https://www.missourianimals.org/news daily 0.75 2023-03-11 https://www.missourianimals.org/news/2023-midwest-animal-sheltering-conference-announcement monthly 0.5 2023-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1678569227134-H4B73L3TZ59DS1FBI8HA/September+10-12%2C+2021+.+Columbia%2C+MO.png News - Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference Hits the Road! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.missourianimals.org/news/2022-midwest-animal-sheltering-conference monthly 0.5 2023-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1664476023979-11PY4OX7EVQBTZLNII2C/IMG_7397.JPG News - 2022 Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1664476018066-UQV4LFE1Z0OWALUQTXRK/IMG_7393.JPG News - 2022 Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1664476013619-PWYUDNPQXF9EKIJJ856U/s0hsY3BoRd%2BuxLluj1odrQ.jpg News - 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2020 Impact https://www.missourianimals.org/news/2020-conference-postponed monthly 0.5 2020-09-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1599509498358-4KNSE3WYD9ZVIMO3GRYF/MASC+Cover+Photo.png News - 2020 Conference Postponed https://www.missourianimals.org/news/70-cats-rescued monthly 0.5 2020-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1598729463058-GWHUSBZG4MWX13QISRFY/Hoarding.jpg News - 70+ Cats Rescued Photo credit Giulia Hall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1598729633299-4DR2GPPEXFU5NSXAMWMA/Hoarding+before.jpg News - 70+ Cats Rescued Punkin Roll the cat at Central Missouri Humane Society right after being rescued. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1598729765898-E68GBJW65V0VLYRJ2KC3/Hoarding%2Bafter.jpg News - 70+ Cats Rescued Punkin Roll enjoying a foster home while receiving medical care. https://www.missourianimals.org/news/massive-cat-hoarding-case monthly 0.5 2020-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1597769604466-NQID6YG90WQLKCR971MU/IMG_20200714_114838.jpg News - 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Online Apprenticeship https://www.missourianimals.org/news/gdml3vmg3i7s28hvxohffxs4q2h5r6 monthly 0.5 2020-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1595108524392-EJR62XSSHYC7W5P2T09D/Transfer+Cover+Photo.png News - Animal Transfer Network https://www.missourianimals.org/news/blog-post-title-one-69wxf monthly 0.5 2020-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1595108610447-PD4R61K7RI595LF6FUFK/Facebook+Cover+Photo+2.png News - Animal Professionals Unite https://www.missourianimals.org/home daily 1.0 2025-12-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586302071543-KSA2KYT49UR683E0TSC1/Silhouette_of_a_puggle.jpg Home - Making the world a better place for animals is possible. Join us. We envision a strong collaborative network among animal care organizations across Missouri. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589149459326-R64XAJWAOI0YPZ90ROJ4/image-asset.jpeg Home - Midwest Animal Welfare Conference 3 days. 25+ sessions. Endless Networking. Join us October 1-3, 2026 in Kansas City, MO for the Midwest’s only regional conference focused on animal control, sheltering, and rescue! https://www.missourianimals.org/contact daily 0.75 2020-04-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586041135986-LSLVAX7KBTQAIAC8YIIB/embark-bulldog-dog-person.jpg Contact https://www.missourianimals.org/about daily 0.75 2020-05-13 https://www.missourianimals.org/aboutmasc2023 daily 0.75 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg About 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg About 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg About 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg About 2023 - “Lots of great info learned here! I can't wait to share new knowledge with coworkers and start helping animals more than we thought possible!” — MASC 2022 Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/schedule2021 daily 0.75 2022-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198086484-XSXLHPM5J18PHV2UYV3J/image-asset.jpeg Schedule - “What a great conference for shelter and rescue professionals in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. We've been in need of an educational opportunity like this for a while - full of practical information and inspiration. Thank you so much for hosting this. Hope to see you next year!” — MASC 2019 Conference Speaker https://www.missourianimals.org/speakers2021 daily 0.75 2022-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054880653-MCLIWDI33V62TI1SMHBH/S.Aguilar.2021.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Sarah Aguilar Sarah Aguilar recently joined Austin Pets Alive! as the Senior Director of Operations. Her animal welfare history includes roles with Greater Good Charities where the #StayHomeAndFoster movement generated nearly 100,000 foster applicants across the nation; with Pima Animal Care in Tucson, AZ where she developed processes and systems that catapulted the open admission municipal shelter to a 92% live release rate; and in Ventura, CA, where she managed their first formal foster program, placing nearly 3000 animals into foster homes annually, and tripling the number of cats adopted through partner pet stores and offsite events. Her experience as the Training General Manager for a national restaurant chain, combined with degrees in business management and accounting, has enabled Sarah to bring a unique customer service and systemic, data-driven approach, to lifesaving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627826325537-E1441Z0GUM8JC4SCBG6F/ea-photo-d6wst.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Elina Alterman Elina Alterman officially joined the Lawrence Humane Society in June of 2020. Prior to being named Director of Development & Communications in July 2021, she served as the Senior Manager of Social work, overseeing Lawrence Humane's Pet Resource Center and the community caseworker team. Animal welfare is a professional change for Elina, whose career has spanned philanthropy, nonprofit consulting, direct practice social work, lobbying and government relations, and grassroots organizing. A social worker and grassroots organizer by training, Elina served for five years as program officer at the Kansas Health Foundation (KHF), leading KHF's work around health equity, social determinants of health, and civic and community engagement, including a statewide integrated voter engagement initiative and an intersectional health equity organizing and advocacy movement. Elina then led her own consulting company through which she supported nonprofits, foundations, health care systems and local community groups across the country, building organizational capacity through her experience in campaign development, coalition building, relational organizing and strategic planning. Most important of all, she supported nonprofits in their efforts to comprehensively understand and address diversity, inclusion, systemic racism and their own organizations’ roles in undoing systemic oppression, and figuring out new ways of operating internally and with external partners that center justice and equity. Elina emigrated to the United States with her family in 1991 and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, establishing deep roots in the community, which was ultimately what brought her back from Washington, D.C., where she had been working on Capitol Hill and later leading government relations for a women’s and family nonprofit. Elina began her career as a foster care social worker and maternity care coordinator in North Carolina. Elina has a bachelor’s degrees in sociology and Latin American and Latino studies from Brandeis University and dual master’s degrees in social work and public health, with a focus on maternal and child health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Elina lives in Lawrence with her partner, their four senior dogs and nine cats ― the ultimate blended family. She serves on several nonprofit boards, including the local food bank, is a “big sister” through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and in her spare time volunteers at an equine rescue organization to get her horse and donkey fix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103513686-A85UVDNT3QB1BWX4DEQM/MA.jpg Speakers 2021 - Michael Arms Mike has saved more animals than any other person, living or dead, in animal welfare history. Since his arrival at Helen Woodward Animal Center, in 1999, pet adoptions have leaped to record levels. Their education program has multiplied as they continue to teach children about the unconditional love that only comes from animals, and their therapy programs touch the lives of tens of thousands of people each year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103562698-A4ENFYUKACBF1F07VEFK/MB.jpg Speakers 2021 - Michael Bricker Michael Bricker is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Director of CARE Centers. Michael will be developing organizational strategy and sustaining that through the management of the all our departments. As CARE Center Director, Michael will curate strategies for each CARE Center and develop a national model for workforce development that partners from the community up to local shelters to provide sustainable change and save more animals. Mike comes to us as the former Operations Embed Programs Director at Best Friends Animal Society. He spent most of his time in Texas, as Interim Executive Director at different shelters, where he used his compassion and talent to get to know the staff, put the time in to connect with the community, all while saving more animals. Before Best Friends, Mike was the Director of Operations at Camden County Animal Shelter (CCAS). In addition to rewriting the shelter’s adoption policies, Mike helped to create a Lifesaving Department, launch CCAS’s community cat program, pioneer the Rent-A-Dog program and modernize the shelter’s medical operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104346209-IRX5E98NK80EA97U0LZN/AB.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Dr. Amie Burling Dr. Amie Burling is an Assistant Teaching Professor with the University of Missouri Shelter Medicine Program. She graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a residency in Shelter Medicine with the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida and a Master’s in Public Health degree from the University of South Florida. Her interests include veterinary education, infectious disease control, behavioral welfare, public health, and veterinary social work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1628699611947-L835WTCGWLRPQIXF2X96/MC.png Speakers 2021 - Mindi Callison Mindi Callison is the Founder and Executive Director of the National nonprofit organization, Bailing Out Benji which focuses on the grassroots effort to combat the puppy mill industry. Mindi founded Bailing Out Benji at 21 years old after falling victim to the puppy mill industry by way of a local pet store, who offered her a credit card with high interest. Upon learning about the pet store/puppy mill connection and learning about the predatory lending practices that these stores utilize to take advantage of low-income families, Mindi knew that she needed to act. Bailing Out Benji and its research have been instrumental in passing humane ordinances across the country, they have also been one of the driving forces behind exposing the national puppy laundering scheme that is currently happening in numerous states. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627050672276-K7FI6MUN6XQQDOT3EGCZ/JC.jpg Speakers 2021 - Jamie Case Jamie Case is the Maddie's® HASS Project Manager overseeing the organization and management of the Human Animal Support Services Project. Prior to joining the HASS team in January 2021, Jamie was the Executive Director of Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) for over a decade. GPG’s work is concentrated in the East St. Louis, Illinois community, where almost half of the residents live at or below the poverty line. Jamie led a strong team of volunteers and staff to create community change through boots-on-the-ground outreach efforts. In 2014, she worked with city officials to eliminate breed-specific verbiage and update outdated inhumane verbiage in the city ordinance. Under Jamie's leadership, to solve for the lack of essential services and resources in the area, GPG purchased a former elementary school in March 2019 which has been renovated into the region’s largest pet resource center. This facility which includes the city’s first veterinary clinic opened in the summer of 2020 amid the pandemic that left many people needing low cost and subsidized services. Jamie also currently serves as a member of the St. Louis Petlovers Coalition’s leading Task Force that is dedicated to increasing lifesaving and family support in the entire St. Louis metro region. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054293938-UYZJUUSMBTNRAQRGETVG/KD.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Dr. Katie Darr Katie Darr is on a mission to help those who help animals. Trained as a veterinarian, she has a first-hand perspective of the effects of compassion fatigue, burnout, and lack of boundaries on individuals who have dedicated their lives to helping animals. She currently serves as a Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine at Mizzou, patiently walks students through sterilization procedures and teaches classes on well-being, work-life balance, compassion fatigue, and burnout. She is passionate about mental health and embracing that we are all more than just our profession. She an avid reader, amateur watercolorist, and dog enthusiast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103958269-481Z4V1RJ7GBDQRU7VJ4/SD.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Sharon Davis Sharon Krinsky Davis is a Regional Gift Officer responsible for overseeing a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects and soliciting for major gifts of $25,000 and above and principal gifts of $1 million and above in her 10 state assigned geographical area. She meets with donors, in person/and or virtually, up to 60 percent of the time. She is also instrumental in creating, implementing, and promoting the goals of Best Friends Animal Society, raising funds, creating strong and solid relationships with significant prospects and donors. Sharon also manages 5 regional gift advisors, to encourage growth of the major gifts program and increased fundraising within the department. Prior to joining Best Friends 5 years ago, she spent the previous 26 years in non-profit health and 10 years at Jewish Community Centers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054639330-W8G3U66G1M2DKB8AHJRK/KD.jpg Speakers 2021 - Kelly Duer As Foster Care Specialist for Maddie’s Fund, Kelly's focus is on helping shelters and rescue organizations increase pet walfare through the implementation of robust foster care programs. Her role includes creating and providing training for organizations and their foster coordinators, writing, assisting with research on foster care and consulting with shelters. Her work with foster care and marketing has been featured in many national publications, websites and networks, including Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, Catster Magazine, iheartdogs.com and HuffPost Live. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627826896385-2BMSHX1EE87XNZ7CMRUH/tfisher-headshot-2dfoa.jpeg Speakers 2021 - T' Fisher T’ founded the CAIT (Companion Animal Initiative of Tennessee) program at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 and served as the Director for thirteen years. She was a facilitator of a community team that created a humane education curriculum for K-12 grade, Learning to Save Lives. She created multiple courses for veterinary students in outreach and an independent study course in Uganda, Africa partnering with the Big Fix Uganda. She led the efforts to establish a core spay/neuter course for all fourth-year UTCVM veterinary students and secured a mobile spay/neuter unit for students to travel to animal shelters in East Tennessee to provide services to those shelter animals. She led the production of the Animal Laws of TN Book; and she created VPHO (Vets for Pets of homeless Owners), an outreach program to assist homeless citizens and their pets in Knox County and served as a team leader for the Knox County Disaster Animal Response Team. T’ developed Feral Fixin, a TNR program for ferals cats in East TN. She also helped establish the Animal Haven Knox County program to assist victims of domestic violence with their pets. Recently, T’ served as Vice President of Animal Welfare at the Houston SPCA, serving over 40,000 animals a year. In this role, she oversaw cruelty investigations, a 24-hour animal rescue service, the call center, owner surrenders, transports/ transfers, the foster program, on and off-site adoptions, veterinary services and volunteer collaborations. T’ also helped coordinate the Shelter Medicine rotation, a core requirement at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, training over 150 veterinary students each year. T’ is a recipient of various awards including the National Hill’s Animal Welfare & Humane Ethics Award in recognition for advancing animal welfare through extraordinary service and furthering humane principles, education and understanding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103614428-5BARAOYOCGGOHSJNA8ZX/JG.