Matthew E. Bershadker
| Matthew E. Bershadker | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Ohio University (BA, communications) Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School (MBA) |
| Occupation | Nonprofit executive |
| Company | American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) |
| Title | President and chief executive officer |
| Spouse | Nina |
Matthew E. Bershadker, usually known as Matt Bershadker, is an American nonprofit executive who has been president and chief executive officer of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) since June 1, 2013. The society's board of directors named Bershadker to the post on May 2, 2013, after he had spent 12 years at the New York-based charity in fundraising, marketing and anti-cruelty roles. He succeeded Edwin Sayres, who had led the organization since 2003.[1]
Before he became chief executive, Bershadker was senior vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Group, where he set up the Field Investigations and Response team in 2009 to support law enforcement agencies in puppy mill seizures, dogfighting raids, hoarding cases and natural disasters.[2] Earlier in his career he worked for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), Share Our Strength and ICF Consulting.[2]
As chief executive, Bershadker has overseen a citywide animal cruelty partnership with the New York City Police Department that began in January 2014, a $25 million program for at-risk animals in Los Angeles, the opening of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, North Carolina, in May 2018, community veterinary clinics in New York City and Miami, and legislative campaigns including New York State's 2022 law ending the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores.[3][4] Over his tenure the organization's reported annual revenue rose from about $171.7 million in 2013 to about $446.1 million in 2024, according to its Form 990 filings.[5]
Bershadker's pay has drawn public attention. A widely shared 2021 social media post that contrasted Bershadker's compensation with the charity's spending on veterinary supplies was rated "missing context" by USA Today.[6] In May 2025 the ASPCA's former chief financial officer, Gordon Lavalette, filed a lawsuit in New Jersey state court alleging that Bershadker had fired him in retaliation for raising concerns about no-bid contracts and other practices; the organization called the claims "baseless".[7] As of November 2026, Bershadker continues to be quoted as the ASPCA's president and CEO in its press releases.[8]
Early life and education
Before entering the nonprofit sector, he worked in local politics in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Southern Illinois.[2]
Bershadker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Ohio University and a Master of Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.[1][9]
Career
Early nonprofit and consulting work
According to a 2014 profile, Bershadker began his nonprofit career at the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) in Washington, D.C. Bershadker then oversaw fundraising for the western region at Share Our Strength, an organization working to end childhood hunger. He later joined ICF Consulting, where he helped develop and market the Energy Star label program.[2] The organization's own biography of Bershadker lists ICF Consulting and Share Our Strength among his employers before 2001, and a 2019 interview profile also names RAINN.[9][3]
ASPCA, 2001 to 2013
Bershadker joined the ASPCA in 2001.[9] Over the following 12 years he held four posts below the chief executive: senior director of partnership marketing; senior director of major gifts and special events; vice president of development; and senior vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Group.[9] As vice president of development, he was responsible for fundraising strategy covering major gifts, planned giving, special events, a capital campaign and corporate and foundation grants.[1]
The Anti-Cruelty Group was the division responsible for the society's programs against animal cruelty across the United States.[3] In 2009 Bershadker launched the group's Field Investigations and Response team, which provided support to municipal, state and federal agencies in large-scale puppy mill seizures, dogfighting raids and animal hoarding cases, and in natural disasters including the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornado and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.[2] When Bershadker was appointed chief executive, the organization said the team had investigated hundreds of cases around the country, and that in 2012 the organization had played a leading role in removing 50 dogs from a dogfighting ring in the Bronx. In early 2013 it helped federal and state authorities remove nearly 100 dogs from a multi-state dogfighting ring.[1]
Under Bershadker the Anti-Cruelty Group also developed the Cruelty Intervention Advocacy program, aimed at protecting companion animals at risk of abuse or neglect by addressing the causes of cruelty, and a Legal Advocacy department that coordinated legal and expert support for animal cruelty prosecutions.[2][3] The organization credited Bershadker with a central part in creating a behavioral rehabilitation center for canine cruelty victims, such as dogs seized from puppy mills and hoarding cases, at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey.[1]
President and chief executive officer, 2013 to present
