Matt Pepper

President/CEO, Michigan Humane

Matthew Pepper is president and CEO of the Michigan Humane (MH), the state’s oldest and largest animal welfare organization. Pepper joined MHS in 2014. Before joining MH 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 a non-profit and municipal capacity. Pepper has served on several industry Boards to include 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.