Humane Society International

HSI claims to address inhumane practices affecting animals, including animals used in research and testing, illegal wildlife trade, hunting, and factory farming, among others. HSI advocates for strict vegetarianism and for the ending of cultural traditions that employ animals or involve the consumption of meat and dairy products. ²

Activities

Humane Society International influences legislation, policies, and regulations to promote animal liberation. ³ HSI lobbies for public policy affecting international agreements, especially in support of increasing protections for animals and against weakening existing protective measures. ⁴

HSI lobbies international conservation and environmental organizations like the International Whaling Commission and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. HSI also lobbies organizations that affect trade agreements, including the World Trade Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the International Organization for Standardization, and the World Bank. ⁴

Through umbrella organizations like the International Council on Animal Protection in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and the International Council on Animal Protection in Pharmaceuticals, HSI lobbies chemical and pharmaceutical regulators to reduce or end testing on animals. ⁴

HSI and its affiliate HSUS are involved with United Nations agreements that include the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). ⁴

HSI encourages strict vegetarianism among individuals and corporations and promotes its annual Animal Care Expo, and trainings for veterinarians and animal control workers. ⁵ In 2018, HSI provided training for Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (Organismo de Investigacion Judicial). This government department is responsible for enforcing animal protection laws that promote prosecution of more animal cruelty cases, including dog fighting. ⁶

People

Officers and Staff

Jeffrey Flocken is the president of Humane Society International. Flocken was formerly the North American regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare and an International Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Flocken has also worked for Conservation International as an education, policy, and outreach director, for National Wildlife Federation as the endangered species outreach manger, and with the general counsel at radical environmentalist group Greenpeace.

Flocken currently sits on the boards of the Jaguar Conservation Fund and the GRACE Gorilla Sanctuary and is the founder and board co-chair of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program. ⁷

Adam Parascandola is the Senior Director of Animal Protection and Crisis Response for HSI, and oversees HSI’s global anti-dogfighting initiative. Parascandola formerly led HSUS’s Animal Cruelty Rescue and Response team, and formerly served as a Humane Law Enforcement Officer in Washington, D.C. ⁸Andrea Borel is the Executive Director for HSI Latin America. Borel formerly worked as the conservation director for the Nature Conservancy in Costa Rica, and as a senior environmental specialist at the Costa Rica Regional Environmental Office for the U.S. Department of State. ⁹

Anton Aguilar is the Executive Director of HSI Mexico. Aguilar previously served as advisor to the Deputy Minister in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as the G20 Director in preparation for the 2012 Los Cabos G20 Summit. ¹⁰

Claire Bass is the Executive Director of HSI UK. Bass formerly worked for World Animal Protection as its head of wildlife campaigns and as an investigator for the Environmental Investigation Agency. Basse has been a participant in meetings of the International Whaling Commission since 2004. ¹¹

Julie Janovsky is the Vice President of HIS’s Farm Animals Program, the former director of the global campaign to end illegal fishing for the Pew Charitable Trusts, and formerly worked on Pew’s Southern Ocean Sanctuaries campaign. ¹²

Kitty Block is CEO of HSI, where she previously held the positions of President, Senior Vice President, and Vice President. Block is currently President of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Block formerly worked for HSUS as Special Counsel to the United Nations and Treaties Department from 1998 to 2007, and as its Director of Legal Research and Development from 1992 to 1998. ¹³

Block served as an advisor on Trade and the Environment to the White House, and has represented the HSUS in meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora, the International Whaling Commission, and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Block has also served on the Review Panel of the Agreement of the International Dolphin Conservation Program. ¹⁴

Rebecca Aldworth is the Executive Director of HSI Canada. Aldworth formerly served as Seal Campaigner for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. ¹⁵

Ruud Tombrock is the Executive Director of HSI Europe, and is a member of the Dutch Council for Animal Matters, a group that advises the Minister of Agriculture. ¹⁶

Teresa Telecky is the Vice President of the Wildlife Department for HIS, and serves as the Executive Director and Vice President of the Species Survival Network. ¹⁷

Tony Gerrans is the Executive Director of HSI Africa. Gerrans serves as legal advisor to the Cape Animal Welfare Forum, and formerly served as a trustee of the Humane Education Trust. ¹⁸

Troy Seidle is the Vice President of Research and Toxicology at HSI. Seidle has previously served on numerous policy committees for government and intergovernmental agencies including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Health Canada. ¹⁹

Board of Directors

Bruce Fogle serves as the Chair of the Board, and is a veterinarian, author, and consultant to international pet food and insurance companies. Fogle is the Co-founder and Vice-Chair of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. ²⁰

Leslie Barcus is the board treasurer of HSI, the executive director of the vegan advocacy group VegFund, and the executive director of Farm Sanctuary. Barcus is the founding president of Microfinance Management Institute (MMI), a project of the Open Society Foundations. ²¹

Assistant treasurer of the board Michaelen Barsness, is the vice president of finance and controller at HSUS and the former vice president and controller at the United Way Worldwide. ²²

Nicolas Ibarguen is an environmentalist journalist and film producer. Ibarguen is the Founder and President of the Planet Initiative, a project of the Americas Business Council Foundation. ²³ Ibarguen serves on the board of Voces Verdes, a project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). ²⁴

Susan Atherton is an independent philanthropist and animal advocate. Atherton serves as the vice chair of the boards of both the Humane Society Legislative Fund, HSUS’s lobbying and electoral arm, and the San Francisco SPCA. Atherton formerly served as chair of the board of the American Red Cross Bay Area. ²⁵

Theresa Reese is the assistant treasurer of the board, the deputy controller at HSUS,²⁶ and the assistant treasurer of Humane Society Legislative Fund. ²⁷