On May 2, 2013, the ASPCA announced that its board had named Bershadker president and CEO, effective June 1, 2013, succeeding Edwin Sayres.[1] Board chair Tim F. Wray said that Bershadker's "extensive experience, energy and unwavering commitment to animal welfare, coupled with his strong understanding of business management and the non-profit world, make him the ideal leader for the organization". Bershadker said: "We have made significant strides on behalf of animals around the country, but there is much more to do."[1] The ASPCA's Form 990 for 2013 lists Sayres as president and CEO until May 31, 2013, and then as a consultant, and Bershadker as president and CEO from June 1, 2013.[5]
New York City cruelty partnership
In January 2014 the ASPCA and the New York City Police Department began a citywide partnership under which the police lead the response to all animal cruelty complaints in the five boroughs, while the society provides care for animal victims, law enforcement training, and veterinary forensic and legal support.[3] The organization's biography of Bershadker states that the collaboration was based on an idea he had proposed several years earlier.[9] In a 2019 interview Bershadker said the partnership had increased animal cruelty arrests in the city by more than 200 percent, and had produced nearly 700 arrests and more than 3,300 alleged cruelty victims treated by the society over five years. Bershadker said that in 2018 alone the police made 131 animal cruelty arrests and the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement department trained more than 3,800 police personnel.[3]
Los Angeles commitment
In 2014 the ASPCA committed $25 million to a multi-year effort to assist at-risk animals in the greater Los Angeles area.[3] According to the organization, the program included a fully subsidized spay and neuter facility in South Los Angeles operated by the society and a campaign to encourage the fostering of vulnerable kittens.[9]
Behavioral rehabilitation and relocation
The ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center opened in Weaverville, North Carolina, in May 2018. Bershadker described it as "the first-ever permanent facility dedicated to the rehabilitation and study of extremely fearful homeless dogs", most of them victims of cruelty or neglect, and said the center also trained visiting shelter staff in its techniques.[3] The organization's biography credits Bershadker with conceiving the center and leading its creation.[9]
The ASPCA Animal Relocation program, which moves animals from shelters with limited capacity to areas with greater adoption demand, launched in 2014. In November 2026 Bershadker said it had transported more than 300,000 animals since then.[8]
Community veterinary care
In the 2019 interview Bershadker described increasing access to veterinary care as one of the tactics with "the highest potential for effecting systemic change". Bershadker cited a 2015 ASPCA study of pet owners who had given up a pet within the previous five years, in which 40 percent of those with annual incomes below $50,000 said free or low-cost veterinary care would have prevented the relinquishment, and 30 percent said free or low-cost pet food would have helped most.[3] At the time, the organization was preparing to open a spay, neuter and primary care clinic in Miami and a community veterinary center in the Bronx, with further centers planned for Brooklyn and upper Manhattan, and was partnering with food banks in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami to distribute pet food with vouchers for free veterinary services.[3]
At the ASPCA's Humane Awards luncheon in October 2026, Bershadker said: "helping the animal in front of us is essential, but if we want to change the future for animals, we also have to change the conditions that put them at risk in the first place."[10]
Disaster response and COVID-19
Bershadker said in 2019 that the society had deployed rescue staff and granted tens of millions of dollars in response to emergencies including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the 2018 California wildfires. He said that in 2018 the Field Investigations and Response team deployed to 23 operations in 15 states, including cruelty cases and responses to wildfires, hurricanes and a lava flow in Hawaii, and that its interventions in cruelty cases contributed to 489 criminal charges and 35 convictions.[3]
In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASPCA under Bershadker launched a $5 million package of programs that included free pet food for dogs, cats and horses in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and Asheville, North Carolina; grants to animal welfare organizations; emergency pet boarding; and expanded veterinary care.[9]
Equine programs
In a February 2024 column, Bershadker wrote about the ASPCA's Equine Transition and Adoption Center in El Reno, Oklahoma, which grew out of a regional support center established in 2019. He wrote that the center had helped more than 150 horses in 2023 with subsidized veterinary care, rehoming support and humane euthanasia, that he had visited it in October 2023, and that the ASPCA Right Horse program worked with nearly 100 partners to rehome horses.[11]
In October 2026 the New York City Council passed a bill, known as Romanch's Law, to phase out horse-drawn carriages, with the ban to take effect on June 1, 2028, if signed by the mayor. Bershadker said that "forcing horses to pull carriages through New York City's busy, loud streets is unsafe" and urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani to sign the measure.[12]
Leadership and management style
Bershadker has described his approach to animal welfare as evidence-driven. In a 2014 profile he said: "The biggest misconception about our sector is that animal advocacy is mostly instinctual, based on sympathy for animals. The truth is, we rely heavily and vitally on community data, veterinary and behavioral research, and proven methodologies to be as effective as we can."[2]