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Jessica Gercke Jessica spent over 14 years creating and refining media/publicity campaigns for a wide variety of professional industries. Through it all, her heart and soul belonged to animals. It has been a true joy for her to put her knowledge of marketing and publicity to work for our furry friends in need of forever homes. She currently serves as the Communications Director at Helen Woodward Animal Center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103798349-2FI9GM93PB6L7Y9FV7MZ/J.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Jacqueline Kelleher Jacqueline has over 7 years of experience in utilizing innovative digital marketing solutions, managing content creation, and analyzing data to produce creative campaigns for a variety of private and nonprofit organizations. Her cross-cultural experiences have enabled her to develop a greater understanding of diverse business cultures and have helped her evolve within the diverse context of marketing. She currently serves as the Social Media & Technology Manager at Helen Woodward Animal Center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627826465086-EOAQD3CXU37WUUNR62PN/img_8795-7qrlz.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Dr. Heather Kennedy Dr. Kennedy is the Director of Feline Operations at KC Pet Project and recently accepted the position of Chief of Veterinary Medicine as well. In her role as the Director of Feline Operations, she oversees all aspects of feline operations including intake, intake diversion, care, adoptions, pathway planning, and feline fostering. As the Chief of Veterinary Medicine, she oversees an excellent team of dedicated veterinarians and technicians as they care for over 11,000 animals per year. Dr. Kennedy found her calling helping cats as an cat trapper, colony caregiver, and foster caregiver before attending U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where her singular commitment to cats earned her numerous scholarships, as well as the AAFP Outstanding Scholar Award. After graduating, she spent four years in feline-only private practice before deciding to dedicate herself to improving the welfare of shelter cats by working first at FieldHaven Feline Center in Lincoln, California, and now at KC Pet Project. Dr. Kennedy’s is recognized as an expert on the humane care of feral cats and is currently sits on the AAFP Committee on free-roaming cats and speaks at national conferences on the work that she is doing in sheltering. She was mentored by Dr. Niels Pedersen, a nationally-recognized expert on Feline Infectious Peritonitis, and she often provides consults to other veterinarians on the diagnosis of the disease. She managed the Alley Cat Allies emergent shelter after Hurricane Katrina and was instrumental in helping Santa Barbara County become no-kill through TNR (Trap Neuter Return) and RTF (Return To Field). She started and managed a feral cat clinic in Yolo County where she mentored veterinary and pre-vet students on TNR and the humane care of feral cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054515472-GYTN6IC7LHCYL27ZPMLS/GK.jpg Speakers 2021 - Gina Knepp Gina Knepp is the National Shelter Engagement Director for the Michelson Found Animals Foundation and a leading expert in keeping people and their furry families together. Her primary focus is increasing the return to home rate by engaging animal sheltering organizations in finding innovative ways of locating missing pet people and more importantly, helping people not lose their pets. Gina’s background includes managing the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento, California. Her experience leading a municipal, open intake, high volume shelter adds to her passion for helping lost animals get back home where they belong. Gina is currently on the Board of Directors of the California Animal Welfare Association and on the Executive Committee of Human Animal Support Services (HASS) with American Pets Alive, launching national animal shelter reform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626103398525-ZLPWQCS2S367I0PGXDXF/RR.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Renee Resko Renee has worked in the development field for 20 years and has a breadth of knowledge that includes direct mail, grant writing, cultivating donors, securing major gifts, planning and executing a capital campaign, and managing a planned giving program. She currently serves as the Vice President of Development at Helen Woodward Animal Center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104260819-BEVP4FDZQH8ASYGR1VWS/LS.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Liz Stamper Liz Stamper is the Midwest Regional Strategist with Best Friends Animal Society. Through this position, Liz works with organizations one-on-one assisting various requests, trainings, and needs. Before joining the Best Friends family, Liz was the Medical Manager at the Almost Home Humane Society in Lafayette, Indiana. Throughout her tenure at Almost Home, Liz revamped their foster program, as well as neonate operations, increasing the neonate save rate to just below 90%. Liz also assisted in increasing the health and well-being for the adult populations at the facility through implementing and creating a detailed medical program. Currently, she is working on obtaining her vet tech degree and is Fear Free Certified. Liz resides in Indiana with her husband, daughter, 4 cats, and an ever-revolving door of foster kittens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054461724-FGCH82D6N6R79RMXZSSW/VT.jpg Speakers 2021 - Dr. Valarie Tynes Dr. Valarie Tynes is a native Texan and received her DVM from Texas A&M University. She worked in private practice for 14 years before returning to academia to pursue a residency in clinical animal behavior at the University of California at Davis in 2000. She has been a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists since 2003 and is also Board Certified in Animal Welfare. She is a frequent speaker at veterinary meetings around the world and author of numerous articles and textbook chapters. She joined Ceva Animal Health in October of 2014 as a veterinary services specialist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104104853-NFW5VMYYH2A9UWNHXGFI/LV.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Ledy VanKavage Ledy VanKavage is the Senior Legislative Attorney for Best Friends Animal Society located in Kanab, Utah and a member of the Illinois State Bar Associations animal law section. Before coming to Best Friends Ledy was the Senior Director of Legislation and Legal Training for the ASPCA. She has helped spearhead the passage of over 50 humane state bills during her lobbying tenure and is also a past Chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee. Ledy is the recipient of the ABA’s Excellence in Animal Law award for 2014 and the 2018 Wallace Award from the Wallace the Pitbull Foundation. She is a co-author of the USDOJ publication, “The Problem of Dog Related Incidents and Encounters” and is an instructor for the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. She has been interviewed on MSNBC, NPR, the Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine and the New York Times. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104455061-6DK8SWJ187FDT7M9E138/AW.jpeg Speakers 2021 - Anna Walton Anna Walton is the municipal and shelter support coordinator for Best Friends Animal Society, providing logistics support for strategic shelter partnerships and programs across the country. Through Best Friends’ digital learning efforts, Anna creates educational content for a full range of interactive online trainings and tools to support field services professionals. Before stepping into her current role on the shelter outreach team, Anna worked as the community cat program coordinator for the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Atlanta, Georgia. As part of that work, she mentored municipal shelters and rescue partners in the Southeast, worked with commissioners and government leadership to establish best practices for local animal control agencies, and led grassroots efforts to update county ordinances to ensure the continuation of trap-neuter-return programs for Cobb County's community cats. Prior to joining Best Friends, Anna served as an animal control officer and dispatcher for Fulton County Animal Services through LifeLine Animal Project in Atlanta. While she was an ACO, Anna managed Fulton County’s Doghouse Program, providing humane support for pets and proactive assistance to community members in underserved areas. Before diving into the animal protection and sheltering world, Anna worked as a wildlife care supervisor for Aware Wildlife Center, where she oversaw the rehabilitation of wild animals, trained and managed volunteers in animal care, and developed fundraising and community engagement programs. While completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Emory University, Anna traveled to northern Tanzania through the School for International Training to study human-wildlife conflict, animal behavior and the wildlife conservation movement. She also managed to pick up a bit of Swahili. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1630176342903-YYFBH793URAT8OWD4HX9/Bellalu+Photography-285.jpg Speakers 2021 - Renee Wolfgramm Renee Wolfgramm is a Director of Client Services for Pethealth Inc. After completing a degree in Zoology and working at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Renee fell in love with animal welfare industry in 2007 at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV). Renee held a variety of leadership positions at HSHV and later at Dane County Humane Society. Renee now applies her customer service background and passion for data and technology to help shelters perform at peak efficiency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Speakers 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Speakers 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2021 - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/travel daily 0.75 2025-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Travel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Travel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Travel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586212962072-CLPJF6QQMUN3FX8AK9GI/image-asset.jpeg Travel - “The Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference was a transformational experience that will help connect animal welfare professionals from across the region. The connections and collaboration built will be a game-changer.” — MASC Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/ourpeople daily 0.75 2026-02-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589300385435-Y2SZSNOW429MT4J9NYMW/thumbnail_image.png Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589302372616-C4C9GEAFPLU3F0J5R2RF/KB-2.jpg Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1588974294215-JU5BNUDK7RR2VU8L4XMR/Photo+1.2.jpg Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589303552110-N1BGRCU0NVYU27KDGG5X/BOB54077-%252528ZF-1380-84172-1-005%252529.jpg Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589301559283-BR989L9JI8WKMRHWNJXI/thumbnail_20200512_004406.jpg Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/9e5c554c-ffdf-4d68-abeb-b0a2cc8cca47/IMG_1857.jpg Our People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589477942018-DBPNBPU49UY29TRFGZYY/thumbnail_Katie%2BWillis.jpg Our People https://www.missourianimals.org/ourphilosophies daily 0.75 2020-05-05 https://www.missourianimals.org/partners2024 daily 0.75 2024-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1625074800262-Y0XQFAJ4KTNCNN4EER8V/bf.png Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/8e31d21e-7fff-4053-8a00-2acd0b3cdbd1/VCA_Animal_Hospitals_Logo.jpeg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg Partners - “The sessions were interesting, enlightening, and informative. Everything was so professionally planned and executed. 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“We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MAWC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/schedule2022 daily 0.75 2023-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Schedule 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Schedule 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198086484-XSXLHPM5J18PHV2UYV3J/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2022 - “What a great conference for shelter and rescue professionals in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. We've been in need of an educational opportunity like this for a while - full of practical information and inspiration. Thank you so much for hosting this. Hope to see you next year!” — MASC 2019 Conference Speaker https://www.missourianimals.org/membership daily 0.75 2022-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586708843851-IY8CRVBAQ95G0C23KMWF/image-asset.jpeg Membership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586708740660-Y3LCWK2YNGU13JICKLA4/image-asset.jpeg Membership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586709219841-HCR1P7AZSFXVNHAV9F6Q/image-asset.jpeg Membership https://www.missourianimals.org/speakers2022 daily 0.75 2023-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/6c4bdf95-670d-42f1-bd83-4e7ae8ef8a0c/bio-pic-aa2hk.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Richard Angelo, Jr. Richard Angelo, Jr. is a Legislative Attorney for Best Friends Animal Society. His focus is on Best Friends’ work promoting legislation that will humanely and directly reduce the killing of cats and dogs in shelters across the country. He was previously a sole practitioner with an office in Davison, Michigan, focusing on companion animal-related matters and litigation, including defending dangerous dog matters, consulting on alternatives to breed-specific legislation, ownership disputes of companion animals, zoning and ordinance violations regarding companion animals. Richard has spoken extensively on community cat-related legal issues, dangerous dog laws, and animal control related matters at numerous national, regional, and local events across the country. He has been a member of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan since 2001, and served as a council member of that Section from 2009-2019. He is also a member of the National Animal Care and Control Association. Richard resides in Goodrich, Michigan with his wife, three dogs, and three cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054880653-MCLIWDI33V62TI1SMHBH/S.Aguilar.2021.