Whether it’s adopting rescues or taking care of animals with special needs, including a blind cat, Carrier has always cared about animals, she said. 

She decided to leave her current position as chief court services officer for Tulsa County because she felt it was time to let somebody fill that position to have the same “opportunities for future growth and make it even better,” she said.

Most of her experience comes from working for Tulsa County, but “I feel like I was drawn to this position,” she said. “It’s kind of like I was called to do what I’m doing now, and I feel like I’m being called to do a new thing at the animal shelter.”

The decision to leave her position at Tulsa County is “bittersweet,” Carrier said. “I’m leaving the county because I’ve been here so long, but I am truly blessed to have a position where I can still serve the citizens.”

She will bring the leadership and development skills she has developed over the years to the new position, which she starts Jan. 30. 

“I think I’ll be able to offer some information to current situations and maybe enhance some of the practices that we’re doing now for public safety and public health for the community,” she said.

James Wagner, the city’s Working in Neighborhoods director, said Carrier’s leadership experience is “unprecedented.”

At one point Carrier interviewed with six CEOs of local nonprofits, and, based on her abilities, they recommended her for the city position over another candidate with animal welfare experience, Wagner said.

“I looked at all of the requirements for the job description when I applied for this job, and I pretty much had everything covered, and I think that’s because I’ve been so fortunate and blessed to do the things that I have in my career while working at Tulsa County,” Carrier said. 

Another reason she was a top contender was because she had helped Court Services move to its current location, said Wagner. This experience is beneficial because Tulsa Animal Welfare hopes to move to a new facility in 2024.

The current space is “inadequate for the needs of today,” Wagner said, as evidenced by the shelter’s temporary closures to new intakes in light of recent outbreaks of canine influenza and distemper there.

“We are hoping to have more isolation space” for possible future outbreaks in the new location, he added. 

The new animal shelter is a big priority for Carrier once she begins her new position, she said.

“I think it’s of utmost importance for the Tulsa community and even the surrounding communities that we have adequate facilities that focus on health and well-being of animals and the people working there and people coming in,” she said.

As manager, Carrier also wants to focus on team-building and enhancing old and new partnerships with different animal welfare agencies in the area, she said.

Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith called Carrier’s abilities “astonishing” and said she will be able to “bring everyone together.”

“Other agencies are going to enjoy and appreciate working with her,” Keith said.