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Something stinks at Haven Humane
Consider the video linked below a preface to the story series you’ll read here in the next few days about Haven Humane Society.
“Picking God,” by the RyanMountainBoys, seems the perfect way to introduce this bizarre chapter.
Meet Norm Ryan. In the video he’s the daddy with the guitar.
He was Haven’s CEO for less than a year. He quit in April in the middle of a police investigation. Ryan now faces prison time, if convicted of a slew of felonies related to his dealings at the shelter, including identity theft, grand theft and embezzlement by a public officer.
By and by, Lord, by and by.
It took more than 50 years for Haven Humane Society to slowly grow to the pinnacle of its success. It was renowned far and wide as a well-run, state-of-the-art animal shelter worthy of community praise and pride.
In the last year Haven’s reputation has taken a beating.
Insiders blame the Preston/Ryan administration, which one person characterized as a “hostile take-over.”
As an aside, educator Ray John was hired recently as Haven’s newest CEO. He has agreed to talk with us soon about his new job.
Meanwhile, Haven outsiders look on in bewilderment.
Many long-time Haven insiders and dedicated supporters are troubled by what they’ve seen and heard. They’re angry about the damage done to their beloved organization. They worry about the effect this damage will have on the animals Haven is charged with helping.
Some people continue to ask questions that Yvonne Preston (seen here in a photo from Haven’s previous website), the shelter’s former board chair-turned-interim-CEO, has yet to fully answer.
• Questions about full disclosure of money contributed to Haven, including private donations, estate funds and even coin-collection jars.
• Questions about staff firings, lay-offs, demotions, intimidation and an exodus of loyal Haven employees, supporters and board members.
• Questions about Preston’s connections to Ryan and Rich Steele, the shelter’s former operations director of just three months.
I’ve asked Preston questions, too.
It’s hard to get answers when Preston abruptly hangs up on phone conversations before they’re finished.
It’s hard to get answers when Preston ignores emails.
Of the few times Preston and I have spoken, she made two statements that I later learned were flatly false. (Check back for details.)
This gives me great pause.
What’s really happening at Haven? Why different versions of the same stories?
Why all the secrecy? Why make employees and board members sign contracts that forbid them from talking about Haven? What could they possibly say that would harm Haven?
Now I wonder if there’s any truth to bizarre stories that seem out of character for a so-called professional shelter, like pig-harnessing contests.
Preston behaves as if she thinks the public is not entitled to know what’s happening inside Haven.
She behaves as if she’s forgotten that Haven depends upon public money (hello, city of Redding) for its support.
She behaves as if she’s forgotten that Haven’s doors are open solely because of this community’s generosity and goodwill.
Maybe you’ve paid Haven when you’ve adopted a pet.
Maybe you or your kids have plunked coins inside a Haven collection can on a grocery-store counter.
Or maybe you’re like one elderly Redding couple who’ve donated thousands of dollars to Haven over the years but still wait for an acknowledgment from Haven that it’s received their most recent gifts.
No maybe about it: When it comes to what’s going inside Haven, the public is entitled to answers.
Check back for the next in a series of Haven stories.
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Excellent sleuthing, Kelly. Thank you. We look forward to learning more about these strange and dark chapters at Haven Humane Society, and hope for better days ahead.
Doni,
Keep asking the hard questions. Something is certainly wrong at Haven. How does the public get the answers? What are Haven board members hiding with their closed door board policy? An organization that takes public funds should not be operating as a secret society. I hope the new CEO can clean up the mess that has been left by the few remaining board members. Keep up the good work.
Tammy
Thanks Doni, there are many people, including me, that want to know what is happening there. I will look forward to your next installment.
I have had only a positive contacts with Haven Humane, and always recieve a prompt letter when I send a donation…mostly in memory of .
The last one I sent in July 2008, I requested notification to 4 relatives which was taken care of quickly. It’s a shame that Ryan was such a bad apple (to be polite), but it should be pointed out that many of the people working at Haven are volunteers and receive no salary.
Actually, Pat J, the people that work there are paid employees under Yvonne’s thumb. She has successfully run off all of the most dedicated and wonderful volunteers.