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Sarah Aguilar Sarah Aguilar recently joined Austin Pets Alive! as the Senior Director of Operations. Her animal welfare history includes roles with Greater Good Charities where the #StayHomeAndFoster movement generated nearly 100,000 foster applicants across the nation; with Pima Animal Care in Tucson, AZ where she developed processes and systems that catapulted the open admission municipal shelter to a 92% live release rate; and in Ventura, CA, where she managed their first formal foster program, placing nearly 3000 animals into foster homes annually, and tripling the number of cats adopted through partner pet stores and offsite events. Her experience as the Training General Manager for a national restaurant chain, combined with degrees in business management and accounting, has enabled Sarah to bring a unique customer service and systemic, data-driven approach, to lifesaving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/98d44a04-adec-4c47-a7fd-681aa4d3cc5d/010101.png Speakers 2022 - Dr. Chumkee Aziz Dr. Chumkee Aziz obtained her DVM degree at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012, completed an internship with the ASPCA in NYC in 2013, and a shelter medicine residency at the University of California, Davis in 2016. She currently works for UC-Davis with the Koret Shelter Medicine Program as an outreach veterinarian. She is board certified in Shelter Medicine Practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). She joined the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ (ASV) Board in 2017 and currently serves as its Immediate Past President. Dr. Aziz also serves on the Texas VMA’s shelter medicine committee, ABVP’s shelter medicine specialty college, and the authorship task forces for the updating of AAHA’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines and ASV’s Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelter. Her interests include increasing access to veterinary care for all pet owners and supporting shelters in helping their communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104346209-IRX5E98NK80EA97U0LZN/AB.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Dr. Amie Burling Dr. Amie Burling is an Assistant Teaching Professor with the University of Missouri Shelter Medicine Program. She graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a residency in Shelter Medicine with the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida and a Master’s in Public Health degree from the University of South Florida. Her interests include veterinary education, infectious disease control, behavioral welfare, public health, and veterinary social work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1628699611947-L835WTCGWLRPQIXF2X96/MC.png Speakers 2022 - Mindi Callison Mindi Callison is the Founder and Executive Director of the National nonprofit organization, Bailing Out Benji which focuses on the grassroots effort to combat the puppy mill industry. Mindi founded Bailing Out Benji at 21 years old after falling victim to the puppy mill industry by way of a local pet store, who offered her a credit card with high interest. Upon learning about the pet store/puppy mill connection and learning about the predatory lending practices that these stores utilize to take advantage of low-income families, Mindi knew that she needed to act. Bailing Out Benji and its research have been instrumental in passing humane ordinances across the country, they have also been one of the driving forces behind exposing the national puppy laundering scheme that is currently happening in numerous states. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627050672276-K7FI6MUN6XQQDOT3EGCZ/JC.jpg Speakers 2022 - Jamie Case Jamie Case is the Maddie's® HASS Project Manager overseeing the organization and management of the Human Animal Support Services Project. Prior to joining the HASS team in January 2021, Jamie was the Executive Director of Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) for over a decade. GPG’s work is concentrated in the East St. Louis, Illinois community, where almost half of the residents live at or below the poverty line. Jamie led a strong team of volunteers and staff to create community change through boots-on-the-ground outreach efforts. In 2014, she worked with city officials to eliminate breed-specific verbiage and update outdated inhumane verbiage in the city ordinance. Under Jamie's leadership, to solve for the lack of essential services and resources in the area, GPG purchased a former elementary school in March 2019 which has been renovated into the region’s largest pet resource center. This facility which includes the city’s first veterinary clinic opened in the summer of 2020 amid the pandemic that left many people needing low cost and subsidized services. Jamie also currently serves as a member of the St. Louis Petlovers Coalition’s leading Task Force that is dedicated to increasing lifesaving and family support in the entire St. Louis metro region. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/73c405d3-85b1-49b6-b434-a7f2b1250dbd/011.jpg Speakers 2022 - Dr. Anna Delabar Dr. Anna Delabar is a Missouri native, originally from Saint Louis. She is a 2017 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine. She also attended Mizzou for her undergraduate studies, where she earned a BS in Animal Science and a BA in Biology, along with minors in Spanish and Sustainable Agriculture. After graduating from veterinary school, Anna decided to stay in Columbia, MO. She owned and operated a house call practice for several years before shifting her focus to veterinary behavior. Dr. Delabar is a resident in Veterinary Behavior through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in a private practice training program. She began her residency in late 2020 under the mentorship of Dr. Colleen Koch. Dr. Delabar is also currently continuing her education by earning a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Veterinary Science, through Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine Biomed Online program. She is proud and thrilled to have founded Pet Wellness Alliance, a non-profit veterinary clinic in Columbia, MO, which strives to integrate physical and emotional health for patients and with the mission of making veterinary care more equitable to all pets and families. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1f91121d-866d-4858-a9d5-3e6db0bec9b0/00001.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Carrie Ducote Carrie Ducote got hooked on animal welfare in 2007 when she began volunteering with a local rescue group in college. After graduation, she spent four years working at Atlanta Humane Society, eventually becoming the adoption manager. She then spent a year as the operations manager at Georgia SPCA before joining Best Friends in 2015. She began the Cobb County community cat program in 2016 and worked with the East regional team for 6 years partnering with shelters to save more animals and chairing the Georgia Animal Shelter Alliance. She now works nationally to pair mentor shelters with fellow shelters to support the implementation of contemporary practices to increase the number of dogs and cats saved. Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Georgia College and State University, a master’s degree in anthrozoology from Canisius College and institutional certificates from Southern Utah University in Animal Services Executive Leadership and Cat Lifesaving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/ae7c5dc4-ad3d-40ec-9cfb-953c89707a60/00000001.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Brittany Fleming Brittany Fleming created the Unicorn Foster Program at Gateway Pet Guardians in 2019. Under her direction the program successfully reduced the length of stay of their “unicorns” by 70%. Brittany has since moved on to running a private consulting company that specializes in helping animal rescue groups with their “unicorns”. Brittany has a strong passion in helping “unicorns,” in that seeing an animal’s progression from shy, scared or aggressive to confident, happy and social dogs means everything to her, and it’s why she loves to give every animal a chance no matter how they act on intake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/4a776939-057e-4634-a16f-58d3b9e19e66/SG.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Shannon Glenn Shannon started with My Pit Bull is Family in 2014 and quickly became an expert in housing policy and surrender prevention for the animal welfare community. She has an extensive professional background in grassroots campaigns, voter outreach, community building, fundraising, homeless advocacy and policy creation. A tireless advocate for adults experiencing homelessness, Shannon previously was the shelter supervisor for the only pet-friendly emergency homeless shelter in the state of Minnesota. The holder of a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership, she has centered her degree program around drafting policies to end housing and insurance discrimination for families with large dogs. She is a 2021 graduate of the Executive Leadership Certification program for animal welfare at Southern Utah University, in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. In 2019, she developed the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center program after volunteering at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control after realizing that her neighbors lacked access to quality pet food, supplies and resources, which led to increased owner surrenders. She lives in North Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her partner, Anthony, their three dogs (Charlotte, Fern and Wilbur) and cat (Max). You can usually find her spending her free time binge-watching true crime shows, starting books and not finishing them, dreaming about traveling and enjoying the outdoors with her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/a775cb3e-a760-4b96-bb89-d6847883abfd/12.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Emi Griess Emi has worked for HHHS for 10 years, has a degree in creative writing, and tries to use the power of story and the power of positivity as secret weapons to helping more animals and people. She has worked as an Adoption Counselor, Volunteer Coordinator, and now Communications Coordinator. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/fe445d53-96d0-4b7a-ac4d-d4307cf532fd/1234.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Pamela Hill A cat behaviorist with 20 years of experience, Pam has worked with the Michigan Humane Society, the Atlanta Humane Society, Broward County Humane Society, the Animal Protective Association and other animal shelters and veterinary clinics around the country. She has previously served as Chair of the Advisory Board to St Louis County Animal Care and Control and is currently the Vice President of IMPETUS, a coalition of animal welfare organizations. She has conducted many shelter staff and volunteer trainings and her educational lectures have previously been featured at the Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference, the Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference and the Southeast Animal Alliance. When she's not helping animal shelters improve their cat programs, or providing one-on-one counseling to frustrated cat owners, you can find her working on her website, thatcatgirl.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/ab811f72-55b2-43cd-a25a-e3fbe3793244/ah.png Speakers 2022 - April Huntsman April Huntsman, CAWA serves as the Director of Animal Welfare Insights for Adopt a Pet and Rehome by Adopt a Pet, the nation’s largest self-supported rehoming service. Her credits include implementing sustainable social enterprise models, developing at-risk animal population programs, and administering no-kill community partnerships. April has been in the animal welfare industry for over 20 years and has worked for both local and national animal welfare organizations including Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Salt Lake County Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Society, and Michelson Found Animals Foundation. April lives in Utah and is the proud pack mom of 3 senior dogs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/7771a176-e8fa-4c74-9578-838031bc5139/0001.png Speakers 2022 - Sarah Javier As a child, Sarah Javier often found herself caring for abandoned animals near her childhood home in Kansas. This inspired a life-long love for animals which later led her to the Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APA) where she has been President and CEO since 2016. A graduate of Kansas State University and University of Missouri-St. Louis, Sarah has over two decades of leadership in not-for-profit organizations including healthcare, social services, and now animal welfare. She draws on her experience and expertise to develop strategies and guide the entire APA team to success, which she defines as improved quality of life for animals throughout the St. Louis community and a safe, loving home for every adoptable pet. The APA helps more than 4,500 pets find homes each year and thousands more through outreach and wellness initiatives. Sarah is passionate about promoting a positive workplace culture that supports the wellbeing and growth of every employee. In 2021, the St. Louis Business Journal recognized Sarah with their Most Influential Business Women award. Sarah lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and two children. Her family also includes a menagerie of rescue pets including two cats, two dogs, and a leopard gecko. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/5c550ee7-d522-41d5-b6ef-bd6d4d18537d/00000000234r4.png Speakers 2022 - Dr. Heather Kennedy Dr. Kennedy was a shelter volunteer, cat trapper, community cat caregiver, and feline foster parent when her interest in Feline Infectious Peritonitis compelled her to go to vet school. While she was at U.C. Davis, she was mentored by FIP researcher Dr. Niels Pedersen and worked in his research lab researching the virus. After graduation, she spent 4 years in feline-only private practice before deciding to focus on the welfare of shelter cats. She is the Chief of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas City Pet Project where she continues to promote humane and progressive care for cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/391e8fde-b38e-46d6-a00f-c45f240e31d8/11.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Margaret Price Margaret Price has worked for HHHS for over 20 years with experience in dog training and behavior as well as managing animal care and intake employees and our foster and transfer to rescue programs. Before coming to work full time in animal welfare, she was a teacher. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/8c6c4fef-d72f-4399-8514-99cd3142eee8/12345.jpg Speakers 2022 - Shelby Reich Shelby Reich began at HHHS in October of 2021 and has been working hard to help rebuild and revamp our volunteer and foster programs since then, radiating positivity to both staff and volunteers she works with. 2. Shelby began at HHHS in October of 2021 and has jumped in with both feet, quickly absorbing information about animal welfare, dog and cat behavior and body language, and volunteer management, offering to help in almost every department of the building. Emi and Shelby are both huge fans of Ted Lasso and strive to apply his attitude to the challenges of animal welfare work on the daily. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/39626c25-add9-4c5a-ac4c-0a3be5d89f06/SR.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Stacy Rogers Stacy Rogers is the Midwest & Great Plains Regional Director for Best Friends Animal Society. She works with shelters, rescues and other animal related organizations in 13 states to help them improve lifesaving and reach No Kill 2025. Stacy lives in ruralIndiana with 3 cats, 3 dogs and 1 human. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/21afa9d5-3a16-4338-a8ca-71ccdc6283fe/01.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Amanda Roos Amanda Roos serves as the Placement Manager with the Belleville Area Humane Society (BAHS), a 63 year old organization in the heart of St. Clair County, Illinois. Originally from Burlington, Kentucky, Amanda moved to the St. Louis area to attend college. After graduating from Webster University in early 2020, Amanda decided to leave her desk job and focus her mission on life saving by serving the people and pets of Belleville. Since Amanda has been with BAHS, she has helped over 2,000 animals find their forever homes. Amanda currently lives in Belleville, IL with her husband and nine cat children. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/415796aa-2cf5-42d7-84e9-8ad3d28493d8/01111.jpeg Speakers 2022 - Tierney Sain Prior to joining Best Friends in 2013, Tierney spent nearly a decade working and volunteering with various animal shelters and had an affinity for what most would consider difficult dogs. