CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Dr. Melissa Draper has resigned from her position as the City of Corpus Christi's veterinarian, marking the second high-profile departure at Animal Care Services in less than a week.
Draper, who has served the city for 12 years, submitted her resignation Sunday night. Her previous experience includes serving as Chief Veterinarian for San Antonio Animal Care Services from 2007 to 2011.
This comes on the heels of last week's resignation of Kathleen Chapa, the Animal Care Services Director, who requested a voluntary demotion. The city has stated that Chapa will continue to serve until a replacement is appointed.
Cheryl Martinez, president of People Assisting Animal Control, expressed serious concerns about the ongoing situation. In an email to the City Council, Martinez called Draper's resignation "a significant loss that could have been avoided" and highlighted the veterinarian's "exceptional knowledge, compassion, and professionalism."
KRIS 6 News asked the city to tell us how this leadership change will impact Animal Care Services operations, given she is the city's only veterinarian.
The city did not address that question, but rather sent this written statement, "Melissa Draper has resigned from the City of Corpus Christi. The City is unable to comment further on this personnel matter."
The city also did not address whether the resignation was effective immediately, or has a transition period.
KRIS 6 News later obtained this memo sent to City Council regarding Dr. Draper's resignation:
Mayor & Council,
Last night, I received an email from ACS Veterinarian Dr. Draper stating that she is resigning from the City, and her last day is Friday, April 4.Dr. Draper's resignation notice to me was unusual as I am not her immediate supervisor. We shared her information with the Director of Animal Care Services and the Assistant City Manager overseeing the department, to whom Draper did not email her resignation notice.
The veteran position is not an executive level position and, therefore, is not appointed by the City Manager.
We are thankful for the years of service Dr. Draper provided to ACS, and we wish her well in her new endeavors.
Over the past couple of years, Dr. Draper has openly discussed leaving the City to the former CFO and the current ACS Executive Team. Therefore, her resignation is not a surprise nor out of place.
Due to the limited candidate pool for licensed veterinarians nationwide, the City will utilize a recruiter for this position.
In the meantime, ACS has begun engaging with the private sect veterinarian community to seek contractual services to provide the services that have been provided by Dr Draper. We do not anticipate any disruption in service.
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