Matt Bershadker

Matthew Bershadker was named President and CEO of the ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) in June 2013. A lifelong animal lover, he joined the nation’s first animal welfare organization in 2001, serving most recently as senior vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Group (ACG), the division responsible for programs that confront animal cruelty and suffering across the country. At the forefront of many of the ASPCA’s most innovative programs, Bershadker has catapulted the organization into a leadership role in the field as well as in the courts. Under his leadership, the ASPCA and the New York City Police Department established a groundbreaking collaboration to provide enhanced protection to New York City’s animals. Since the partnership began in 2014, New York City animal cruelty arrests, as well as the number of victimized animals treated by the ASPCA, have tripled. Bershadker also oversaw the kickoff of the ASPCA’s multi-year, $25 million commitment to save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Included in the multi-pronged effort is a fully-subsidized spay/neuter facility in South Los Angeles, operated by the ASPCA. In early 2013, Bershadker envisioned and led the establishment of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center – the first-ever facility dedicated to providing behavioral rehabilitation to canine victims of cruelty and hoarding – which was unveiled at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J. In 2017, this facility will move to a permanent new home in North Carolina. Before joining the ASPCA, Bershadker worked for organizations including Share Our Strength (SOS) and the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN).