Humanitarian Organization That Pioneered Protections For U.S. Children and Animals Over Last 135 Years Brings On Innovation/Development Expert To Prepare For Next Century

Paul Raybould Named Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President of Humane Hollywood™ Program

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Humane Association, which for 135 years has been the chief force behind nearly every major development and advance improving the welfare of the nation's children and animals, is paving the way for another century of growth and creative ground-breaking work by bringing in Paul Raybould as its new Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President of the American Humane Association's Humane Hollywood™ program. Raybould is the twelfth in a growing roster of major thought leaders who have been recruited and promoted over the past 12 months as part of a transformative agenda championed by new American Humane Association President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert to help more of the most vulnerable among us.

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Raybould will utilize his international business and nonprofit management expertise to help drive creative, mission-critical, sustainable growth at American Humane Association, which since 1877 has worked to create so many landmark protections for U.S. children and animals (see historical timeline below).

"I joined American Humane Association because of the remarkable opportunity to effect change for good in the lives of children and animals, change based upon sound science, policies, and procedures, and innovative, outcome-driven programs," said Raybould. "I look forward to growing American Humane Association, building its social and institutional capital, and contributing to the already impressive legacy of this institution."

In his role as Chief Innovation Officer, Raybould brings over 20 years of business acumen to the nonprofit sector. He will be responsible for developing support for new programs, driving excellence and best practices across all of the association's programs, and securing long-term partnerships with major corporations.

Mr. Raybould will also work to extend the organization's scope, authority and protections through his work as Senior Vice President of American Humane Association's Humane Hollywood™ program, which leverages relationships with society's most visible personalities to create new programs supporting children and animals, shines a spotlight on the everyday importance of animals in our lives through programs such as the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™, and protects tens of thousands of animal actors on film and television sets annually.

"The challenges facing children and animals are growing and we must grow to meet them," said American Humane Association's President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robin Ganzert. "Through his unique experience in the worlds of international business, philanthropy, and animal welfare, Paul will help us find new support for innovative programs that create more humane communities and promote the human-animal bond."

Raybould brings with him 20 years of senior business leadership. Prior to his joining American Humane Association, he served as Executive Vice President of the renowned Denver-based Morris Animal Foundation, launching and managing a $30 million capital campaign, and increasing revenues by 53 percent in two years. With his leadership he helped turn the 62-year old organization into one of the nation's most successful nonprofits in the animal sector.

Raybould has extensive international business experience, helping to found and turn around organizations in the aerospace, energy, and e-Business industries in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Raybould attributes his stints around the world as helping to hone his innovative management style.

An English native, Raybould spent his formative years in Africa and Australia before returning to the British Isles to complete his education. He lives with his wife, Susan, and two Irish Setters, Celia and Kobe.

About American Humane Association
Since 1877 American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting children, pets and farm animals from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today they are also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too, for millions of children and animals in need. Please visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

American Humane Association: Historical Highlights and Timeline

1877    American Humane Association was founded on October 9 in Cleveland, Ohio, by local humane society representatives from around the United States. The new organization's first goal was to secure humane treatment for working animals and livestock in transit.

1886    American Humane Association's constitution was amended to officially include children in its agenda.

1894    The Link® between violence toward animals and violence toward people was first mentioned at American Humane Association's annual convention: "The man who was cruel to his beast would be unkind to his wife and child."

1909    American Humane Association took on the issue of child labor.

1913    American Humane Association's quarterly magazine, The National Humane Review, was published for the first time. The magazine featured articles on humane issues, profiles of prominent humanitarians, briefs on humane legislation and reports from local organizations.

1914    American Humane Association called for safe, off-street playgrounds.

1915    American Humane Association initiated Be Kind to Animals Week® and launched a national poster contest for children. Be Kind to Animals Week is still celebrated annually during the first full week of May and is one of the oldest special weeklong observances in the U.S.

1916    The U.S. Secretary of War invited American Humane Association "to undertake the work of doing for Army animals what the American Red Cross is doing for soldiers." American Humane Association created American Red Star Animal Relief to rescue wounded horses on the battlefields of World War I.

1921    American Humane Association called for legislation to protect children working in the motion picture industry.

1931    American Humane Association approved a set of standards for child protection societies, which urged them to maintain the privacy rights of the children and adults they serve and to employ professional caseworkers. The organization also encouraged child welfare agencies to protect families and remove children from their parents only when absolutely necessary.

