Her Story
About Kyla
Kyla Wagner is the Deputy Director of Animal Welfare Services for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. With more than a decade of experience in animal welfare, veterinary medicine, and the pet care industry, she has served in her current leadership role since March 2025. After relocating from Long Island, Kyla began her career as a kennel technician at a general practice veterinary hospital. She gained experience across nearly every facet of the industry. She managed one of the nation's largest corporate pet boarding and daycare facilities, later transitioned into municipal animal welfare, and before accepting her current role with Spartanburg County, served as Regional Director of Operations, leading operations for multiple veterinary practices while overseeing new facility construction and organizational growth. Today, Kyla leads initiatives focused on modernizing animal welfare through strategic operations, community partnerships, and innovative programs. She is passionate about creating practical solutions that help bridge the gap between people and the support they need to keep their pets while building more sustainable animal welfare systems.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kyla
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from always wanting to understand how organizations work and how they can work better. I've never been satisfied with accepting, "That's just how we've always done it." I enjoy solving problems, improving processes, and finding practical solutions that make life better for both employees and the communities we serve.
Along the way, I've learned that the best ideas often come from the people doing the work every day, so listening has been just as important as leading. I also believe understanding every level of an organization makes you a better leader. Starting at the ground level gave me perspectives I couldn't have learned any other way, and those experiences continue to shape how I lead today.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One of the most important lessons I've learned is that capability isn't defined by age, titles, or a college degree. Those things can create opportunities, but they don't determine whether someone can lead, solve problems, or make a meaningful impact. I've worked with exceptional leaders who never earned a degree and people with impressive credentials who struggled to lead a team. What separates them isn't what's on paper. It's their willingness to learn, adapt, take ownership, and earn the trust of the people around them.
Stay curious, ask questions, and don't let someone else's perception of you become your own. The people who continue learning, seek new challenges, and consistently show up for their teams are the ones who build lasting careers. Focus on becoming excellent at what you do, and let your work speak for itself.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I believe one of the biggest opportunities in animal welfare is changing the way we define success. Rather than focusing only on what happens after an animal enters a shelter, we're investing more in the programs and services that help keep pets safely in their homes whenever possible.
That means expanding access to affordable veterinary care, behavior support, pet retention programs, and other resources that help families overcome challenges before surrendering a pet becomes their only option. It also means building stronger partnerships within the community and recognizing that animal welfare extends far beyond the walls of a shelter.
One of our biggest challenges, however, is that the need continues to grow while resources often do not. Organizations have to be more strategic than ever. Compassion is essential, but lasting impact also requires strong leadership, efficient operations, and thoughtful decision-making. When we combine those things, we're able to help more people, keep more pets with their families, and create stronger communities.
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