Bershadker has argued that animal homelessness cannot be solved by shelter adoptions alone. In 2019 he said that the roughly 3.2 million shelter adoptions each year were "a critical part" of the response, but that efforts "must go beyond traditional animal welfare partners and places", including behavioral rehabilitation, relocation, fostering, high-volume spay and neuter work, trap-neuter-return programs for cats, and community medicine that helps low-income owners keep their pets. Bershadker described the aim as addressing "the causes of animal homelessness as much as we do its consequences".[3] Bershadker has framed the organization's role as working through local partners: the organization's own description states that rather than operating a network of shelters, it trains and supports hundreds of local agencies.[13]
Bershadker has been a supporter of corporate cause partnerships, saying in 2019: "I'm a big fan of cause partnerships because they provide an effective way for us to inspire and activate new audiences of potential animal welfare supporters." Bershadker named AmazonSmile, Subaru, Bumble, West Elm and Honey Nut Cheerios as partners at the time, and said the organization had received more than $22 million from Subaru over 11 consecutive years of the carmaker's "Share the Love" event.[3]
On staffing, he said in the same interview that the organization had roughly 1,000 full-time employees and that "a firm commitment to workforce diversity, equity and inclusion" improved outcomes for animals by helping the organization connect with a broader range of communities.[3] Bershadker described his long-range planning as "identifying and targeting specific humane outcomes for vulnerable animals in the next five, 10 and even 20 years".[3]
Bershadker writes a regular column, "Matt's Blog", on the ASPCA website, and according to the organization has written more than 100 opinion pieces for publications including the New York Post, the New York Daily News, The Hill, The Times-Picayune, The Star-Ledger and CNN.com.[9]
Advocacy and policy positions
According to the ASPCA, Bershadker has spoken before Congress and testified before the New York City Council, including on funding for the city's shelters and on legislation to protect dogs and cats sold in city pet stores.[9]
In February 2014 he welcomed provisions in the federal farm bill that made attending an animal fight a federal offense and imposed penalties for bringing a child to one, saying: "Anyone attending an animal fight is a participant, and any participation is wrong."[14] In the 2019 interview he called dogfighting "among the most brutal and loathsome betrayals of animals", and said the society had assisted in more than 220 dogfighting cases in 23 states over the previous nine years. The organization created National Dog Fighting Awareness Day, held on April 8, in 2014.[3]
From 2020 Bershadker oversaw an ASPCA campaign to end the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores in New York State.[9] In a June 2022 column he urged Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill (A.4283/S.1130), citing an ASPCA report that almost half of the puppies shipped to New York pet stores came from Missouri.[15] When Hochul signed the bill in December 2022, Bershadker called it "a historic win for New York's animals, consumers, and communities".[4]
On farm animals, Bershadker welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's final Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards rule in November 2023, writing that ASPCA advocates had submitted more than 100,000 comments in support of a strong rule since 2016.[16]
Financial and market performance
The ASPCA is a 501(c)(3) charity with no share price or market capitalization. Figures from its annual Form 990 filings, as compiled by ProPublica, show the following for the years of Bershadker's tenure.[5]
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $171.7 million | $173.1 million | $197.9 million |
| 2016 | $217.4 million | $208.4 million | $231.4 million |
| 2019 | $279.0 million | $250.6 million | $340.0 million |
| 2021 | $389.9 million | $302.4 million | $508.2 million |
| 2023 | $379.3 million | $355.6 million | $553.3 million |
| 2024 | $446.1 million | $387.9 million | $639.9 million |
In 2024, contributions accounted for about $394.6 million, or 88.5 percent, of revenue.[5] Citing Charity Navigator, USA Today reported in 2021 that the charity spent 76.9 percent of its 2019 budget on programs, 19.2 percent on fundraising and 3.9 percent on administration.[6]
Compensation
Bershadker's compensation as reported on the ASPCA's Form 990 filings has risen over his tenure. The figures below are reportable compensation, with other compensation shown separately.[5]
| Fiscal year | Reportable compensation | Other compensation |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 (from June 1) | $310,219 | $33,803 |
| 2014 | $497,818 | $40,239 |
| 2015 | $521,245 | $21,166 |
| 2016 | $437,390 | $26,261 |
| 2017 | $804,372 | $47,859 |
| 2018 | $712,397 | $57,129 |
| 2019 | $762,996 | $61,543 |
| 2020 | $856,673 | $109,331 |
| 2021 | $881,785 | $108,740 |
| 2022 | $1,004,150 | $113,021 |
| 2023 | $1,085,129 | $118,138 |
| 2024 | $1,113,870 | $112,532 |
The 2017 filing notes that the figure for that year included a merit adjustment and bonus covering 2015 to 2017.[5]
Board memberships and outside roles
At the time of his appointment as chief executive in 2013, and again in a 2019 interview profile, Bershadker was described as a board member of the Gruber Family Foundation and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.[1][3]
