(SANTA ANA) - The Orange County Health Care Agency announced it has completed it's search for a Director of Animal Care Services with the hiring of Dr. Julie Ann Ryan Johnson, a prominent veterinarian with clinical, academic, government and private-practice experience.

"Dr. Ryan Johnson has demonstrated a passion for animal care since she was eleven years old and we were extremely impressed with her communication skills and tireless energy," said Mike Spurgeon, Deputy Agency Director of Regulatory Health Services. Spurgeon also noted, "Dr. Ryan Johnson previously worked for Animal Care Services as a clinical veterinarian from 1992 to 1998." She is expected to begin her new duties in late December.

Dr. Ryan Johnson is currently serving as the President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), which is the largest local veterinary association in the world and represents more than 1,100 veterinarians in the Southern California area. She comes to the County from Waltham Pet Foods where she served as Veterinary Diets Brand Manager since 1998.

Dr. Ryan Johnson earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1990 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and served her internship at Virginia-Maryland Polytechnic State University before returning to California. She and her husband, Veterinarian Dr. Gary Johnson, live in San Juan Capistrano where she was raised by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Ryan.