Animal Services Agency
Lily Yap
Executive Director
Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lily Yap as its new Executive Director, effective April 14, 2025. With nearly 15 years of experience in animal welfare, Yap has a strong background in shelter operations, strategic program development, and community engagement.
Yap most recently served as Division Manager for the City of Grand Prairie, Texas, where she led a team of nearly 40 employees overseeing field and shelter operations at Prairie Paws Adoption Center, serving 7,500 animals annually. Under her leadership, the shelter strengthened national partnerships, enhanced city ordinances to improve animal welfare, and strategically managed a $3 million budget. Before that, she held key leadership roles with Dallas Animal Services, where she played an instrumental role in expanding foster and volunteer programs, launching a 24/7 Neonatal Kitten Nursery, and overseeing operations for sheltering more than 35,000 animals annually. Her ability to drive innovation was evident in her successful program coordination for a recordbreaking Clear the Shelters event, which facilitated 341 adoptions in a single day.
Yap’s passion for community-driven animal welfare solutions was evident early in her career; she began with Companion Animal Alliance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she pioneered innovative programs such as Fostering Hope, a first-of-its-kind partnership supporting cancer patients through animal companionship. She has continued championing progressive, life-saving initiatives in every organization she has served.
A firm believer in strategic leadership and operational excellence, Yap holds a Master of Business Administration from the Texas McCombs School of Business and is an active Board Member of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement. Her expertise in shelter management, ordinance development, and fiscal responsibility will be invaluable in guiding SASA into its next chapter.
