Matt Pepper is the president and CEO of the Michigan Humane Society. He joined the organization in 2014. Before joining, he spent three years as director of animal care services for Bernalillo County, NM. Prior to that, he served in leadership roles in Tennessee and Louisiana. His career began in the Grand Rapids area as an animal cruelty investigator for the Humane Society of West Michigan and the animal control officer supervisor for the Kent County Animal Shelter. Pepper has approximately 20 years of experience in animal welfare in both non-profit and municipal capacities. He has served on several industry boards, including the National Animal Care & Control Association, the Michigan Association of Animal Control Officers, and the Louisiana Animal Control Association. In 2018, he was elected to serve on the Board for the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement. Pepper holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from Grand Valley State University and resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with his wife and four children. Together, they care for two adopted dogs, Rocky and Blondie. Rocky, a three-legged Chihuahua mix, was the “poster dog” for the MH 2017 end-of-year campaign [citation].