Full Speed Ahead: Chris Luna’s First Year at the Helm of the SPCA of Texas

Steering the SPCA of Texas through a year of transformation and growth, President & CEO Chris Luna, JD, has navigated both challenges and triumphs with drive and dedication. Reflecting on his first year at the helm, Luna describes the journey in five words: Challenging, Interesting, Passionate, Committed, and Educational. With a strong crew of employees, volunteers, and supporters, the organization is charting a bold course toward a future of greater impact for animals and the community.

Staff members say that Luna leads with determination and strength, which is good for our shelter pets, and great for our employees and volunteers. The five words employees used to describe the past year are: exciting, transparent, humanistic, productive, and challenging.

Employees especially appreciate the fact that when Luna said he would be transparent and that his door is always open, he meant it. Employees often approach Luna with ideas, concerns, some even tell him a joke because he has a fabulous sense of humor! People can be themselves around him, and he certainly is no one except himself at work. Whether meeting with donors, volunteers, staff members or his peers, Luna’s eagerness to learn, his dedication to the SPCA of Texas, and especially his love for all our pets—or “babies” as he calls them—shines through.

When asked to describe his first year at the helm of the organization in five words, Luna pondered a bit and then said, “Number 1 is Challenging.”

“I came into a new field and that was challenging, but it’s a good challenge not a bad challenge,” he said.

“Looking at the future, not knowing where we were going, that was a bit challenging. I was meeting all these people—employees, donors, our volunteers—and I wasn’t sure what the future held for us.” However, Luna worked closely with the board of directors and a strong chair to share ideas and find creative solutions.

Number 2 is Interesting. “It’s been an interesting year, meeting interesting people—interesting donors, interesting supporters,” Luna said. “Almost no two days have been alike and that has been very interesting. Every day is different from the day before.”

Number 3 is Passionate. “Our employees are so passionate and other folks involved in animal welfare issues are so passionate,” Luna noted. “I felt like I was passionate coming in, but it seems like I have become more passionate as I’ve met others. When I get together with people, I show them our Teams feed with adoptable babies, and they always want to see more.” (Teams is an internal communications tool used by the SPCA of Texas.)

Passion in this job runs the gamut for Luna. “We get pictures of our adoptions as they happen and share them with the employees, and adopters send pictures of our babies in their new homes, and everyone is so excited to see how special cats and dogs have landed safely,” he smiled. “No matter how often I share these pictures with others, I always get requests to bring more.

“I think all that goes hand in hand with passion.”

Number 4 is Committed. When I joined the SPCA of Texas, I realized how committed our board is, how committed our employees and volunteers are,” Luna said. “When I think about the folks that spent the night here during severe weather, rather than going home to their families, that’s commitment. And how our Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit goes to investigate, rescue and save babies at all hours.

“Not to mention the commitment of our board and donors who are devoted to our cause. And I am committed to the SPCA of Texas as an institution, doing the best we can to meet their expectations caring for vulnerable animals in North Texas.”

Number 5 is Educational. Chris Luna did his homework before joining the SPCA of Texas and continues doing so. Not only did his career bring him to sit on the board of the Dallas Zoo where animal welfare is for much bigger and different animals, he gained important experience as a member of the Dallas City Council, which had jurisdiction over Dallas Animal Services. Luna also has read and continues to read as many articles and white papers as he can find regarding animal welfare.

“I continually meet with our staff members on all levels to learn about animal welfare issues. Issues affecting not only the SPCA of Texas, but those facing other animal welfare organizations in Texas and across the country,” Luna said. He spends a fair amount of time on internal meetings, including skip levels with employees, has regular meetings with his direct reports, and group meetings with SPCA of Texas veterinarians.

“I certainly have not become an expert, but I feel much better about where I am educationally after my first year,” Luna smiled.

He also continues to meet with leaders of other animal welfare organizations including Dallas Animal Services, Dallas Pets Alive!, Garland Animal Services, Operation Kindness, and Spay Neuter Network. “That’s just one bucket of meetings,” he said. “I also meet with animal lovers around the state and country to learn about their concerns and constructive ideas.”

Not only have the meetings been about how organizations can collaborate, but also how not to duplicate services. “If one organization is doing something really well, do we really need to be doing the same thing someplace else?” Luna asked.

“I feel optimistic about those meetings. I think everybody’s viewing this as an opportunity to reset relationships and to have a fresh start.”

The future looks good for the organization that is the SPCA of Texas, too. In the beginning of his first year, the results received from an annual culture survey indicated improvements needed to be made in several areas. Luna jumped right in with his leadership team to tackle four primary issues: 1) Total Rewards and Compensation to make sure we are competitive in salary, benefits and paid time off; 2) Communication, to ensure the organization is communicating effectively with staff members; 3) Staffing, to make sure staffing levels and approaches are working; and 4) Policy and Procedure Development, to be sure employees feel vested and have input on decisions affecting their work.

“We created a task force for each of the four categories, which included a member of the leadership team and numerous employees who volunteered to help,” Luna said. “After months of hard work in safe spaces, each task force made recommendations to improve.

“I’m proud to report that our 2025 budget, which was approved by the board in December, included the task force recommendations that have a financial impact. This is the board saying, ‘This is where we want to invest.’”

Work continues toward other goals Luna set for the organization, including facility improvements and an updated strategic plan. “Although our strategic plan is only three years old, as the SPCA of Texas changes and grows, so should our strategic plan,” Luna said.

“We’re talking about revising our mission statement and updating the philosophy of who we are and who we want to be. Once again, those things take some time.”

A little over a year since Luna took the helm, the SPCA of Texas is sailing full steam ahead. With a focus on strengthening operations, enhancing employee engagement, and expanding services, Luna and his team continue to steer the organization toward a bright horizon.

by Becky Adamietz-Deo