Susan Atherton lives in the Bay Area with her fiancé, David, and her rescued puppy mill shih-tzu, Simba. She is a lifelong animal welfare activist and a University of California trustee. Susan served as an enterprise software and cloud-computing executive for 25 years. These days she applies her sales skills to fundraising on behalf of her charitable organizations. This month Susan supported MFA by generously donating 49ers club-level seats and VIP parking to our Hidden Heroes Gala silent auction.
Q – What inspired you to become involved in animal protection?
A – We were raised with sweet shelter dogs and my parents always treated them as part of our family. Love and care towards our pets was all I ever knew. As I got older, I became more educated on the many forms of animal abuse that happen in our world. This injustice and abuse was simply something I could not ignore and I have ever since fought on behalf of animals who cannot protect themselves.
Q – What part of MFA’s work on behalf of farmed animals speaks to you most?
A – I think that the undercover investigative work that MFA performs is critical to moving the needle forward in farmed animal protection. Only by exposing the abuses that occur far too often on factory farms can we move the public to stand up for these animals through legislation and other means of protection.
Q – Which of MFA’s successes do you feel happiest about?
A – Again, I would have to highlight their undercover investigations for the legislative impact, media exposure, and effect on consumers and corporate policy.