ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA Board announced Friday that Executive Director Angie Gunter and the animal shelter are parting ways.

It started in January when a group of current and past volunteers and employees came forward and organized a group called CASPCA Concerns with allegations of a hostile work environment and mismanagement that led to poor animal care. 

Gunter was placed on administrative leave in April, pending the outcome of an external investigation by law firm McGuireWoods.

Sarah Lloyd, a leader of CASPCA Concerns, says this is great news. 

"We're really happy that our concerns were finally acknowledged after a very long wait of I guess it's almost a month, exactly a month that she's gone. It's a great feeling honestly," she said.

The CASPCA Board has hired Sue Friedman as the Interim Executive Director. She has served on the boards of several nonprofits around the area but never in a shelter.

“But I can learn the in and outs of animal welfare. What I already know and what we think we know is going to make this organization better than it’s ever been is how to run, lead support, a nonprofit so it can fully execute on its vision and mission,” she said.

Friedman says she already has ideas to get the shelter back on track.

“We want to provide more training and opportunities for managers. They want that and they deserve that. We also are going to do a complete operational review that would be management, volunteers, community partners, and of course animal care and animal behavior,” said Friedman.

Her first day will be May 24. She says the experts are already there, they just need support.