Guest Speakers: Considering Animals in Washington, D.C.

Wayne Pacelle, CEO & President, The Humane Society of the United States

Wayne Pacelle received his B.A. in History and Studies in the Environment from Yale University in 1987. Pacelle took office June 1, 2004 after serving for nearly 10 years as the HSUS chief lobbyist and spokesperson. During his tenure as HSUS president and CEO, Pacelle has spurred major growth for the organization, which is now the nation's largest animal protection organization with 11 million members and constituents, annual revenue of $160 million, and assets of more than $200 million.
He and The HSUS have worked for the passage of more than 600 new state laws since 2005, and he has helped to pass more than 25 federal statutes to protect animals in the last decade. He has also been the architect of a large number of amendments to halt funding for programs to harm animals. Pacelle's work on animal issues has been featured in thousands of newspapers and magazines across the country. Pacelle was named one of NonProfit Times' "Executives of the Year" in 2005 for his leadership in responding to the Hurricane Katrina crisis. In both 2008 and 2009, NonProfit Times named Pacelle to its annual "Power and Influence Top 50" nonprofit executives. 

Elizabeth Hutton Turner, Vice Provost for the Arts, University of Virginia

Former Senior Curator of The Phillips Collection, Turner is a specialist in early twentieth century modern art. Dr. Turner's Ph.D. is from the University of Virginia (1985). Before being named Vice Provost, Turner, an American art expert whose career spanned almost two decades at the Phillips, joined the University's McIntire Department of Art in September and was appointed a University Professor. Before joining The Phillips collection she was a Smithsonian Fellow and later worked for the National Museum of American Art (where she was a scholarly consultant for Perpetual Motif, the 1989 Man Ray Retrospective) and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Turner has also contributed to a number of scholarly publications including an essay on the jeune fille americaine for Women in Dada (1998) and an essay on Calder's Animal Sketching for When We Were Young (2006) , and a biography of Alexander Calder. Dr. Turner serves on a number of advisory boards including, the Calder Foundation, the Archives of American Art, Howard University College of Arts and Sciences, and City Collegiate Public Charter School. 

Don Moore, MPA, Ph.D., Associate Director of Animal Care Sciences, National Zoological Park

Moore has a PhD from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School (1990), and received his Bachelors from SUNY/ESF (Class of 1976). Moore currently leads Smithsonian's National Zoo's Animal Care Sciences team of veterinarians, curators, keepers, nutritionists and animal behavior professionals, providing excellence in animal care and well-being for the zoo's priceless living collection. He previously worked for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York. Moore has done field research on endangered Pampas deer and other mammals in both South America and North America, has performed research on the behavior of bears, frogs and a variety of other species in zoos and aquariums. Moore has published and co-authored more than four dozen papers or manuals on animal husbandry and behavior and has served as a peer reviewer for scientific journals including the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. Moore is very interested in behavioral enrichment science and husbandry science for wild animals in human care, and safe work practices and exhibit design in zoos and aquariums. He has received national and local awards for excellence in interpretation of natural history and wildlife behavior, and is passionate about climate change and actions students and others can take to help reduce global warming so that polar bears and other Arctic animals can survive for future generations. 

Dr. Angela Black, Coordinator for Animal Care, Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, UMD, College Park

Dr. Black received a B.S. in Animal Biology from the University of Utah, a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and a PhD in Animal Sciences with focus in growth physiology and nutrition from Cook College, Rutgers University. Dr. Black completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health and currently coordinates the animal care program and acts as the dedicated attending veterinarian for animals used in teaching and research in the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, College Of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland. These colonies, housed on campus at either the Campus Farm or the department's Animal Care Facility, include cattle, sheep, horses, poultry, pigs, rabbits, Guinea pigs, ferrets, rats, many strains of mice and fish. Dr. Black also teaches two undergraduate courses, Anatomy of Domestic Animals, and Laboratory Animal Management.

Tim Allen, Technical Information Specialist (Biological Science) Animal Welfare Information Center, National Agricultural Library, United States Department of Agriculture

Tim Allen earned his Master's degree in poultry physiology from the University of Maryland, and has worked at the Animal Welfare Information Center since 1992. Prior to his arrival at AWIC, he was a pharmacologist with Sterling Drug and Eastman Kodak. He is a member of the National Institutes of Health Animal Research Advisory Committee and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute Animal Care and Use Commmittee. Among his many awards are multiple USDA/NAL Certificates of Merit, and he has authored and co-authored dozens of articles in a variety of scientific fields. Tim and his family share their home with three dogs, two cats, two rabbits, a chicken, two hermit crabs, lots of fish and frogs, and, until recently, Crackle the Grackle

Dr. Jamie Boehmer, Research Biologist, Division of Applied Veterinary Research, United States Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine Office or Research

Jamie Boehmer received her B.S in Animal Sciences in 1992 from the University of Maryland College Park, her M.S. in genetics in the Dairy Science department at Virginia Tech in 1999, and her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences in 2009 at the University of Maryland. Dr. Boehmer has served in research positions at both the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) and the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Genetics (IMMAG) at the Medical College of Georgia. Currently, Jamie is a Research Biologist in the Division of Applied Veterinary Research at the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Office of Research (OR). The focus of Dr. Boehmer's research program is the proteomic evaluation of host responses to infection in food animals, as well as the utilization of proteomic methodologies to assess host responses to drug administration. Dr. Boehmer has experience working with a variety of agricultural and traditional lab animal species in both biomedical and regulatory research settings, and currently serves as the chair of the CVM/OR Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Isa Leshko, Photographer

