ASPCA Names Nancy Perry Senior Vice President of Government Relations

NEW YORK, May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced the appointment of Nancy Perry to the new position of senior vice president of Government Relations. Ms. Perry will be responsible for the overall strategic and tactical direction of the ASPCA's legislative efforts and public policy at the local, state and federal government levels. She will serve as spokesperson and as a member of the senior management team, reporting directly to Ed Sayres, President and CEO. 

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"Nancy is a strategic thinker with a proven track record in successfully managing complex legislative initiatives, and I'm excited she is joining the ASPCA to help deepen and expand our legislative work," stated Mr. Sayres. "One of the ASPCA's objectives is to continue to secure the strongest possible legal protections for animals through the passage of legislation on a local and national level, and Nancy will undoubtedly help us achieve this goal."

Ms. Perry joins the ASPCA from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) where she served as vice president of Government Affairs and oversaw HSUS's state and federal legislative efforts, including ballot measure campaigns and nationwide grassroots activities. During her 16-year tenure at the HSUS, Nancy led successful efforts to secure federal legislation preventing the distribution of notorious animal crush videos, prohibiting the practice of shark finning, requiring truthful labeling of fur garments, banning the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills, prohibiting the interstate commerce of birds for fighting, requiring disaster planning for pets, banning tigers and other big cats as pets, securing greater protections for pet food safety, and defunding government-supported horse slaughter. She has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees and worked directly with legislators on pending federal legislation to improve oversight of puppy mills and other high priority bills.  Nancy has also been a key architect and leader on more than 20 successful state ballot measures to protect animals since 1995.

Ms. Perry graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. She received her M.A. in Communications from California State University and a J.D. with an Environmental Law Certificate from Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, where she co-founded Lewis & Clark's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. She also co-founded the Animal Law Journal and organized the country's first animal law conference – an event that recently celebrated its 19th anniversary. Nancy is an advisory board member of the Animal Law Review, teaches animal law at both George Washington University and Lewis & Clark Law Schools, and has published several articles on animal law.

"The ASPCA has been a key player in national, high profile legislative reforms for animals, and I'm truly honored to be joining the organization," said Ms. Perry.  "I look forward to working with Ed, the executive team, the Board of Directors, and the talented Government Relations team to extend the ASPCA's legislative footprint at both the state and federal level and to help ensure the implementation and adequate enforcement of humane laws."

Ms. Perry will be based in Washington, D.C., where she can work closely with key members of Congress to advance the ASPCA's federal legislative agenda, while also working closely with senior management and the ASPCA Government Relations team based throughout the U.S.

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About the ASPCA®

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation's leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org. To become a fan of the ASPCA on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/aspca.

SOURCE ASPCA