Humane Society of the U.S. CEO resigns on harassment claims

Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) CEO Wayne Pacelle resigned at the end of January following accusations of sexual harassment. According to the Washington Post, which broke the story, the HSUS board of directors opened an investigation into these claims. The board initially voted to keep Pacelle on as the CEO after the investigation had been completed. However, after dissenting members of the board quit in protest of the majority decision, and many large donors started distancing themselves from HSUS, Pacelle was pressured to resign. He eventually did so, and the resignation was accepted. In his place, HSUS has appointed Kitty Block as the new CEO. According to HSUS’ announcement of the move, Block is an attorney focused on international trade and treaty law. She was most recently the president of the HSUS affiliate, Humane Society International. — WLJ