Isa Leshko received her BA from Haverford College with a major in psychology and a minor in gender studies. She has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group shows throughout the United States. Her work is in many private collections and has been purchased by the Boston Public Library, the Harry Ransom Center, Haverford College, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for their permanent collections. Isa's images have been published in The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagzeitung, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin (SZ-Magazin). She received the 2012 Houston Center for Photography Fellowship and the 2012 Silver Eye Center for Photography Keystone Award, and she was nominated for the 2011 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. Isa's work is represented by the Corden|Potts Gallery in San Francisco, CA, and the Richard Levy Gallery in Albuquerque, NM. 

Frank Noelker, Associate Professor of Art, University of Connecticut

Frank Noelker is an American Fine Art Photographer. He received a B.A. degree from Webster University and an M.F.A. degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. His photographs have been widely exhibited, both in solo and group exhibits, including "Why Look at Animals" at the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, 2006; "Animals & Us" Galerie St. Etienne, New York, NY, 2004 , and are included in the permanent collections of a number of museums. His work has recently been published in the book, Captive Beauty: Photographs by Frank Noelker. He has also made numerous media appearances, including on NPR and BBC Radio.

Terry Cummings and Dave Hoerauf, Founders and Directors of Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, Poolesville, MD

Terry Cummings earned her BA in Animal Science, and Dave Hoerauf his BA in Zoology, from the University of Maryland. After moving to Poolesville, they founded the Sanctuary, which has received much press, including in the Washington Post.

Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder, Farm Sanctuary

Baur holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University Northridge and a master's degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University. Gene Baur has been hailed as "the conscience of the food movement" by TIME magazine. For 25 years he has traveled extensively, campaigning to raise awareness about the abuses of industrialized factory farming and our cheap food system. A pioneer in the field of undercover investigations, Gene has visited hundreds of farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses documenting the deplorable conditions that exist. Gene has also testified in courts and before local, state and federal legislative bodies, advocating for better conditions for farm animals. His efforts have been covered by top news organizations, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal. In 2008, Gene's book, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, became a national best seller. As a recent guest on The Martha Stewart Show's first-ever "vegan show," he inspired viewers to eat in alignment with their compassionate values. 

Dr. Gail Golab, Director, Animal Welfare Division, American Veterinary Welfare Association

Dr. Golab earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Texas A&M University, her DVM from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and her membership in the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists Animal Welfare Chapter. She is the first U.S. veterinarian ever to be credentialed in Animal Welfare. She worked in private practice before coming to the AVMA, where she has edited two AVMA journals, and served in several important positions in the AVMA before being named to her current position in 2007. Dr. Golab is a frequent speaker, including giving testimony before the U.S. Congress on the significance of animal welfare in U.S. farming and food production. She has served on many AVMA taskforces, including those on the housing of pregnant sows and the legal status of animals. Dr. Golab serves in many advisory positions, including representing the AVMA on the panel of advisors for the Food Marketing Institute National Council of Chain Restaurants, and membership in the United Egg Producers' Scientific Advisory Panel for Animal Welfare.

Valerie Ragan, Director, Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine, Virgina-Maryland Regional College for Veterinary Medicine

Ragan completed her pre-veterinary work at Virginia Tech and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1983 from the University of Georgia. She also completed post-graduate work in biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. As director of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine on VMRCVM's University of Maryland-College Park campus, Ragan is responsible for expansion of the role of the center in the areas of public health and policy, and international veterinary medicine, including increasing opportunities for student engagement in national and international veterinary and animal health organizations involved in public veterinary practice. Prior to joining the VMRCVM, Ragan was the president of AgWorks Solutions LLC, an agriculture consulting company in Washington, DC, where her activities included resolving animal health issues such as disease control, eradication, and surveillance, and international veterinary capacity building. From 1988 to 2006, she was employed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). After five years of private practice, she began her work with the USDA as a veterinary medical officer and public practice career trainee. She then served as an area epidemiology officer and senior staff veterinarian/national brucellosis epidemiologist. She subsequently served as assistant deputy administrator of the agency's Veterinary Services program. 

Jessica Almy, Meyer, Associate, Meyer, Glitzenstein and Crystal

Jessica Almy joined Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal as an associate in 2009, after receiving her J.D. from New York University School of Law. Jessica holds an M.S. in Animals and Public Policy from Tufts University (2002) and a B.A. in Communications from Gordon College (1999). Prior to law school, Jessica worked for The Humane Society of the United States as a wildlife advocate where she worked to protect coyotes, night herons, pheasants, deer, cormorants, and an ornery mute swan. Since joining Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal, Jessica has represented clients seeking to protect wildlife under the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and clients seeking access to government records under the Freedom of Information Act. She is a member of the bars of New York and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Her previous experience includes legal internships for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Paul Hastings, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.