PASSION FOR PETS: Heather L. Achenbach has joined SAVE, a Friend to Homeless Animals, as its new executive director. “It is truly an honor to be offered the opportunity to carry on the great work that SAVE does in support of our community and the plight of homeless pets,” she said. (Photo Courtesy of SAVE)

The resemblance is striking. Heather L. Achenbach, the director of SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals since June, looks so much like former director Piper Burrows that people frequently mistake her for her predecessor.

“Piper and I did spend a little time together after I started here,” said Ms. Achenbach, who worked for 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry. “We didn’t know each other but had spoken on the phone. When we met, she said, ‘Oh, this is weird.’ People say our personalities are similar, too.”

The tall, short-haired brunette also shares Ms. Burrows’ passion for the welfare of stray and abandoned cats and dogs. At its 10,000-square-foot facility in Skillman, where the organization moved at the end of 2015, there is room for 75 cats and 25 dogs and space for potential “forever families” to interact with them.

“My love for animals was becoming more and more powerful,” said Ms. Achenbach, who has two pets from SAVE. “I had started fostering kittens. I said to myself, I want to spend the second half of my working life doing something that has more purpose.”

After two decades in clinical trial operations management and coaching, development, mentoring, customer service, and budget management, Ms. Achenbach found herself considering a different path. “I had spent every year excited for the coming year,” she said. “But in time, it just wasn’t happening for me.”

She left the pharmaceutical industry to try and figure out her next step. “I didn’t want to look for another job while I was working, so I basically set myself free,” she said. “But I had specifically targeted people and pets as a combination. When this job came up, I couldn’t believe it. My own vet reached out to me about it. And it all came together.”

Ms. Achenbach grew up in Pine Grove, Pa., and graduated from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. She was chosen following a national search by SAVE’s board of trustees, who considered some 60 applicants for the executive director position. “After an extensive interview process with a number of highly qualified candidates, the SAVE board was thrilled to bring Ms. Achenbach on board. The combination of Heather’s management experience and results-driven collaborative leadership is the right mix to strengthen and expand SAVE’s work,” said board president Pamela Murdoch in June.

While it has been nearly two years since SAVE moved from its cramped, crumbling quarters on Herrontown Road to the Skillman facility, there is still work to be done in terms of familiarizing the public with the location. And that is one of Ms. Achenbach’s goals.

“Building our visibility in this optimal location is an opportunity to further cement ourselves in the community,” she said. “We want to be a resource for people. And it’s important we get funding from the community, which is especially important considering a property of this size. We want to help build a donor base and target the younger generation to get that philanthropy started.”

SAVE was located on Herrontown Road for 74 years before moving to the 10-acre property on Route 601, which the organization raised $3.5 million to buy and improve. In addition to the newly-built, 10,000-square-foot shelter, the site includes a historic 19th century, Italianate mansion that needed to be renovated. Architect Max Hayden oversaw the renovation and designed the new building.

The property has been used by companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Bloomberg for staff volunteer days. “We love to be the place where people want to come and donate their time,” said Ms. Achenbach. “And also, if you’re not having a great day and you love animals, we want you to come here and take a break. Visit the cats and dogs who need homes. It will remind you of the beauty of life.”