A Mathews County native has taken over the helm of the Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society, promising to ensure the organization’s service to the community remains a top priority.

Amanda Wroten, an avid climber and animal lover, came out ahead of more than 70 applicants interviewed since the departure of GMHS director Ellen Thacker, who took a similar position with the Peninsula SPCA last November.

Prior to coming to the GMHS, Wroten worked for several organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, Ferguson Enterprises and was most recently executive director of the Newport News Green Foundation.

Wroten said being offered the position of executive director at the GMHS fulfills two of her biggest passions. "I’m a big animal lover and I also love to give back to the community."

Being raised in the community, Wroten said she will have a better understanding of how the GMHS can work with various hunt clubs and livestock owners, on aspects of the rural area that m...