Pasadena Humane’s New Permanent CEO, Tested by Fire, Takes on Pet Surrender Crisis

Chris Ramon learned some hard truths while leading Pasadena Humane through the Eaton Fire response. Among them: disaster can separate any family from their pets in an instant, and economic hardship does it slowly, every day.

Now, as the newly permanent CEO of the 122-year-old organization, the La Cañada Flintridge native who started as a teenage volunteer nearly 30 years ago is building on lessons from that calamity to address the challenges of keeping pets with families before hardships force them apart.

Pasadena Humane’s board formalized Ramon’s appointment as president and CEO on August 12, making permanent a leadership tested by catastrophe. While flames still burned, Ramon’s team helped more than 1,500 animals and reunited over 1,600 pets with displaced families.

“I asked our staff to do so much more than what’s in their job description,” Ramon said of the crisis response. “Without hesitation, they did. The result was thousands of lives were saved, but being in service to our community was a reward that our staff and volunteers got to share together.”

That shared purpose now drives an ambitious reimagining of what an animal welfare organization can be.

Ramon, who started as interim CEO in February, is scaling vaccination and spay/neuter programs while forging partnerships with homeless services providers like Union Station and Friends In Deed. The strategy: intervene before economic hardship forces people and families to surrender pets.

“Many of the challenges that we experience in animal welfare are directly connected to the challenges that the people who are taking care of animals are facing,” Ramon explained. “We live in very trying times where people are having to make very tough decisions about taking care of themselves or taking care of their animals.”

The numbers suggest both crisis and opportunity.

Pasadena Humane helped more than 55,000 animals in 2024. Through July 2025—a period including the fire emergency and its aftermath—that figure stood at 45,103. The organization temporarily suspended adoptions, spay/neuter services, and educational programs to concentrate resources on fire response.

“What it taught me was that in a time of crisis, if leadership is rooted in integrity and it’s communicated from the heart, it’s an opportunity for us to live our mission,” Ramon said.

The organization already runs monthly free clinics at Foothill Unity, treating pets whose owners face housing insecurity. Under Ramon’s vision, these integrated services represent not charity but prevention—keeping families and pets together by addressing root causes.

“If we can connect with those people sooner in their journey, I think that we’ll be able to elevate our mission,” Ramon said.

Board Chair Eric Heer framed the appointment in community terms: “Chris’ deep roots in the community, proven leadership, and passion for animal welfare make him the ideal choice to guide Pasadena Humane into its next chapter.”

For Ramon, accepting permanent leadership of an organization he’s served since high school carries personal weight.

“To have the full confidence of our board of directors to be the president, CEO of an organization that I’ve admired and that has been close to my heart for almost 30 years is an extraordinary privilege.”

Founded in 1903, Pasadena Humane has served Greater Los Angeles for more than 120 years. Its next chapter, shaped by fire and led by someone who rose through its ranks, could blur traditional boundaries between animal and human welfare.