Humane Society President Speaks on Benefits of Human-Animal Bond

BUFFALO, NY – Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), will speak at Canisius University on Friday, September 7 at7 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The talk, entitled “A History of Animal Cruelty and the Human-Animal Bond, and the Modern-Day Efforts to Build a New Humane Economy,” is free and open to the public. Pacelle is the author of the bestselling book The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. The evening will conclude with a book signing. The event is sponsored by the college’s Institute for the Study of Human-Animal Relations (ISHAR). 

Pacelle was named president and CEO of The HSUS on June 1, 2004 after serving for nearly 10 years as the organization's chief lobbyist and spokesperson. During his 18 years with The HSUS, Pacelle has spurred major growth for the organization, which is now the nation's largest animal protection organization with 11 million members and constituents, annual revenue of $160 million, and assets of more than $200 million. The organization is the 155th largest charity in the United States. 

In 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported, "Pacelle has retooled a venerable organization seen as a mild-mannered protector of dogs and cats into an aggressive interest group flexing muscle in state legislatures and courtrooms." In 2007, The New York Times reported, "The arrival of Wayne Pacelle as head of the Humane Society in 2004 both turbo-charged the farm animal welfare movement and gave it a sheen of respectability." 

Prior to joining The HSUS, Pacelle served as the executive director of The Fund for Animals (1988-94). Pacelle also served as associate editor (1987-88) and later president of the board for The Animals' Agenda magazine, and as a guest instructor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Training Academy. He serves on the boards of the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, Humane Society International, Humane Society University, the SPCA Wildlife Care Center, Global Animal Partnership and Humane USA. In 2006, he co-founded the National Federation of Humane Societies (NFHS), a trade association principally representing local humane societies across the nation, and he now serves on the board of that organization.

Pacelle’s work on animal issues has been featured in thousands of newspapers and magazines across the country. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on many of the major network television programs including “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show,” “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” “Larry King Live,” “Good Morning America,” MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and ABC's “Primetime Live.” In 2005, Pacelle was named one of the “Executives of the Year” by NonProfit Times for his leadership in responding to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.

He received his BA in history and studies in the environment from Yale University in 1987.

For more information, contact the Canisius University Office of Public Relations at 716-888-2790.

One of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation, Canisius is the premier private college in Western New York.