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Tierney joined the Dogtown team at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She quickly became an instrumental member of the team due to her ability to work with, and progress, dogs who had significant behavior challenges. Over time she honed her skills and began to not only create customized behavior and enrichment plans for each individual dog, but also began coaching others, which led to her advancement on the team from caregiver to supervisor. As a supervisor in Dogtown, Tierney oversaw the team who took care of the sanctuary’s most challenging dog population. It was here where Tierney led the team through creative problem solving to enhance and diversify their ability to progress dogs with comprehensive behavior issues. Tierney created protocols for expediting progress with shy dogs, implemented playgroups and played a critical role in population management. On a personal level, Tierney also extended her expertise to help several local shelters with limited resources enhancing their shelter operations and improving the quality of life for their canine populations. As the National Mentorship Program Specialist, Tierney is now able to help more dogs and people by providing support and mentoring to shelters across the country for canine training, enrichment and behavior. Originally from Ohio, Tierney now calls Southeastern Utah her home and spends her free time helping progress project dogs at the sanctuary and hiking and exploring with her adopted dogs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/91169b5e-337b-4b69-a95d-231bd2d268a8/0000000012345.jpg Speakers 2022 - Kasey Spain Kasey Spain is the Marketing and Communications Assistant Director for American Pets Alive! and the Human Animal Support Services project. With a background as a creative director specializing in design and branding, Kasey has worked with brands such as Neiman Marcus, Lincoln Property Company, Chuy’s, Choctaw Casinos, TIGI Haircare and many more. Kasey previously served as the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Austin Animal Center, the city's municipal shelter. She received an Austin Addy Award and an Emmy nomination for her work on a lost pet awareness campaign produced for Austin Animal Center. As part of her contribution to the HASS project, Kasey leads the Marketing and Communications Working Group and Job-Alike peer group, and is passionate about helping HASS partner organization's marketing staff to transform their services and communities through effective communication. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1589302200057-7BD5NJ0N1V2GGPMCDTCI/Brent+Toellner+-+Brent+Toellner.jpg Speakers 2022 - Brent Toellner Brent Toellner is the Senior Director, Lifesaving Programs, for Best Friends Animal Society. In this role Brent oversees the programmatic work in the central region and the Best Friends Network Partner Program. In this role he works with the regional programs teams to create strategies to help and support shelters and Best Friends’ 3700 Network partners toward the goal of ending the killing of shelter pets by 2025. Brent joined Best Friends in 2016 as the Regional Director of the South Central and Great Plains Regions and was responsible for connecting, consulting and collaborating with animal shelters, advocates, spay/neuter groups and rescues across the 11 states in the two regions. Prior to joining Best Friends, Brent, his wife Michelle co-founded the Kansas City Pet Project (KCPP). In July 2011, they formed KCPP to bid on the contract to run the Kansas City, Missouri, pound — a place where, for decades, more animals died than were saved. After KCPP took over in January 2012, adoptions increased by more than 200% and helped elevate KCPP to a live release rate of more than 90% for seven consecutive years while remaining an open-admission shelter, making KC Pet Project one of the largest open-admission no kill shelters in the nation. In 2017, KCPP finished the year with a 96% Live Release Rate. Brent has a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a Masters in Marketing Communication from the University of Kansas. Brent lives in Kansas City with his wife Michelle and share their home with both dogs and cats. His outside interests include hiking, bicycling and photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/5bd993e1-39ba-4b50-9ec0-230be3264327/KW.jpg Speakers 2022 - Kenzie Whalen-Dunn Kenzie is the Founder and Director of Rescue Allies - an organization that provides training and resources for rescues and shelters. After years working at the top level of a dog rescue, Kenzie realized the need for greater internal organization across the industry. With her background in software engineering, Kenzie has a mind for data and structure so she created a place where rescues and shelters could learn to operate at their peak efficiency. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c0345aef-ba20-4b26-bd92-7d9f0f3ba2e0/01010.jpg Speakers 2022 - Beth Wolfer Beth regularly teaches the Executive Leadership Certificate participants at Best Friends Animal Society on the topic of improving speaking skills to save lives (these are most commonly animal shelter leaders). She also provides coaching and workshops to internal teams and individuals within Best Friends. Her positive coaching style and practical tips help people overcome their jitters and deliver awesome talks. Beth is, by day, a Planned Giving Officer at Best Friends Animal Society and has spent 25+ years as a professional fundraiser. Along the way, she discovered a passion and a knack for coaching public speaking. She loves helping people find and express their voice. She’s been a speaker coach for TEDxSaltLakeCity for several years. She teaches Public Speaking Confidence & Content at University of Utah and Giving Awesome Scientific Presentations (GASP) at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She has presented herself on various topics to professional groups and has also taken part numerous times as an engaging storyteller at The Bee, a lovingly competitive storytelling competition in her hometown. Her "side hustle" is a business called Give Your Best Talk, LLC, where she coaches individuals and offers public speaking workshops and an email course. Beth lives in Salt Lake City with her four boys – two dogs and two cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Speakers 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Speakers 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2022 - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/schedule2023 daily 0.75 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Schedule 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Schedule 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198086484-XSXLHPM5J18PHV2UYV3J/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2023 - “What a great conference for shelter and rescue professionals in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. We've been in need of an educational opportunity like this for a while - full of practical information and inspiration. Thank you so much for hosting this. Hope to see you next year!” — MASC Conference Speaker https://www.missourianimals.org/speakers2023 daily 0.75 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1627054880653-MCLIWDI33V62TI1SMHBH/S.Aguilar.2021.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Sarah Aguilar Sarah Aguilar recently joined Austin Pets Alive! as the Senior Director of Operations. Her animal welfare history includes roles with Greater Good Charities where the #StayHomeAndFoster movement generated nearly 100,000 foster applicants across the nation; with Pima Animal Care in Tucson, AZ where she developed processes and systems that catapulted the open admission municipal shelter to a 92% live release rate; and in Ventura, CA, where she managed their first formal foster program, placing nearly 3000 animals into foster homes annually, and tripling the number of cats adopted through partner pet stores and offsite events. Her experience as the Training General Manager for a national restaurant chain, combined with degrees in business management and accounting, has enabled Sarah to bring a unique customer service and systemic, data-driven approach, to lifesaving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/f322c984-d576-4735-825c-45e5889addcb/lee.jpg Speakers 2023 - Lee Allen Lee Allen's journey into animal welfare began in a rural area, where his focus was adapting national programs for underserved rural communities as the programs manager at Good Shepherd Humane Society in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He is dedicated to understanding the connection between pets and people and providing compassionate care to both. Lee's experience includes his time in the military and retail and inventory management. He currently serves as the clinic coordinator for the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/0b892fba-4e95-4c75-a81b-424a4615df36/elena.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Elena Battles Elena Battles, Director of Customer Experience, Shelterluv Elena was inspired to join animal welfare in 1999 by a very special dog, Trini the wonderbeagle. Elena joined Shelterluv in 2018, a software company helping teams deliver better adoption experiences and capture more donations. In between, she received an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business and held various shelter leadership roles in Florida, Texas, and California, including serving as Chief Operating Officer at Humane Society Silicon Valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/0bb96353-106f-410d-8853-84db075b69d4/KB-2.jpg Speakers 2023 - Kim Brown Kim Brown is the Chief Operations Officer at the APA in St. Louis and has been in animal welfare for 20 years. She has a MA in Non-Profit Administration and served eight years as a combat medic in the US Army Reserves. Kim is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) and is committed to best practices in animal welfare to serve the animals and people who love them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1626104346209-IRX5E98NK80EA97U0LZN/AB.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Dr. Amie Burling Dr. Amie Burling is an Associate Teaching Professor with the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Following a small animal medicine and surgery internship in the Chicago suburbs, she worked in general practice in Michigan and later helped to establish the first Humane Alliance model, high-quality high-volume spay/neuter clinic in Missouri prior to beginning residency training. She then completed a residency in shelter medicine with Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida and obtained a Master’s in Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of South Florida. Her interests include veterinary education, optimizing shelter animal welfare, veterinary social work, and public health. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1628699611947-L835WTCGWLRPQIXF2X96/MC.png Speakers 2023 - Mindi Callison Mindi Callison is the Founder and Executive Director of the National nonprofit organization, Bailing Out Benji which focuses on the grassroots effort to combat the puppy mill industry. Mindi founded Bailing Out Benji at 21 years old after falling victim to the puppy mill industry by way of a local pet store, who offered her a credit card with high interest. Upon learning about the pet store/puppy mill connection and learning about the predatory lending practices that these stores utilize to take advantage of low-income families, Mindi knew that she needed to act. Bailing Out Benji and its research have been instrumental in passing humane ordinances across the country, they have also been one of the driving forces behind exposing the national puppy laundering scheme that is currently happening in numerous states. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/d19a1ff5-b3d6-444e-9c53-046acf732e21/v.jpg Speakers 2023 - Vanessa Cowie Vanessa Cowie has long been recognized as a data-driven leader, focused on strategic programming in the animal welfare industry. Vanessa has consistently used analytics to achieve success in shelter operations, and facility remodels, but also in fundraising and grant writing. Originally from Melbourne Australia, Vanessa has worked in animal welfare in Kansas for 12 years, with over half of that time spent as an Executive Director of two medium-sized animal shelters. Vanessa is motivated to grow the mission of an organization to serve as many animals as possible with the resources that are available and do so with a high live release rate. In a world that has an overwhelming number of unwanted animals, and a very limited amount of resources it is critical that we are turning the dials that will generate the most impact for the animals and the people that love them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/73c405d3-85b1-49b6-b434-a7f2b1250dbd/011.jpg Speakers 2023 - Dr. Anna Delabar Dr. Delabar is a graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2017. She was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. Early experiences with her family pets – cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and hamsters – taught her about the power of the human animal bond. She is a Missouri Tiger through and through! She earned a BS in Animal Science and a BA in Biology, along with minors in Spanish and Sustainable Agriculture at Mizzou. Dr. Delabar first discovered her passion for animal welfare when learning about low stress livestock handling as an undergraduate student. She was accepted into Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. While in veterinary school, she learned about Fear Free veterinary care and behavior. Adopting a dog with behavior problems sparked her interest in the field of Veterinary Behavior. After graduation, Dr. Delabar started a mobile, small animal veterinary practice, serving the mid-Missouri area. She began a private practice residency through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in late 2020. In addition to her residency, she is continuing her education by earning a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Veterinary Science, through Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine Biomed Online program. She is also a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional. Dr. Delabar is a co-founder of Pet Wellness Alliance in Columbia, mid-Missouri’s first and only non-profit veterinary practice. Here she practices Fear Free medicine and sees patients for referral behavior care. She hopes to increase access to behavioral support for pets, families, and veterinary and training professionals, and to continue promoting the integration of physical and emotional health of our pets. Dr. Delabar leads a Missouri chapter of the Street Dog Coalition, providing veterinary care for pets of unhoused families. She is also a MO state representative with the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/4a776939-057e-4634-a16f-58d3b9e19e66/SG.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Shannon Glenn Shannon started with My Pit Bull is Family in 2014 and quickly became an expert in housing policy and surrender prevention for the animal welfare community. She has an extensive professional background in grassroots campaigns, voter outreach, community building, fundraising, homeless advocacy and policy creation. A tireless advocate for adults experiencing homelessness, Shannon previously was the shelter supervisor for the only pet-friendly emergency homeless shelter in the state of Minnesota. The holder of a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership, she has centered her degree program around drafting policies to end housing and insurance discrimination for families with large dogs. She is a 2021 graduate of the Executive Leadership Certification program for animal welfare at Southern Utah University, in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. In 2019, she developed the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center program after volunteering at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control after realizing that her neighbors lacked access to quality pet food, supplies and resources, which led to increased owner surrenders. She lives in North Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her partner, Anthony, their three dogs (Charlotte, Fern and Wilbur) and cat (Max). You can usually find her spending her free time binge-watching true crime shows, starting books and not finishing them, dreaming about traveling and enjoying the outdoors with her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/4cc03f2c-c3a4-498c-ab58-cd20ffe5e1d3/hilary.