1940    After the 1939 filming of Jesse James, in which a terrified horse was killed after being forced to run off a cliff, American Humane Association opened its Western Regional Office in Hollywood, California, to fight cruelty to animals in film and television.

American Humane Association lobbied for a bill protecting the bald eagle, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law.

1941    American Humane Association established standards of operation for animal protection societies.

The Association of Motion Picture Producers agreed to give American Humane Association open access to the sets of all movies using animals.

1945    American Humane Association started a program to provide therapy dogs for recovering World War II veterans.

1950    American Humane Association issued Standards for Child Protective Services Agencies, which clearly defined physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse and identified a three-stage process of child protective work, including fact-finding, diagnosis and treatment.

1963    American Humane Association proposed that all 50 states pass laws requiring doctors who discover injuries inflicted on children to report the cases to child protective services.

1969    American Humane Association supported the passage of the Endangered Species Conservation Act, which provided protection for and prohibited the import of species in danger of worldwide extinction.

American Humane Association's first comprehensive study of sexual abuse of children found that child sexual abuse occurred in far greater numbers than did reported cases of battering.

1970    American Humane Association tackled pet overpopulation, suggesting that owners spay or neuter their animals. Critical attention was also drawn to the emergence of mass breeding operations, or "puppy mills."

1971    An article in The National Humane Review exposed the widespread existence of cockfighting in the U.S. and called on law enforcement to crack down on the inhumane contests.

1972    American Humane Association's first "No Animals Were Harmed"® end credit was issued to the movie The Doberman Gang.

1975    American Humane Association observed its first annual Adopt-A-Cat Month®, to encourage the adoption of cats from overcrowded animal shelters.

1976    With a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Humane Association began its National Study on Child Neglect and Abuse reporting in every state, collecting and analyzing child abuse reports to determine their characteristics.

1981    American Humane Association celebrated its first annual Adopt-A-Dog Month®, to encourage the adoption of dogs from local animal shelters.

1991    To keep soldiers from having to permanently give up their pets, American Humane Association developed guidelines for animal shelters to foster pets of military reservists sent to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm.

1995    American Humane Association became a primary proponent of family group decision making (FGDM) in the U.S. FGDM is an innovative method of getting extended families involved in making critical decisions about children who are in the child welfare system.

American Humane Association established the Second Chance® Fund to provide grants to local animal care agencies to pay for medical expenses of animal victims of malicious violence.

1997    American Humane Association launched The Front Porch Project® to directly involve community members in child protection.

1999    American Humane Association's first Tag Day™ was celebrated to help lost pets get reunited with owners.

2000    American Humane Association launched its farm animal program to establish standards for the humane care of animals in agriculture and began certifying farms committed to raising livestock humanely.

2001    After terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, American Humane Association's Red Star™ Animal Emergency Services delivered supplies and equipment to New York City and provided medical examinations, care and decontamination for search-and-rescue dogs.

2005    Red Star Animal Emergency Services deployed to Louisiana to help animal victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. With 18,000 man-hours logged by volunteers and staff over more than six weeks, it was the longest and most extensive disaster response in American Humane Association's history.

2006    American Humane Association hosted its first differential response conference. Differential response is an approach that allows child protective services to respond differently to each child abuse report, depending on the severity of the abuse, the family's history and other factors. To address growing issues in child welfare, American Humane Association established the Immigration and Child Welfare initiative and the Fatherhood initiative.

2007    American Humane Association established the Child Protection Research Center to address long-standing issues related to the improvement of public child protective services. The Center examines the child welfare system's racial disproportionality, among other issues.

2008    Denver Pet Partners, an animal-assisted therapy organization, became a program of American Humane Association.

American Humane Association established the Child Welfare Disparities Resource Center to address issues of how services are managed, resourced and provided based on race and ethnicity.

2009    UNICEF chose American Humane Association's Child Protection Research Center and its partner, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, to work on its international household surveys on child discipline.

The majority of the nation's cage-free egg producers became certified by the American Humane Association Certified™ farm animal program.

2010    Along with other animal welfare organizations, American Humane Association joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti to provide funding and emergency response services for animals affected by the earthquake.

2010    Began a ground-breaking partnership with Pfizer to determine how animal-assisted therapy can improve the health and well-being of children with cancer, and their families.

2011    Established the Animal Welfare Research Institute to explore and achieve advances in predictive, preventive and participatory methods to save animals' lives and improve their quality of life.

Launched the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™ to honor dogs who transform people's lives through unconditional love, devotion and intuition.

2012    Launched the Children's Innovation Institute.

SOURCE American Humane Association