Rick Aiken, executive director of the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, announced today that he is retiring next year, after 24 years in the job. “When Rick was hired, the shelter was days away from permanently closing, and now it is a thriving organization that has served millions of pets and people in our community,” said Sid Chandler, president of the HSNEGA Board of Directors, in a news release. “It will be a real challenge to find a leader who can fill his shoes.”