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Hilary Hager Hilary Anne Hager is the Vice President of Outreach, Engagement and Training for the Humane Society of the United States. She has twenty-plus years in the animal protection field, including working at two different animal shelters, volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation, and as a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including a chimpanzee sanctuary, a “friends-of” nonprofit group supporting a municipal shelter, and a state federation of animal welfare organizations. She teaches compassion fatigue workshops around the country to help provide members of the animal protection community the support and resources to maintain their own well-being while working in a challenging and emotionally-charged environment. Hilary holds a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/63017f8b-4adf-43ba-8bcd-3ea955646f2f/linds.jpg Speakers 2023 - Lindsay Hamrick As the Director of Shelter Outreach & Engagement, Lindsay Hamrick works to strengthen partnerships with shelter and rescue organizations through mentorship, training, policy initiatives and grants. She is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Within the HSUS, she previously served as the director of policy—advancing fair housing policies, supporting humane community cat programs and ending breed-specific legislation—and as the New Hampshire state director. Before joining the HSUS, she spent almost a decade in animal sheltering, overseeing behavioral, medical, adoption and owner support programs. She serves on the board of Shelter Animals Count and the New England Federation of Humane Societies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/2748a2e9-3bb7-4842-817a-6476ab70453b/april.jpeg Speakers 2023 - April Huntsman April Huntsman, CAWA, serves as Senior Director of Animal Welfare at Adopt a Pet and Rehome by Adopt a Pet, the nation’s largest self-supported rehoming service. Her credits include implementing sustainable social enterprise models, developing at-risk animal population programs, administering life-saving community partnerships, and gathering important data insights and research surrounding adoption trends and online searches. She is currently developing how shelters can best utilize AI to maximize their animal well-being initiatives. April has been in the animal welfare industry for over 20 years and has worked for both local and national animal welfare organizations including Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Salt Lake County Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Society, and Michelson Found Animals Foundation. April lives in Utah with her husband John, and is the proud pack mom of two senior dogs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/76678d43-5f17-4210-98ff-b213d03bfa33/alisonfotschkleiborwiscohumansociety-003-nmeqs.jpg Speakers 2023 - Alison Fotsch Kleibor Alison Fotsch Kleibor is the President & CEO of the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) and has been with the organization since 2007. Prior to stepping into the CEO role, Alison held the position of Executive Vice President, supporting the people & culture, communications, development, and shelter operations functions of the organization. She has served also as the Vice President of Animal Sheltering, Racine Campus Director, Client Services Manager, and Senior Adoption Counselor. She is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA), a member of the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA), and a board member of Shelter Animals Count (SAC). Alison has a MS from Alverno College, a BS from Marquette University, and a graduate certificate in shelter medicine from the University of Florida. In addition to obtaining a master’s degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida, Alison has attended animal cruelty investigation training as well as animal control and humane officer trainings. Alison is driven by a desire for continuous learning, and a passion for growing and developing skilled leaders. She leads with a people-centered philosophy that acknowledges we can have the greatest impact for animals by believing in and partnering with the people who love them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/5b2ec865-cb1c-46ac-ae29-e8e6ad974df6/rob.jpg Speakers 2023 - Robert LaRoy Rob LaRoy wandered into animal welfare in October 2018 when he became Executive Director of the Humane Society of Elkhart County. He has more than 30-years’ experience in nonprofit management with both Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA. Under his leadership the revenues of HSEC have increased from $800,000 to $2.5 million in under five years, while building an endowment of $2.6 million. Rob his time with BBBS with knowing how to “meet people where they are”. People come to us with difficulties in their lives that require a little extra patience. It is our job to show compassionate care to individuals as well as the animals the organization serves. He has held numerous leadership positions on a statewide basis with both BBBS and during his 14 years with the YMCA including president of the State Association of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Michigan and chairman of the state association of YMCAs in Tennessee. He currently serves as the secretary of the Indiana Coalition of Animal Welfare Professionals. He has received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Adrian College and his Masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Grace College. He is married and has five children, ages 26, 19, 18, and 16 year-old twins. He and his wife, Tracy, are also the proud “hoomans” to three dogs, a 4-year old golden doodle named Bo Shembarkler, a 2-year old German Shepherd named Riley, and currently are a hospice foster for a 100 year old mini-yorkie mix with cancer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/935783e4-1392-4415-b3c1-f82d047c8020/s.jpg Speakers 2023 - Sydney Mollentine Sydney is a dedicated animal welfare expert with over 21 years of invaluable experience in the field, specializing in animal sheltering, animal behavior and animal medicine. With her extensive background, she has honed her skills in implementing groundbreaking programs aimed at reducing the length of stay for animals, enhancing the quality of care within the shelter environment, and breaking down barriers to adoption through open communication strategies. Sydney's unwavering compassion for animals fuels her commitment to improving the lives of both animals and people within her community. She firmly believes that each organization is a unique micro ecosystem, but she advocates for positive change by encouraging teams to engage in crucial conversations about their mission regularly and discussing how they can collectively better the lives of both the pets and the people they serve in the city on a daily basis. Under her leadership, The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City has exemplified how teamwork, dedication, and a shared vision can bring about positive transformations in the lives of animals and the community they serve. From the average length of stay being around 250 days it is now under 15 days for dogs and 17 for cats. Change and improvements are possible with slight shifts in perspectives! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/9476fdf6-53c3-4421-ab76-d6b476b74621/image001.jpg Speakers 2023 - Dr. Elizabeth Roberts Elizabeth Roberts completed her DVM at the University of California, Davis in 2005, and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2006. She worked in a variety of animal shelters in California and as a public health veterinarian at the county and state level, including a fellowship with the California Epidemiologic Investigation Service with the CA Department of Public Health's Veterinary Public Health Section. Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin, she participated in the UW/UCD Shelter Medicine Fellowship focusing on capacity for care and interorganizational cooperation. She joined the UW team in 2019 as a shelter medicine resident, completed her residency in 2023 and now works as an Outreach Veterinarian with UW’s Shelter Medicine Program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/21afa9d5-3a16-4338-a8ca-71ccdc6283fe/01.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Amanda Roos Amanda Roos serves as the Placement Manager with the Belleville Area Humane Society (BAHS), a 63 year old organization in the heart of St. Clair County, Illinois. Originally from Burlington, Kentucky, Amanda moved to the St. Louis area to attend college. After graduating from Webster University in early 2020, Amanda decided to leave her desk job and focus her mission on life saving by serving the people and pets of Belleville. Since Amanda has been with BAHS, she has helped over 2,000 animals find their forever homes. Amanda currently lives in Belleville, IL with her husband and nine cat children. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/366c4949-38f7-402b-a0ee-c66ebd3325a0/jason-smih-7c6og.jpeg Speakers 2023 - Jason Smith Jason Smith MBA, CAWA, has served as the Director of Operations for one of the largest shelters in the United States, handling more than 50,000 animals annually, Executive Director for a regional humane society and various other capacities in animal welfare. With over 22 years of industry experience, Jason currently consults with up to 200 shelters each year through his position with 24Pet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c100774f-4b4b-4ca2-a48e-a0e6c129689b/cole.png Speakers 2023 - Cole Wakefield Cole Wakefield is the executive director of The Good Shepherd Humane Society in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He works with several national organizations on rural issues and consults with other animal welfare agencies on management practice and program implementation. He earned his Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University and is pursuing a doctorate in strategy and innovation. Cole is proud to serve on the DEI Council for AAWA and is a member of Charity Navigator's Consultive Council of Nonprofit Leaders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/e43effb6-81ba-473c-bb72-10bdbc5eac21/SW.jpg Speakers 2023 - Dr. Sandra Kay Walker Dr. Sandra Kay Walker is a 2014 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She is also a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator. She is currently an ASPCA Practitioner Pathway Mentee preparing for ABVP board specialization in Shelter Medicine Practice. She has practiced shelter and community medicine in the Kansas City metropolitan area since graduation and has served as the Shelter Veterinarian at Independence Animal Services since 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/b3739181-d416-49c1-922d-ad70f9f05ac7/t.jpg Speakers 2023 - Tim Yeaglin Tim's decade-long journey into animal welfare began by volunteering his master photographer skills to take pictures of the adoptable cats and dogs at various Kansas City area animal shelters. His love for shelters and their work led him to take a marketing position at a local shelter. He became the director of operations at a fledgling shelter and helped restructure it one department at a time. Tim is particularly good at teaching shelter dogs household manners for their adoptive homes. He is passionate about reducing the fear, anxiety, and stress of all animals and loves to strengthen the human-animal bond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Speakers 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Speakers 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2023 - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/scholarships2023 daily 0.75 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Scholarships 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Scholarships 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Scholarships 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg Scholarships 2023 - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/aboutmasc2024 daily 0.75 2024-09-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg About - “Lots of great info learned here! I can't wait to share new knowledge with coworkers and start helping animals more than we thought possible!” — MASC 2022 Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/awards daily 0.75 2025-12-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg Awards - “Lots of great info learned here! I can't wait to share new knowledge with coworkers and start helping animals more than we thought possible!” — MAWC 2022 Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/speakers2024 daily 0.75 2024-09-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c1bcb752-9a71-4e35-87a8-4c2a6391e81a/S.Aguilar.2021.jpg Speakers 2024 - Sarah Aguilar Sarah Aguilar recently joined Austin Pets Alive! as the Senior Director of Operations. Her animal welfare history includes roles with Greater Good Charities where the #StayHomeAndFoster movement generated nearly 100,000 foster applicants across the nation; with Pima Animal Care in Tucson, AZ where she developed processes and systems that catapulted the open admission municipal shelter to a 92% live release rate; and in Ventura, CA, where she managed their first formal foster program, placing nearly 3000 animals into foster homes annually, and tripling the number of cats adopted through partner pet stores and offsite events. Her experience as the Training General Manager for a national restaurant chain, combined with degrees in business management and accounting, has enabled Sarah to bring a unique customer service and systemic, data-driven approach, to lifesaving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/ec76b4be-9f1c-43a5-8e1a-77a3977c5ed1/linked-in-mhzki.jpg Speakers 2024 - Heather Duncan Heather is the Sales Team Manager at Shelterluv. Heather has worked at tech companies for seven years and volunteered at animal shelters in her spare time. She’s guided hundreds of rescues and shelters across the country through their software evaluations, helping them to determine how to best manage their daily operations and community programs in a new system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/f0eddaea-f2ee-421c-90dd-4f7b75d4e2e6/13342922_10103010022971801_4668546133049789438_n-aek3g.jpeg Speakers 2024 - Carlee Fiddes Carlee Fiddes has grown up in animal shelters, she started volunteering as a young kid and was always drawn to animals. It took a bit longer for her career path to catch up to her heart, but after receiving a Bachelors of Animal Science and Industry from Kansas State, she started moving her career field back towards small animals with an Associates degree in Veterinary Technology from Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. After working as a licensed veterinary technician in private veterinary practice for 7 years, (and volunteering at local shelters and fostering hundreds of animals) Carlee admitted her calling and applied to a new Animal Shelter Management Master's Program at Colorado State University and she hasn't looked back. With the education she received through the Master's Program and the medical experience she had working in veterinary medicine. Carlee seen both sides of the Private Practice vs. shelter/rescue world and is ready to offer perspectives that can improve relationships particularly for smaller organizations without the ability to employ an in house veterinarian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/f001c4c3-0847-40df-9a85-817f354d3569/jill-henke-profile-pic-uygdq.jpg Speakers 2024 - Jill Henke Jill Henke has been working and volunteering in animal welfare since 2006, fostering over 500 dogs (mostly bully breeds) and cats. Jill quit her corporate sales career in 2017 and began her career at Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) in 2017. Jill currently serves as the director of operations at GPG, which is the largest pet resource center in the St. Louis region. Jill oversees all animal care; fostering, adoptions, and intake; and diversion and community programming. Jill is passionate about implementing progressive programming with a focus on reducing unnecessary euthanasia and increasing programming aimed at keeping pets with their people. On a personal note, Jill is passionate about social justice issues, cheesy reality dating shows, and anything related to brunching. Jill has three dogs of her own, Gus, Bessie, and Howie, as well as two cats, Jada and Lincoln. