a very special place to me,” she said. “I am excited to serve, both people and animals alike. I look forward to working alongside community members and rescue partners to strengthen LBACS programming in support of the human-animal bond, and to collaboratively overcome the many challenges that progressive animal sheltering faces today."  

In addition to her extensive career in animal welfare, Dr. Wagner also has a lifetime of experience working with animals. As a child and young adult, her family worked professionally to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife. She earned her PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University while also serving as the Education Director for spcaLA for 10 years. In 2015 she began working as the Executive Director at Kitty Bungalow in Los Angeles where she turned the agency into one of the most reliable and reputable cat organizations in LA County. In addition, Dr. Wagner is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer.

More information about LBACS is available at longbeach.gov/acs.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. Residents can get involved with LBACS by fostering, adopting, making a monetary donation, volunteering, donating supplies, or spreading the word about adoptable animals on social media, and following @lbanimalcare on Instagram, Facebook, and X.