Until Yvonne and her cronie, Cheryl Wright are gone, there will be no chance of changes. I know the new CEO is seeing the light already. The sun will only shine brightly when they are gone.
Thank you Doni for opening eyes.
Since I have been back, end of 2005, Haven Humane has had all kinds of problems. Norm Ryan was hired to clean up the mess that Haven was in at the time he was hired. I happended to be at Pellegrini’s Brazillian Steak House when Norm and his sons were playing. It is hard to teach your children to play instruments and play in a band. Maybe he should have stuck with music.
I agree that questions at Havan need to be answered and the organization needs to get back on track. It is not the same place it was when it was struggling out on Placer Street. As this is a public supported non-profit orginazition, the public has the right to know. If their board meeting are all close, Haven is probley in violation of the Brown Act. Board meetings should be open to the public unless discussing personnel matters.
It seems that there is a real problem with bookeepers, CEOs, and others who have access to funds running off with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the companies and non-profits they work for. I think there are problems with hiring proceedures in this area.
There needs to be more oversight of people responsible for funds and above all they need better backgroung checks.– not who they know. If the charges are true, at least Mr. Ryan was stopped before he became Redding’s Treasurer!! Keep up the good work Doni.
Just to set the record straight, Norm was not brought in to fix any messes. The CEO he replaced, Joel Warner, retired. He is the one who with his decades of experience brought all good things to Haven and really got the shelter on a great track for the future. He has been missed very much.
Yvonne was the one who got Norm to come to the shelter to begin with and needless to say everything went downhill from there. Hopefully the new CEO, although he doesn’t have animal experience, will be able to turn things around for the better.
Doni, It’s a shame that some of these non profits as well as veterans groups get such low life gangsters who steal and run a good organization to the ground. I’ve seen it happen time and time again that a mostly volunteer not for profit has been taken by these types.
Even with a board of directors and several checks and balance in place, these scum bags find a way to con a few thousand bucks to their bank account as just what happened to the senior nutrition program.
Most survive, but with a loss of money that’s hard to recoupe.
Go get em’ Doni. Make them account for their losses by entrusting their group to this con man Norm Ryan. Is that the same Rich Steel that says so many ignorant, vindictive statements on Redding.com blogs?
Thank God Haven has a saint in Ray John running the show now. I hope they send this scum Ryan to prison.
Doni and Kelly. We adopted our wonderful cat at Haven 11 years ago. Haven also helped us when there was a dead animal in our basement. We are always sending a donation when we can. I regret very much the “scandal” that seems to be happening. Hope you can get to the bottom ot it. Those people should talk to you; If I could stand the work there, I would certainly talk.
Hi Doni and Kelly,
Congratulations on an incredible job of investigative reporting! From the information in the story, it is obvious that a lot of research went into putting this series together. The comments and statements are right on target. I feel that it is only fair for the public to know what has happened at Haven Humane during the last 1 1/2 years. They have no idea. Dr. Ray John has a formidable task ahead of him.
I can’t help but wonder if Ms. Preston has to testify at Norm Ryan’s trial, will she respond with her usual “no comment?”
Something went wrong when Sandy left Haven and began her own ‘no kill’ facility in Palo Cedro. I pray that Haven will become what it was when she was there. I will always love and never forget my little Pom no one wanted that we found when Sandy was there.
The Ryan Mountain Boys just came to play in our community room, today. Mr. Ryan was very charming and seemed to be a devoted father. He and his boys performed for us at no charge. They sung and played songs they wrote themselves. Not only are his sons very talented, but they are being taught to give service at an early age. I wish my grandkids could have seen them. I can’t square what I have seen written about Norm Ryan with the man I met this afternoon. Is there any chance this is just a big mistake? Is there another side to this story that we are not hearing about?
I am so pleased to hear that Mr. Ryan and his boys are providing entertainment for people in our community. His timing is impeccable! I am sure there is another side to this story and hope that it will be presented when this scenario is played out in the Shasta County courtroom.
Since he has pled not guilty, it should be enlightening.
Norm Ryan is a con artist and a crook. He’s probably selling those CD’s he made to pay for his legal fees. I feel sorry for those kids.