Wayne Pacelle, former CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, at a 2015 news conference. Pacelle resigned Friday.
Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for The Humane Society of the United States
The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, has resigned effective immediately, the nonprofit group announced Friday.
Pacelle had been at the center of a controversy over allegations that he had sexually harassed three female subordinates at the Humane Society, one of the country’s largest animal charities.
The move came a day after the group’s board of directors had voted to keep Pacelle despite the allegations dating to 2005.
In a statement, Humane Society Board Chair Rick Bernthal said:
“The last few days have been very hard for our entire family of staff and supporters. We are profoundly grateful for Wayne’s unparalleled level of accomplishments and service to the cause of animal protection and welfare.”
Bernthal said that the president of the Humane Society’s international affiliate, Kitty Block, has been named as acting chief executive.
The development came just hours after Bernthal had defended the group’s decision yesterday to allow Pacelle to remain as CEO. In a statement, Bernthal said that after an investigation:
“The board reviewed the information assembled and determined that there was not sufficient evidence to remove Wayne Pacelle from his position as CEO.
“Many of the allegations were explosive in nature, and reading or hearing about them is a shock to anyone. It was to us, too. But when we sifted through the evidence presented, we did not find that many of these allegations were supported by credible evidence.”
Bernthal also denied that his group had offered settlements to three other workers who said they were dismissed or demoted after raising concerns about Pacelle’s alleged sexual misconduct. “The Board concluded that there was no motivation behind severance agreements to silence women who had spoken up or raised concerns,” he said.
After the board voted to retain Pacelle, the CEO acknowledged that the controversy was taking a toll.
Pacelle had told the New York Times earlier on Friday that he was assessing his future professional life:
“‘I’m going to take stock of everyone’s opinion and assess where I go and where the organization goes from here,’ he said. ‘I think leadership changes at organizations are often very healthy and renewing, and I’m going to talk with staff and board members and find the best course that [contributes] to our mission of fighting for all animals.’ ”
Yet pressure was building for Pacelle’s dismissal from both inside and out the organization, with major donors announcing that they were withdrawing their support from the group.
In a statement earlier Friday, the president of the National Organization for Women, Toni Van Pelt, had called for Pacelle’s firing:
“Like Donald Trump, the Humane Society is engaged in a cover up in plain sight. Instead of trying to enable a sexual abuser, they should dismiss him. Instead of making excuses, they should be making reparations. Instead of silencing or attacking women who’ve suffered abuse, and those who defend them, the Humane Society should change its own culture.
“The Humane Society needs to know this. Women are watching. We know when a charity deserves our support, and when it fails the most basic obligations of trust.
“The Humane Society has no humanity. Fire Wayne Pacelle. Do it now.”
The initial decision to retain Pacelle also had led to the resignation of seven protesting board members.
Exposing the Big Game 
Will these guys ever learn? They make fools of themselves, disgust the women they are harassing, and lose their careers. Brilliant.
Wayne has done so many great things for so many animals, over a long period of time. I did not support his bail out of SeaWorld but he got a lot of other things right. I’m sorry to see him go and will not stop appreciating his good work for animals as leader of HSUS.
I agree, it’s unfortunate. Pacelle has been advocating for animals at least since his days at Yale. He has been an effective spokesman for the HSUS most of the time, although I personally disagreed with some of his decisions.
I wonder what he is thinking now. All those years of work damaged for moments of bad behavior–if it is all true.
I have to say I’m tired of the “me too” movement……some sexual harassment of course has been so vile that it absolutely calls for the removal of the perpetrator. However, not all of it reaches this mark. There have been many men forced out of their careers that I don’t think deserved it.
There should be a recognition that there are degrees and levels of harassment and the punishment should proceed from there. I am not in favor of this one size fits all, remove the person no matter what justice meted out.
I am as well. I will not donate to the HSUS until the new person proves themselves to the level Wayne Pacelle has.
I have been a supporter in the past, but I no longer will be.
Matt Damon tried to point that out and was critisized for it…
I just read that anti-HSUS ads are going to be run during the Super Bowl. They’re not related to this incident. So it looks like people fell right into this trap.
By all means, if someone is guilty of serious harassment and assault, they should be held accountable, but it lately seems to be used as a political weapon and stunts. I will never support this. Dumb.
Well said.
This Me Too crap has now been made more important than animal welfare. Animal welfare to me is more important, and I will no longer support the HSUS.
For the head of the National Organization of Women to come down so hard against Wayne Pacelle and the HSUS board that was on the scene and analyzing the actual facts is disgusting bullying and outrageous. That Matt Damon was basically told to shut up when he pointed out that there’s a big difference between rape and patting someone’s bottom, then something is seriously wrong with the perspectives of many people who refuse to accept common sense and fairness. Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein should be in jail for a long time. Al Franken should still be in the US Senate and Wayne Pacelle should still be the head of HSUS, at least until the actual facts are known and discussed among those most involved. The MeToo movement is important and there is a lot of work to do to protect women in the workplace and throughout society but part of this movement appears to function as some sort of circular firing squad, harming both friends and foes.
Absolutely right. But I’m sorry that a hysteria seems to be infiltrating everywhere now – taking down paintings at art museums, changing endings to classic opera, and on and on it goes.
It’s sad that all of the hard work that the HSUS has done, and especially Mr. Pacelle’s, is now in jeopardy, because of Me Too. The animals are going to be the losers even more than they are now. I’m sure Big Ag and the Safari Club are all giving each other High Fives, at what a great accomplishment they have made – perhaps it was one of their own who made these accusations.
Why doesn’t Me Too get the goods on them, which I am sure there is plenty?
Well the women in the safari club would probably never turn on their men plus I’m sure because they get so much negative feedback already they could not handle extra damage control from sexual harassment claims. Maybe stuff is handled very privately. I wonder about Big Ag though.
Museums are removing paintings; I hadn’t read that! Did The Rape of the Sabine Women have to go???
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