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c26d8ece-cec8-4583-ba5d-3be8c20a8069/Screen+Shot+2024-07-18+at+9.00.35+PM.png Speakers 2024 - Jakie Hernandez Jakie Hernandez served as a manager of operations for the Best Friends national shelter embed program prior to her new adventure with Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, NE. Hailing from the small South Texas border town of Laredo, Jakie's upbringing was steeped in the culture of animal rescue, with a household that routinely took in street dogs in need. This early exposure instilled in Jakie a profound sense of responsibility toward animal welfare. With a career spanning over 18 years in animal shelters across Texas and Canada, Jakie's professional journey has been marked by a steadfast commitment to saving lives. A turning point occurred over a decade ago while working at one of South Texas' shelters with a low save rate, where Jakie encountered Best Friends and its goal to achieve a no-kill nation. This encounter sparked a deep-seated determination to contribute to this transformative cause. Jakie's passion for shelter medicine and community engagement propels her work forward. As a native Spanish speaker, she is dedicated to empowering and educating her community on the significance of animal welfare and preserving the bond between families and their pets. Outside of her professional endeavors, Jakie treasures moments spent with her two children and beloved pets, and she embraces new adventures with enthusiasm and openness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/2748a2e9-3bb7-4842-817a-6476ab70453b/april.jpeg Speakers 2024 - April Huntsman April Huntsman, CAWA, serves as Senior Director of Animal Welfare at Adopt a Pet and Rehome by Adopt a Pet, the nation’s largest self-supported rehoming service. Her credits include implementing sustainable social enterprise models, developing at-risk animal population programs, administering life-saving community partnerships, and gathering important data insights and research surrounding adoption trends and online searches. She is currently developing how shelters can best utilize AI to maximize their animal well-being initiatives. April has been in the animal welfare industry for over 20 years and has worked for both local and national animal welfare organizations including Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Salt Lake County Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Society, and Michelson Found Animals Foundation. April lives in Utah with her husband John, and is the proud pack mom of two senior dogs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/928f6c00-114c-4245-8140-7d4f0a082d1d/IMG_2022.jpg Speakers 2024 - Jo Jarred, DVM Dr. Jo Jarred graduated in 2017 from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a focus in Zoological Medicine. After working in private practice for three years with a large exotic animal case load, Dr. Jarred transitioned to shelter medicine but maintained her interest in non-traditional species and continues to advocate for and educate others on their welfare in a shelter setting. Dr. Jarred completed her Masters in Shelter Medicine through the University of Florida in 2023, and is now an adjunct professor in the UF Shelter Medicine Program designing and teaching a course on the care of non-traditional species in a shelter setting. Dr. Jarred also maintains a strong interest in shelter operations and extending progressive animal shelter practices to all species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/3f2af5b0-bb37-41e1-8c6d-314e98a6a31a/gina-knepp-michelson-found-animals-fd05e.jpeg Speakers 2024 - Gina Knepp Gina Knepp is the National Shelter Engagement Director for the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. She is the pioneer of developing return to home programs and engaging animal sheltering organizations in finding innovative ways of reuniting lost animals with their families. Gina’s background includes managing the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento, California. Her experience leading a municipal, open intake, high volume shelter adds to her passion for helping lost animals get back home where they belong. Her current work with Michelson Philanthropies has offered the opportunity to work with shelters across the country, improving reunification efforts. Additionally, Gina offers training expertise in Customer Service for animal welfare professionals, along with creating vibrant volunteer programs, leadership and change management. Gina is currently on the board of the Bitterroot Humane Association, the board of Animal Grant Makers and on the Executive Committee of Human Animal Support Services (HASS) with American Pets Alive, launching national animal shelter reform. Gina lives in Hamilton, Montana with her husband Chris, two dogs, Lucy & Rex, her cat, Kit, 18 deer and 80 turkeys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/2af25b38-2c51-4404-af38-c9300ef91048/439894956_383944957948865_4639070236810687327_n-u42j0.jpg Speakers 2024 - Savannah McDonald Savannah Rigley McDonald is Co-Executive Director of the Belleville Area Humane Society. She spent the first six years of her animal welfare career as a board member for St Louis Feral Cat Outreach, an all volunteer TNR organization. From 2019 - 2021, she served as Community Outreach Coordinator for the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, bringing necessary services to under resourced pets in St Louis county. She has raised millions of dollars for philanthropic causes in Greater St Louis as part of her work on boards such as Pound Pals Cat Aid and the Young Friends of Arch City Defenders. She is passionate about board development, effective altruism, and community-centric fundraising. She is more fun than those passions suggest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/935783e4-1392-4415-b3c1-f82d047c8020/s.jpg Speakers 2024 - Sydney Mollentine Sydney is a dedicated animal welfare expert with over 21 years of invaluable experience in the field, specializing in animal sheltering, animal behavior and animal medicine. With her extensive background, she has honed her skills in implementing groundbreaking programs aimed at reducing the length of stay for animals, enhancing the quality of care within the shelter environment, and breaking down barriers to adoption through open communication strategies. Sydney's unwavering compassion for animals fuels her commitment to improving the lives of both animals and people within her community. She firmly believes that each organization is a unique micro ecosystem, but she advocates for positive change by encouraging teams to engage in crucial conversations about their mission regularly and discussing how they can collectively better the lives of both the pets and the people they serve in the city on a daily basis. Under her leadership, The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City has exemplified how teamwork, dedication, and a shared vision can bring about positive transformations in the lives of animals and the community they serve. From the average length of stay being around 250 days it is now under 15 days for dogs and 17 for cats. Change and improvements are possible with slight shifts in perspectives! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/f9d7a8be-2168-46c4-a498-49eb9a020075/amheadshot-gworp.jpg Speakers 2024 - Abbie Moore Abbie Moore is an expert in the weirdly specific area of technology for animal welfare. Currently, she is the COO of Petco Love, overseeing digital innovation in the lost-and-found pet arena, an area of great passion for her. Previously, Abbie was a leader at Adopt-a-Pet.com for 18 years, holding positions from Chief Product Officer to COO to CEO. She also created Rehome, the leading peer-to-peer pet adoption platform. She serves as an advisor on several animal welfare boards and committees and is a mentor at CPO Accelerator, a program that helps product leaders in the technology space get to the C-suite. Abbie lives in Claremont, California with her husband, 16-year-old daughter, and dogs Bob and Shecky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/e6b4ac6f-66ea-4ae6-b54a-c593216bb14c/me1-man3v.jpg Speakers 2024 - James Oppenheimer James Oppenheimer is the Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, an open admission shelter that provides a safe haven to over 8,000 animals a year. Originally from England, James has been in the US for 24 years, spending the past 15 in Sioux Falls. Prior to running the Humane Society, James was the Director of Business Operations and a Staff Coach at Dakota Alliance Soccer Club. James's philosophy of putting people first, treating them with respect, and leading by example led to success both on and off the field. As a coach James has led teams to victory in several national events, priding himself on the way teams he coached played with determination and class. Off the field, he put policies and procedures in place to make Dakota Alliance a professionally run club that is financially stable, treating both players and staff with dignity. In January 2023, James traded soccer balls for fur balls and became the Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society. James has created a culture of positivity and transparency. This led to a 35% increase in adoptions in his first year, and a 22% drop in euthanasia. In his spare time, James enjoys spending time kicking a soccer ball around with his daughter Gemma's, rock climbing with his son Henry, and even squeezes in an occasional date with his wife, Marisa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/0eccaf09-6d25-4689-8fad-54b37185c2ae/img-6159-kxvib.jpeg Speakers 2024 - Mady O'Reilly Mady O'Reilly is the Development Manager for the Metro East Humane Society in Edwardsville, IL. Armed with an academic background in creative writing and mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Mady discovered her passion for animal welfare 7 years ago as a volunteer and has since turned her love for words and wagging tails into a rewarding career in nonprofit development and marketing. Known for her infectious enthusiasm, Mady's innovative approach to connection with community has significantly boosted the organization’s impact, both locally and nationally. When she's not busy turning a fundraiser into a must-attend event or creating viral content with elevated branding, you can find her at home with her partner Jonathan, surrounded by her many thrifted treasures including their two dogs, Dewey and Vivian. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/5017f234-8c10-4d45-a775-9698b257cc87/heatherowenheadshot-q2o4u.jpeg Speakers 2024 - Heather Owen Heather Owen is the co-founder of One Tail at a Time and currently runs the Chicago branch. OTAT has two sister organizations in Portland, Oregon and West Texas. OTAT's mission revolves around high volume rescuing from vulnerable shelters and helping to keep pets in their homes through community advocacy work. Heather has a law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law and worked in litigation until 2015 when she retired to work full time in animal welfare. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/153aee93-7fa6-42f1-a9ad-c45f47bdd711/jackie-0ttx5.jpeg Speakers 2024 - Jackie Roach Jackie is a seasoned business leader with decades of experience in retail and e-commerce and a deep passion for enhancing both human and animal lives. While her professional background is rooted in business, Jackie's volunteer experience as an adoption counselor at the Nebraska Humane Society sparked her commitment to animal welfare. In 2010, she co-founded Taysia Blue Rescue, a volunteer-based rescue for Siberian Huskies, which successfully partners with shelters in several states. Currently, Jackie leads Best Friends' strategic partnership efforts in Northwest Arkansas. She began her journey with Best Friends spearheading the reimagination of sheltering at and building the Best Friends Pet Resource Center. Her work has been instrumental in the region in building a stronger, more collaborative animal welfare community, focusing on saving and transforming the lives of pets and the people who love them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/aa40711f-612e-4b80-8d81-2473c9188c5c/headshot-vfqyb.jpg Speakers 2024 - Stacy Rogers Stacy Rogers is the Midwest & Great Plains Regional Director for Best Friends Animal Society. In this role, she leads a team that consults with shelters across 15 states to optimize lifesaving and achieve the goal of No Kill 2025. Prior to Best Friends, she was the Executive Director at Almost Home Humane Society in Indiana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/d45ded83-fbab-458b-ab44-77bf37a46c23/310220687_10159253894098723_7907219294392382140_n+%286%29.jpg Speakers 2024 - Anne Schmidt Anne Schmidt is the Executive Director of Metro East Humane Society in Edwardsville and Highland, Illinois. Anne’s academic background in organizational communication (BA) and public administration and policy (MPA) contributed to her success in helping guide government officials to achieve No Kill and maximizing partnerships to increase lifesaving. Her collaborative and innovative efforts with local animal control facilities and rescue groups have been featured at the National Best Friends Animal Society Conference and contributed to her holding positions on the board of directors for the Illinois Animal Welfare Federation, Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and Coalition for Pet Progress as a committee member. When Anne isn’t on the phone or putting out a fire, she can be found at a soccer field watching her son play or at the vet spending money on her angry cat named Biggie or her beast of a dog named Zeke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/090a445f-2768-437d-988f-3923ed5b91e1/sara-1-344bl.jpg Speakers 2024 - Sara Schmidt Sara Schmidt joined Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) in March 2018 serving in a new role as vice president of business operations. In that role, she oversaw the daily operations of the NHS community-facing programs. In May 2021, she was promoted to the role of vice president of shelter operations, where she continues to oversee those programs as well as all other operational aspects of NHS, including animal welfare, support and enrichment, medical, and facilities. Sara holds a master’s degree in social work. She has more than 16 years of leadership experience in behavioral health that focused on quality improvement and compliance with accreditation and other regulatory standards that ensured best practices in that field. This foundation in social work, along with six years of experience in animal welfare, has equipped her with invaluable insights into addressing systemic issues and advocating for marginalized populations, both human and animals alike. She has honed her skills in optimizing organizational processes, streamlining workflows, and implementing best practices to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of animal welfare initiatives. Sara’s goal in shaping the landscape of animal welfare is to provide strategic leadership and an innovative approach through spearheading initiatives to improve animal shelter operations, enhance processes to reduce barriers, and implement evidence-based practices to ensure the highest standards of care for animals in need while also focusing on creating a collaborative, engaged partnership with the community. When working with her teams and other stakeholders, Sara emphasizes the importance of collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement. She is committed to harnessing her diverse skill set to continue creating impactful change for animals and communities alike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/599b3c9f-82b4-4598-94fd-339dd810e0dc/tarant-1t8oe.jpg Speakers 2024 - Monica Tarant Monica Tarant is the Chief Innovation Officer with the Give Them Ten Movement and is helping create cat caring communities across the country. A decade before anyone had heard of such a thing, she cut her teeth founding a trap-neuter-return organization in rural Illinois and pioneered one of the nation's first and largest working cat programs. In 2012, her move to Texas helped Austin achieve a citywide 98% live release rate for cats. Monica then spent years as an instructor for the Maddie’s Fund Lifesaving Academy, teaching shelters best practices and innovative programs, advancing research in shelter medicine, and progressing public policy as a City of Austin Animal Advisory Commissioner. Monica is a frequent speaker and advisor on creative solutions for every cat, progressive community cat programming, transformative shelter leadership, and creating strategic visions for impactful, sustainable organizations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/929b2520-4960-4ce9-bfb5-1f06846b413c/profilepic-u89ap.jpg Speakers 2024 - Sarah Tolley Sarah Tolley has been doing specifically animal welfare social media for six years now, working for both her local shelter (Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association) and Best Friends Animal Society as their National Social Media Manager. She specializes in highly engaging content and strategies to increase audiences. Sarah has a degree in animal Nutrition from West Virginia University. She's a West Virginia native and still calls the mountains home with her husband, two dogs, five cats, and a steady stream of foster cats who are blind or visually impaired. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/b3739181-d416-49c1-922d-ad70f9f05ac7/t.jpg Speakers 2024 - Tim Yeaglin Tim's decade-long journey into animal welfare began by volunteering his master photographer skills to take pictures of the adoptable cats and dogs at various Kansas City area animal shelters. His love for shelters and their work led him to take a marketing position at a local shelter. He became the director of operations at a fledgling shelter and helped restructure it one department at a time. Tim is particularly good at teaching shelter dogs household manners for their adoptive homes. He is passionate about reducing the fear, anxiety, and stress of all animals and loves to strengthen the human-animal bond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Speakers 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Speakers 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg Speakers 2024 - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/schedule2024 daily 0.75 2024-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Schedule 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Schedule 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198086484-XSXLHPM5J18PHV2UYV3J/image-asset.jpeg Schedule 2024 - “What a great conference for shelter and rescue professionals in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. We've been in need of an educational opportunity like this for a while - full of practical information and inspiration. Thank you so much for hosting this. Hope to see you next year!” — MASC Conference Speaker https://www.missourianimals.org/aboutmasc2025 daily 0.75 2026-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg About - “Lots of great info learned here! I can't wait to share new knowledge with coworkers and start helping animals more than we thought possible!” — MASC Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/schedule2025 daily 0.75 2025-12-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg 2025 Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg 2025 Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg 2025 Schedule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198086484-XSXLHPM5J18PHV2UYV3J/image-asset.jpeg 2025 Schedule - “What a great conference for shelter and rescue professionals in Missouri and throughout the Midwest. We've been in need of an educational opportunity like this for a while - full of practical information and inspiration. Thank you so much for hosting this. Hope to see you next year!” — MASC Conference Speaker https://www.missourianimals.org/partners2025 daily 0.75 2026-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1625074800262-Y0XQFAJ4KTNCNN4EER8V/bf.png Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/78b833b8-027c-4436-8466-2d3c06ce75f7/petfinder.png Partners - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/e38cc573-4145-4190-bc24-d87f3bed5f62/aspca_full-logo_orange_rgb-38ly6.png Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg Partners - “The sessions were interesting, enlightening, and informative. Everything was so professionally planned and executed. I will be attending next year and plan to encourage everyone I know to attend as well.” — MAWC Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/speakers2025 daily 0.75 2025-12-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c4cac979-76c7-4240-9ea5-fcb2b75a5c28/IMG_0070.jpg 2025 Speakers - Dr. Abbie Atteberry, MS, CAWA, Elite FFCP Dr. Abbie is a veterinarian on the National Shelter Medicine team at Best Friends Animal Society with extensive experience leading teams at nonprofit animal shelters, sanctuaries, and veterinary clinics. She has a passion for motivating others through a servant-based leadership approach and cultivating growth and positive interpersonal relationships. In addition to organizational leadership, she has a strong professional interest in animal behavior, psychopharmaceuticals, and shelter operations, including how to increase equity in the field of animal welfare. Prior to joining Best Friends, Abbie served as the Executive Director for the animal shelter of St. Louis, Missouri where she led the organization to achieve record-setting accomplishments, such as a 168% increase in dog adoptions, reducing the number of days onsite for dogs by 70%, moving over 200 large dogs to foster in 8 weeks, and more! Her commitment to animal welfare is also exemplified through her work founding the Missouri Coalition of Animal Care Organizations and Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference, ensuring all animal welfare organizations in Missouri have access to the information and relationships they need to succeed. Before working in animal sheltering, Abbie previously served as the Executive Director of National Tiger Sanctuary. In this role, she focused on elevating the standard of care for the animals and implementing new educational initiatives and a wildlife rehabilitation program. She also served on the founding committees for the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance, which was the first collaborative effort between animal sanctuaries to end the exploitation of big cats in the US. Outside of animal welfare, Abbie enjoys seeing live music, trying new things, and spending time with those she loves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/0bb96353-106f-410d-8853-84db075b69d4/KB-2.jpg 2025 Speakers - Kim Brown Kim is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) and has been working in animal welfare for 15 years. She volunteered as a foster for 6 years prior to working in the field and continues to foster. Her experience with animal welfare organizations ranges from foster based, limited admission, managed intake, and open admission with a government contract. Kim has a MA in Non-profit Administration and a BA in Human Resource Management. She also spent eight years in the US Army Reserves as a Combat Medic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/7f4ff650-8f62-4626-b79e-98fc4488ff67/selena.jpg 2025 Speakers - Selena Brown, MA, CPDT-CBCC Selena Brown, MA, CPDT-CBCC, Fear Free Certified Trainer. She is currently working on an MS in Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Tech. Over the years, she has spent time as a shelter volunteer, lead kennel technician, behavior foster, private trainer, and shelter behavior professional. Before diving into animal welfare full-time, Selena taught German and English to learners of all ages and received her MA in Germanic Languages and Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania. Selena is part of the CORE and BEAR education and grading teams, and the in-person workshop team, and is passionate about bringing quality behavior information to the sheltering world. She lives in eastern Tennessee with her husband, Austin, two goofy dogs, Xena and Nyx, and two rambunctious cats, Juno and Archer. Selena enjoys playing recreational sports and drinking coffee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/eb9198aa-82e0-45c7-9f5a-47509218946d/profile-audra-6uqt4.png 2025 Speakers - Audra Brownlee Lifelong animal owner, I was that kid who brought EVERYTHING home and had to befriend every animal I met. My daytime job is in technology in education. A passion for animals and love of technology has put me in a position to be beneficial to my shelter through social media. I began walking dogs for my local shelter, then over time ended up building the Google Account and handling the social media and many other aspects of the shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c9dde5fe-ec64-4358-8cb2-038be2f4973d/summer-dolder-%281%29-jk34k.jpg 2025 Speakers - Summer Dolder Summer Dolder has over a decade of experience leading shelter operations and community engagement programming for some of the largest open intake shelters in the country. She holds an MSW from the University of Denver and a BSW from Winthrop University. Her career in animal welfare started as a cat volunteer at her local city shelter in New York City.  https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/7d2605f2-0bcb-4115-a107-e563abed6a1a/screen-shot-2021-12-30-at-1-iqn2r.46.50-pm-%281%29.png 2025 Speakers - Kelly Duer As Senior Shelter Solutions Specialist for Maddie’s Fund, Kelly's focus is on helping shelters and rescue organizations keep people and pets together and maximize pet welfare through the implementation of robust foster care programs. Her role includes creating and providing training for organizations and their foster coordinators, writing, assisting with research on foster care and consulting with shelters. Her work with foster care and marketing has been featured in many national publications, websites and networks, including Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, Catster Magazine, iheartdogs.com and HuffPost Live. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/4b4c7b06-755a-4b42-8ae3-e3535b9133a3/tori_sac3-z3taj.jpg 2025 Speakers - Tori Fugate Tori Fugate joined Shelter Animals Count as Director of Communications in September 2024, bringing over a decade of expertise in animal welfare and communications. Throughout her award-winning career, Tori has been responsible for managing comprehensive marketing strategies, public relations, social media platforms, events, and education initiatives across various sectors. She has developed and executed multi-channel marketing plans, overseen web management, and led media relations efforts, achieving national recognition in media outlets such as People Magazine, The Dodo, CNN, ABC World News, CBS News, USA Today, Queer Eye, and The Rachael Ray Show. Her contributions have consistently driven visibility and engagement for the organizations she’s worked with, elevating their missions to new levels. Tori previously held the position of Chief Communications Officer at KC Pet Project, where she played an instrumental role in shaping the organization’s brand after it took over the Kansas City, MO, animal shelter in 2012. Tori currently serves on the Marketing and Communications Committee for the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) and is frequently invited to speak on various topics at both national and local conferences. In her role at Shelter Animals Count, she continues to apply her communications expertise, with a focus on audience engagement, data-driven strategies, and sharing the stories of what is happening in shelters and rescues across the country. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/6c3f897f-3429-4162-9528-5fbe33380cad/galbreath-headshot-hzchd.jpeg 2025 Speakers - Elizabeth Galbreath Elizabeth Galbreath is a people developer, connection builder, and agricultural ambassador. She grew up on a dairy farm in Maryland and has worked in various sectors within the industry since graduating from Virginia Tech in 2017. She has experience in sales, marketing, program management, and people development. She gave a TEDxVirginiaTech Talk in 2015 and has spoken to thousands of people about professional development and becoming their best selves. Elizabeth is committed to being a reliable, authentic spokeswoman for agriculture and developing others to become their best selves through Cultivate Growth Co. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/3177abb7-ba34-4d14-8c8e-2085ce5cbf90/img_7178-3rhwh.jpeg 2025 Speakers - Brittany Gault Brittany Gault is a Texas native now calling the Mississippi Delta home. With nearly 20 years of experience in animal welfare and advocacy, Brittany has passionately championed causes such as ending dog fighting in southern Arizona, and raising global awareness for cetacean conservation. Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Brittany enjoyed a successful career in Corporate America, where she developed record-breaking retention strategies and played a key role in helping a software startup achieve its first profit through strategic client communications and product support development. These experiences have significantly shaped her leadership and approach at CARES Clarksdale, where she continues to drive growth and impact. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/f001c4c3-0847-40df-9a85-817f354d3569/jill-henke-profile-pic-uygdq.jpg 2025 Speakers - Jill Henke Jill Henke has been working and volunteering in animal welfare since 2006, fostering over 500 dogs (mostly bully breeds) and cats. Jill quit her corporate sales career in 2017 and began her career at Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) in 2017. Jill currently serves as the director of operations at GPG, which is the largest pet resource center in the St. Louis region. Jill oversees all animal care; fostering, adoptions, and intake; and diversion and community programming. Jill is passionate about implementing progressive programming with a focus on reducing unnecessary euthanasia and increasing programming aimed at keeping pets with their people. On a personal note, Jill is passionate about social justice issues, cheesy reality dating shows, and anything related to brunching. Jill has three dogs of her own, Gus, Bessie, and Howie, as well as two cats, Jada and Lincoln. