Kelly Peterson
Vice President, State Affairs
Kelly Peterson is vice president of state affairs for The Humane Society of the United States. She works with HSUS state directors throughout the country to support animal welfare legislation, fight animal cruelty, and engage like-minded citizens to promote the protection of animals.
Peterson set the bar as state director of Oregon and understands the diverse duties and skills needed to be a representative in the state. She is an accomplished advocate for animal protection issues, and this year she tied second as "best lobbyists in the Oregon legislature" by the Portland Mercury newspaper.
Peterson has been extremely successful in recent years, helping pass a raft of state bills for animal protection. Thanks to her efforts, animals are now included in disaster planning; hunting by Internet and acquiring exotic animals as pets are banned; cross-reporting of animal cruelty is required; and stronger penalties for attending and participating in an animal fight are in place.
She also helped lead the fight on cracking down on puppy mills by capping the number of breeding dogs breeders can possess and establishing significant humane standards for breeders. Her efforts also helped get legislation through to make Oregon the first state to ban the confinement of breeding pigs.
As director of ballot issues, Peterson worked on winning campaigns such as the 2006 ballot initiatives to ban mourning dove shooting in Michigan and breeding pig gestation and veal crates in Arizona.
Peterson recently co-founded Fences for Fido, an all-volunteer non-profit that reaches out to families with dogs living outdoors on chains. The group provides a free fence, spay/neuter, and a new dog house.
Peterson lives in Portland with her four-legged canine best friends, Keely and Rollie.
For journalists seeking interviews with HSUS experts, please see our directory of media contacts.