MONROE — After eight months of running without an executive director, the Green County Humane Society welcomed Matt Mullen in June to lead the nonprofit organization.

Mullen’s entrance into the position comes after a years-long career working nonprofit at various YMCAs. 

His first nonprofit role was with the Freeport YMCA. While there, Mullen had the chance to move between various positions. After six years, he decided to make a cross-country move to Barnwell, South Carolina, in 2014 to open a YMCA from scratch.

Mullen and his family spent two years in Barnwell before moving around to help different South Carolina YMCAs that were struggling.

In June, Mullen left his longtime career with the YMCA to take on his new position as the Green County Humane Society’s executive director.

Mullen’s switch to the Humane Society takes him back to his roots.

“You can’t help where you’re from,” said Mullen, who grew up east of Freeport in Pearl City, Illinois. “It was just time to come home.”

Though he had to leave his YMCA career to make the move, Mullen looks forward to continuing his nonprofit work from a different perspective.

“I was looking for somewhere where I get to still help,” he said. “I wanted to be able to find a place that helped something, whether it be people or animals, or in this situation both.”

Now settled into his new position, Mullen is hoping to continue strengthening the Humane Society by building a foundation for its future. 

“He’s helming the ship and making sure everything is in place for our future,” Erin Emery, an employee at the humane society said. “He can only add to our success.”

Mullen’s plans for the business are to do just that. He hopes to move beyond day-to-day operations and create a focus on the nonprofit’s future.

“Between the previous two directors and the previous board and the current board, so much of the track has been laid for success here,” he said.