Rappaport To The Rescue

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 first joined the nation’s first animal welfare organization in 2001, serving most recently as senior vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Group, the division responsible for programs that confront animal cruelty and suffering across the country.

While servicing as the ASPCA’s Senior Vice President of ACG, Mr. Bershadker launched the organization’s Field Investigations & Response team to provide skilled support during large-scale puppy mill seizures, dogfighting raids, animal hoarding cases and natural disasters. Mr. Bershadker also oversaw the development of the ASPCA’s Cruelty Intervention Advocacy program, an initiative to help protect companion animals in danger of potential abuse or neglect by addressing the root causes of animal cruelty and helping establish sustainable assistance.

Under Mr. Bershadker’s leadership, the ASPCA and the New York City Police Department established a groundbreaking collaboration to provide enhanced protection to New York City’s animals. Under the agreement, the NYPD leads in responding to all animal cruelty complaints in the five boroughs, while the ASPCA assists law enforcement officials with forensics work and by providing critical direct care support for animal cruelty victims. Since the ASPCA/NYPD partnership began in 2014, New York City animal cruelty arrests, as well as the number of victimized animals treated by the ASPCA, have tripled.

Also during Mr. Bershadker’s tenure, the ASPCA announced a 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 2015, Mr. Bershadker oversaw the ASPCA’s acquisition of Asheville, North Carolina-based Humane Alliance, the nation’s leading training and education organization focusing on high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services.

Mr. Bershadker also 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, New Jersey, in 2013. This facility moved to a permanent new home in North Carolina in 2018.

Before joining the ASPCA, Mr. Bershadker worked for organizations including Share Our Strength (SOS) and the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN).

A Board Member of the Gruber Family Foundation and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, Mr. Bershadker received his Master of Business Administration degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Ohio University.