HSUS Board Retains Serial Predator CEO Wayne Pacelle Amidst Harassment Scandal
Is there no end to corruption and moral bankruptcy at the Humane Society of the United States?
Thursday evening news broke that HSUS board of directors would retain alleged sexual harasser Wayne Pacelle as CEO. Pacelle had been accused, among other things, of inviting a staffer to his hotel room and offering to masturbate in front of her and give her oral sex. The organization also used donor money to pay settlements to several women who were mistreated. Further, a Politico report highlighted that Pacelle pal Paul Shapiro was allowed to remain at HSUS as a vice president despite six women making complaints against him in 2016.
We’ve been educating people for years about the crookedness of HSUS and Pacelle, from Pacelle’s use of deceptive fundraising tactics to the organization paying an $11 million racketeering/bribery settlement to the organization’s high overhead to its giving only 1% of the money it raises to pet shelters. But a “Humane Society” whose CEO preys on women and whose board looks the other way is making it crystal clear that they don’t value humans—much less the animals they use to raise money from caring Americans.
Seven of the 31 board members resigned. Kudos to them, although the move now cements a board that values money over victims. (Pacelle implied to the Washington Post that if he left, donors loyal to him would leave as well.)
Here are the board members who did not resign, including some well-known people like Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. Why are these people supporting a known predator?
Jeffrey J. Arciniaco, Boca Raton, Florida
Eric L. Bernthal, Esq., Potomac, Maryland
Erika Brunson, West Hollywood, California
Jerry Cesak, La Jolla, California
Anita W. Coupe, Esq., Biddeford Pool, Maine
Neil B. Fang, Esq., CPA, Hewlett Neck, New York
Jane Greenspun Gale, Las Vegas, Nevada
Spencer Haber, Greenwich, Connecticut
Amanda Hearst, New York, New York
Cathy Kangas, New Canaan, Connecticut
Paula Kislak, D.V.M., Santa Barbara, California
Charles A. Laue, Leawood, Kansas
John Mackey, Austin, Texas
Mary I. Max, New York, New York
- Thomas McMillen, Washington, D.C.
Judy Ney, New York, New York
Sharon Lee Patrick, New York, New York
Margaret Perenchio Los Angeles, California
Marian G. Probst, New York, New York
Jonathan M. Ratner, Shaker Heights, Ohio
Joshua S. Reichert, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.
Walter J. Stewart, Esq., Lewes, Delaware
Jason Weiss, Pacific Palisades, California
David O. Wiebers, M.D., Overland Park, Kansas
