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Esteban Rodriguez
Director - Send Email
Esteban began his career in Animal Welfare in 1999 as a Kennel Technician in El Paso, Texas. Since then, he has taken on various roles within the industry, including leadership positions at several major shelters across the country. His experience spans operations, field services, and community outreach, with key roles in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Tucson, Santa Barbara, and the Seattle Animal Shelter where he was the Executive Director. Esteban’s extensive background is grounded in his dedication to progressive, lifesaving practices for animals. In his free time, Esteban cherishes being a devoted husband to his wife and a proud father to their son. When he’s not spending quality time with his family, he can often be found on the golf course, perfecting his swing, or in the kitchen where he loves preparing traditional Latino dishes for friends and family.
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Donna Gillesby
Interim Director - Send Email
Donna began her career with VCAS in 1992. She has held the positions of ACOI, ACOII, Statistics Officer, Supervising Animal Control Officer before assuming the position of Deputy Director in 2009. Donna has been an integral part of VCAS’s transition and integration of live-saving philosophies and creative and innovative programming. Donna oversees all operational aspects of VCAS an brings enthusiasm, passion, and drive for service excellence for our County’s residents and animals. Donna is a life-long resident of Simi Valley and is the proud mother of two children and two beautiful grandchildren. She shares her life with her partner and their dog, cats and chameleon. In her off time, Donna enjoys music, spending time with family and road trips/camping.
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Phil Rarick
Administrative Services Director - Send Email
Phil joined Ventura County Animal Services in 2018 as the Fiscal and Administrative Services Manager and was promoted to Administrative Services Director in 2020. He serves VCAS by overseeing the Fiscal, Payroll, Facilities Maintenance, Administrative and Human Resource functions for Animal Services. Working at VCAS is a perfect fit for Phil, as it allows him to help animals in need and the passionate staff and constituents of Ventura County who also love animals. Prior to his role with VCAS, Phil was the Chief Operating Officer for a public relations and marketing firm and has held a variety of other positions with Fortune 500 companies and startups. Phil and his wife have two beautiful young boys and enjoy spending time with their family, friends and dog named Monkey!
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Dr. Eline Britz
Managing Veterinarian - Send Email
Dr. Britz originally hails from South Africa, but has spent the past 20 years living, studying and working in California. She is a 2010 graduate of the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, holds a Master’s degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, and completed the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Fellowship in August 2021. Dr. Britz joined the team at VCAS in 2019 as an associate and was promoted to Managing Veterinarian in 2022. Leading up to her time at VCAS, she had worked with multiple species in various settings throughout California — from thoroughbreds on the Southern California racing circuit, to livestock in the Central Valley, to companion and exotic animals throughout the greater Los Angeles area. She fell in love with shelter medicine as it represents the intersection of her many interests: mixed animal medicine, population health and epidemiology, infectious disease, public health, and community service.
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Kimberly Flavin
Animal Care Manager - Send Email
Kimberly has always had a love for learning and a passion for animal behavior and enrichment. She received a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Kim began her career in animal welfare at a small rescue in Santa Barbara in 2009 and has advocated for changes to improve the quality of life for shelter animals ever since! She joined VCAS in 2012 and built our Canine Behavior and Enrichment Program from the ground. Since joining the team, Kim has been promoted several times and currently serves as the Manager for all Animal Care Services including shelter operations and oversight of our Care and Pathways Planning Services (CAPPS) Team which includes our Canine and Feline Coordinators, Volunteer Program, Foster Care Program, and Pet Retention Program. Kim loves spending time with her dogs and hiking/camping whenever possible.
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Bryan Bray
Field Services Manager - Send Email
Bryan joined our team in 2005 as an Animal Control Officer working in the kennels. He has served our department in several capacities. Some of his duties include investigating animal cruelty/neglect cases, assisting in staff training, and acting as the department Hearing Officer. For many years he has been the department’s Emergency Volunteer Response Team Coordinator and is currently on the Cal Animals Disaster Committee. He coordinates emergency response with partnering agencies, volunteers, and has coordinated animal evacuations throughout the years. He is also a member of the Ventura County EOC Team. Bryan is currently the Field Services Manager and has oversight of services performed in the eight (8) contract cities. In addition, he oversees the Administrative Citation program with contracted cities, and oversees the department’s safety committee.
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Carla Faulkner
Client Services Manager - Send Email
Carla has always had a deep love for animals which led her to pursue a career in Veterinary Technology at Los Angeles Pierce College and become a practicing Registered Veterinary Technician. She joined Ventura County Animal Services in 2011 worked for many years in the Veterinary Office. In 2019, Carla advanced to the role of Client Services Manager where she leads the team that serves the public from the reception counter and the licensing unit. Carla is a passionate cat advocate and has been involved with the Community Cat Coalition for many years. She hopes to see Ventura County residents and animal welfare groups advance a successful T-N-R program to secure population control of tame and feral free roaming cats. Carla likes to garden in her backyard, travel, go camping and goes hiking or on bike rides on the weekend. She enjoys cooking and is a true foodie-she loves ALL good food! She can quite often be found reading a variety of subjects, usually multiple books at the same time. Her guilty pleasure is anything Sci-Fi/Fantasy.