Bershadker served on the board of directors of Global Animal Partnership, the farm animal welfare certification organization. Bershadker was listed among its directors in July 2019 and October 2023,[17][18] but no longer appeared on the board list by April 2024.[19]
In 2014 Bershadker was a member of the Leadership Council of the CLASSY Awards, a recognition program for nonprofit organizations, in the animal welfare category.[2]
Controversies
Compensation and spending claims
In 2021 a widely shared Facebook post claimed that the ASPCA's chief executive was paid $700,000 while only three cents of each dollar went to veterinary supplies and animal transport. A USA Today fact check rated the claim "missing context". It found that the three percent figure came from two narrowly defined expense categories in the 2014 tax return, while the broader "shelter and veterinary services" category accounted for 34.4 percent of expenses in 2019. It also found that Bershadker had been paid $497,818 in 2014, and that the $700,000 figure was closer to his reported pay of $712,397 in 2018 or $762,996 in 2019. The paper said the chief executive's salary accounted for about 0.3 percent of the charity's spending. An ASPCA spokesperson, Rebecca Goldrick, called the post "grossly inaccurate and extremely misleading".[6]
Lavalette lawsuit
In May 2025 Gordon Lavalette, who had been the ASPCA's chief financial officer since 2021, sued the organization in New Jersey state court, alleging that he was dismissed on May 12, 2025, in retaliation for objecting to practices he believed were unlawful. The suit alleged that the organization had spent at least $340 million on no-bid vendor contracts since 2016, in possible breach of New York and New Jersey nonprofit law, and that the conduct "amounted to common law fraud upon the donors".[7] According to a news report on the filing, the suit alleged that Bershadker became "irate" when a member of the finance team suggested that contract savings could pay for more food for shelter animals, rejected Lavalette's proposal to leave a leaking Upper East Side shelter building as "a waste of time", threatened in late 2024 to fire Lavalette if he took his concerns to the board, and dismissed him in a phone call while Lavalette was on leave for his daughter's wedding. The suit stated that Lavalette had refused to sign off on an audit he considered flawed.[7]
The ASPCA called the claims "baseless" and said it would mount a "vigorous" defense. It said its board "took these matters seriously when they were first raised internally and engaged independent outside counsel to review them", and concluded that its "policies and practices are appropriate, lawful, and consistent with our mission".[7]
Personal life
When he was named chief executive in 2013, Bershadker lived in New York City with his wife, Nina, their son, Elias, and a dog named Thelma.[1] The organization's current biography states that Bershadker and his family have three dogs, named Tarzan, Loki and Whiskey.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "ASPCA Board of Directors Names Matthew Bershadker President and CEO". PR Newswire (ASPCA). May 2, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Profile: Matthew Bershadker, President and CEO, ASPCA". CLASSY Awards. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 "The Story of the ASPCA: An Interview with Matt Bershadker, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)". LEADERS Magazine. 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Animal Welfare Groups Commend Gov. Hochul for Signing Bill to End the Retail Sale of Dogs, Cats, and Rabbits in New York Pet Stores". ASPCA. December 15, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals: Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wagner, Bayliss."Fact check: Widely shared post on ASPCA distorts its spending". July 16, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Senzamici, Peter."Top exec at ASPCA inhumanely fired after sounding alarm about 'dangerous' fraud at animal rights group: suit". May 20, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "ASPCA and IPAW Rescue Announce $1.4 Million Joint Initiative to Support Dog Is My CoPilot in Expanding Lifesaving Animal Transport Program". ASPCA. November 5, 2026. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 "Matthew Bershadker". ASPCA. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "The ASPCA Honors 2026 Humane Awards Recipients". ASPCA. October 9, 2026. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ Bershadker, Matt."Matt's Blog: Helping At-Risk Horses Means Changing Minds and Taking Action". ASPCA. February 2, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "ASPCA Commends NYC Council for Passing Historic Bill to Phase Out Horse-Drawn Carriages By 2028". ASPCA. October 22, 2026. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "About Us". ASPCA. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "ASPCA Applauds Strong Animal Protections in the Farm Bill". ASPCA. February 7, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ Bershadker, Matt."Matt's Blog: Governor Hochul, Please Help Pets and People by Signing the NY Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill". ASPCA. June 6, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ Bershadker, Matt."Matt's Blog: Finally! Long-Delayed Federal Rule on Farm Animal Welfare Standards in Organic Program". ASPCA. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". Global Animal Partnership. July 17, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". Global Animal Partnership. October 23, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". Global Animal Partnership. April 5, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2026.