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/a87b8c35-25cc-4d52-8ad8-9aa08e9b76b1/april-cupcake-new-kqjmb.png 2025 Speakers - April Huntsman April Huntsman, CAWA, is a seasoned animal welfare leader driving innovative solutions to save lives. As Senior Director of Animal Welfare at Adopt a Pet, she leverages technology and data to optimize animal welfare operations, maximize adoptions, and improve the adoption experience. With over 20 years of experience at organizations like Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Salt Lake County Animal Service, Best Friends Animal Society, and Michelson Found Animals, April has a proven track record of improving animal welfare. She is passionate about using technology to create a brighter future for animals. She lives in Southern Utah with her beloved Chihuahuas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/928f6c00-114c-4245-8140-7d4f0a082d1d/IMG_2022.jpg 2025 Speakers - Dr. Jo Jarred Dr. Jarred is the Medical Director & Veterinarian for Orange County Animal Services in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Jarred graduated from North Carolina State University in 2017 with a focus in Zoological Medicine. After working in private practice for three years, Dr. Jarred transitioned to shelter medicine in 2020. Dr. Jarred completed a Master of Science in Shelter Medicine through the University of Florida in 2023 and now works as an adjunct professor for the university as well as performing relief work in emergency clinics. Dr. Jarred is currently participating in the ASPCA's Practitioner Pathway Mentorship Program with the goal of becoming boarded in Shelter Medicine. Dr. Jarred’s interest lies with the care of non-traditional species in a shelter setting, bridging the gap between animal shelter organizations and veterinary professionals, and increasing efficiency of sheltering operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/46c21dda-dfd8-48a4-8776-ff9ba371f449/sj-headshot-06-wee3i.2024-square.jpg 2025 Speakers - Sarah Javier With over two decades of impactful leadership, Sarah has led the APA since 2016, driving significant growth and expanding its reach to serve over 10,000 pets annually. Under her leadership, the APA has doubled in size, strengthened community programs, and enhanced access to vital pet services. Sarah is also highly experienced in media relations, effectively managing the APA’s public communications and crisis response. Sarah is the Board President for the Coalition for Pet Progress in St. Louis and is a member of the board for the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/56f40141-491c-4eb6-aeb0-19df6e3c30e3/rob-website-head-shot-rmbfg.jpg 2025 Speakers - Rob LaRoy Rob LaRoy wandered into animal welfare in October 2018 when he became Executive Director of the Humane Society of Elkhart County. He has more than 30-years’ experience in nonprofit management with both Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA. Under his leadership the revenues of HSEC have increased from $800,000 to $4.9 million in six years, while building an endowment of $4.8 million. Rob credits his time with BBBS with knowing how to “meet people where they are”. People come to us with difficulties in their lives that require a little extra patience. It is our job to show compassionate care to individuals as well as the animals the organization serves. He has held numerous leadership positions on a statewide basis with both BBBS and during his 14 years with the YMCA including president of the State Association of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Michigan and chairman of the state association of YMCAs in Tennessee. He currently serves as the secretary of the Indiana Coalition of Animal Welfare Professionals. He has received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Adrian College and his Masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Grace College. He is married and has five children, ages 28, 21, 20, and 18 year-old twins. He and his wife, Tracy, are also the proud “hoomans” to three dogs, a 6-year old golden doodle named Bo Shembarkler, a 3-year old German Shepherd named Riley, and currently are a hospice foster for a small mutt with cancer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/7d9e150d-da08-43c0-aeb8-56b9dc75c905/5494e67a-2048-4052-aa07-8fbd5fce577d-6hq3h.jpg 2025 Speakers - Amanda Loellke Amanda Loellke is a dedicated animal welfare professional with a passion for breaking barriers and increasing lifesaving efforts. She began her journey in January 2020 as an Animal Care Specialist and quickly expanded her expertise by working across multiple departments, including adoptions and foster management. Now serving as the Animal Care Director, Amanda oversees both the placement and animal care teams, driving innovative strategies to get more animals into loving homes. With hands-on experience and a deep commitment to progressive adoption practices, she is a champion for inclusive, barrier-free placements that prioritize both animal well-being and community engagement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/a2597378-86db-4712-a47d-000b49b01933/Mikayla.jpg 2025 Speakers - Mikayla Moore, KPA-CTP, SBA Mikayla Moore is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) and Shelter Behavior Affiliate (SBA) through IAABC. She currently works for Pasadena Humane as a behavioral health technician, where she assesses risk, implements behavior modification plans, and tries to pet as many kittens as possible. Mikayla is also Fear Free Shelter certified, a Living and Learning with Animals graduate, First Aid and CPR certified, and dabbles in dog sports. Mikayla got her professional start in animal behavior and welfare at a positive reinforcement-based dog daycare in Southern California in 2014. However, it was her first shelter dog that made her realize that the complexities of behavior were more interesting than dog sports. Since then, she’s been seeking out continuing education to develop mechanical skills (clickers, leashes, oh my) as well as behavioral knowledge to enhance the lives of animals and their human caretakers. MIkayla is on the SPA in-person handling workshop and grading teams and is the primary content writer for the SPA newsletter. In a vague attempt to keep a work-life balance, Mikayla reads over 100 books a year and chauffeurs her Vizsla to dog sport lessons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/406238a9-0396-41d1-85b8-52f97e4acfe8/Yona.jpg 2025 Speakers - Yona Rappaport, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, CSB-D Yona Rappaport, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, CSB-D, got her start working with dogs at Metro Dog Daycare and Boarding. She excelled as a playgroup handler, off-leash group walker, trainer-in-training, staff trainer, client liaison, and ultimately became the facilities manager before transitioning to contract work as a behavior professional at Contra Costa Animal Services, then to Pasadena Humane Society where she currently works. There, she discovered her love of working in a shelter setting. Having the chance to focus on improving her ability to read body language and mechanical skills through various programs and attaining two certifications, she has had the pleasure of handling and working with thousands of dogs over the past ten years. One of her favorite activities is teaching volunteer classes and volunteers with Shelter Playgroup Alliance to continue coaching volunteers and shelter staff while still focusing on furthering her education. Yona is the owner and operator of Science at Play Dog Training, Behavior and Gear. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge of effective, ethical training with clients and their dogs. Along with selling typical dog leashes, she designs and tests specialty equipment for use in a number of settings such as shelter specific leashes designed to reduce stress on dogs and increase safety for handlers in a kennel setting. Yona is on the SPA in-person handling workshop team, the grading team, the CORE and BEAR content teams, and manages the SPA social media presence. Yona shares her home with her partner Michael, two birds Chicle and Dilla; and Aurora, her cat. Yona’s hobbies include crafting and sewing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/aa40711f-612e-4b80-8d81-2473c9188c5c/headshot-vfqyb.jpg 2025 Speakers - Stacy Rogers Stacy Rogers began her career in animal welfare in 2001 as an animal care technician at Almost Home Humane Society. After scooping her way to the top at AHHS, she moved to Best Friends in 2018 as the regional director of the Midwest and Great Plains. In this role, she works with shelters over a 15-state region to assist with increasing lifesaving to achieve and sustain no kill. Jill Henke has been working and volunteering in animal welfare since 2006, fostering over 600 dogs (mostly bully breeds) and cats. Jill quit her corporate sales career in 2017 and began her career at Gateway Pet Guardians. Jill currently serves as the director of operations at GPG, which is the largest pet resource center in the St. Louis region. Jill oversees all animal care, foster and adoption, intake, diversion, and community programming. Jill is passionate about implementing progressive programming with a focus on reducing unnecessary euthanasia and increasing programming aimed at keeping pets with their people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/7179ac59-fd9b-42c5-b58d-a9216b7b7afc/headshot-fire-zbk1s.jpeg 2025 Speakers - Eric Thompson Eric Thompson is a graduate of Kansas University with a B.G.S. in Environmental Science and graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center with his Police commission. Currently Eric is working as the Executive Director for Animal Incident Management (AIM) with Bissell Pet Foundation. Eric also serves as Senior Director for the ASAR Training and Response platform which provides animal rescue technicians and specialist training along with subject-matter-expert workshops and response. Eric serves as Past-President of the National Alliance for Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs (NASAAEP – www.thenasaaep.com); and Eric participated on the National Advisory Council subcommittee for the Planning for Animal Wellness (PAW) Act to review and update national guidelines for animals in disasters. Eric is working with several agencies and States as a consultant to incorporate animal-related operations into existing Emergency Support Functions. For more information on the Animal Incident Management (AIM) group and ASAR please see https://www.animalincidentmanagement.com and www.asartraining.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/ed5c3314-6c54-47fe-81aa-24e337e9b6f1/MaraVelez.jpg 2025 Speakers - Mara Velez, MA, CPDT-KA Mara Velez, MA, CPDT-KA, is the Executive Director of the Shelter Playgroup Alliance and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Mara has worked as a behavior and training consultant at both open- and limited admission shelters where she designed, developed, and implemented behavior program structures, including volunteer training, behavior evaluations, canine enrichment, and playgroups. Mara splits her time between the Shelter Playgroup Alliance and corporate clients who engage her for her expertise on leadership, coaching, and learning and development. Mara holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and completed all the course work for a doctorate in education. In addition to completing several animal behavior and training-related programs, Mara continually develops her skills and knowledge of canines by attending seminars and reading science-based canine literature. To date, she has completed over 3,000 hours of continuing education. Mara shares her home with three dogs: Ivy, Pluto, and Bruce Lee. Her current favorite hobby is being back in graduate school at Virginia Tech in the on-line master’s degree in Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) with an emphasis in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare, and she’s learning how to dive so she can swim with the fishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/dfb15e3a-7c43-4d59-97d4-9965c9e69d8c/alisha-roland-pifpk.jpg 2025 Speakers - Alisha Vianello Alisha is an experienced Human Resources and Animal Welfare Leadership professional. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Workforce Education and Development and a Master's of Interdisciplinary Studies focused on Nonprofit Management, Animal Services Leadership and Public Relations. Alisha is a proud graduate of the Best Friends Animal Society Executive Leadership Certification Program. She is currently the Executive Director of Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis, IL (just across the river from St. Louis!). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/c903d666-d693-4403-acad-ef753c41a5c0/img_2135-4cj00.jpg 2025 Speakers - Nick Walton Nick Walton is the National Shelter Support Senior Manager for Best Friends Animal Society and works with officers and shelters nationwide to implement progressive, community-focused practices that support lifesaving within the shelter, as well as increase officer safety and efficiency. Nick started his journey in animal welfare at a pet boarding facility where he was the designated “poop scooper”, and shortly thereafter transitioned to a dog-trainer role within the facility. This naturally led him to devote the next few years of his life to becoming a professional dog trainer in the metro-Atlanta area. While working in Atlanta, he would regularly drive by dogs that needed some help and this led him to Fulton County Animal Services. Nick committed himself to a community-oriented approach to animal welfare enforcement with the goal of changing how the community viewed animal services and its officers. Commonly referred to as the “dog food man” within the inner city of Atlanta, Nick was instrumental in developing trust within the community and becoming a welcome sight throughout underserved areas of the city. Prioritizing this philosophy, as well as utilizing resources such as Pets For Life, allowed Nick to save more lives by keeping pets in their homes and out of the shelter. As a Field Training Officer, he would train new employees on the philosophy of community-engagement, further solidifying this mindset into the culture of FCAS. Working in Fulton County afforded Nick many diverse experiences as an ACO and resulted in his instrumental role in a number of large-scale cruelty cases from voodoo cases to circus animal cruelty. The lifesaving techniques that Nick developed and championed at Fulton County Animal Services represent the next step for animal control field services: a proactive solution-based approach to animal issues with an emphasis on building a supportive and safe community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/95baeba7-b4e9-4260-9792-414dd05c7de4/carol-whaley-%281%29-g6mez.jpg 2025 Speakers - Carol Whaley Carol Whaley has dedicated over two decades to the animal protection sector, blending hands-on care with a commitment to systemic change. At the Animal Rescue League, she launched the Foster Finder program, Return to Field initiative and spearheaded a large-scale targeted TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) project in Pittsburgh, building coalitions among local shelters and community groups to address the city's community cat crisis. During her tenure at Animal Friends, Carol expanded vital programs, including a citywide spay/neuter initiative that grew from 3,000 to 10,000 procedures annually. She played a key role in opening the Animal Wellness Center in 2017 and developing its first community wellness programs. Her advocacy work has led to significant legislative victories, including the creation of the Humane Legislation Committee and the Compassionate Communities program, which works to implement humane policies across local municipalities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/91a5710c-0806-47a9-806e-102bb998a589/mike-headshot--5ljyv.jpg 2025 Speakers - Mike Wheeler Mike Wheeler is the Director of Community Services for Cabot Arkansas. Over the last 15 years he has been dedicated to animal welfare and public safety while reducing euthanasia and promoting the human animal bond in Cabot, Arkansas. Under Mike’s management of his city’s open admission shelter and animal control operations, he has fostered a culture of helping people and animals which has brought about 23 community programs that focused on improving the lives of every person and every pet in his community through strengthening the human animal bond and keeping families together. This philosophy of returning/keeping animals with their families has reduced his annual intake from 3,357 animals in 2019 to 905 animals in 2024 with a euthanasia rate of 1%, counting every animal the organization touched in 2024. With his belief that healthy pets are essential to a humane community the programs he created helped 5809 families in his community to provide care for their pets in 2024. His passion for animal welfare and public policy has driven him to a position on the Vice-President of the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA), Treasurer (Past President) of the Arkansas State Animal Control Association (ASACA) the Executive Management Committee for the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) and many national advisory panels. In this capacity he helps form best practices, trains animal welfare professionals, assists animal service departments and government officials cross the country to become better representatives within their communities while providing a higher standard for animal welfare and public safety in those communities. Based on Mike’s success in Cabot, Arkansas he has been requested to speak at many national and international conferences over the last 5 years some of which include the Australian National Animal Welfare Conference as the Keynote speaker, the Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo as a speaker and panelist, the Best Friends National Conference as a speaker, and numerous state level animal welfare & control association conferences. Mike’s philosophy is one that is based on continued learning in an ever-changing world. As well as learning daily from human and animal welfare leaders across this country Mike holds a Master’s in Business Administration with a minor in Public Administration and as well as a degree in Criminal Justice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg 2025 Speakers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg 2025 Speakers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg 2025 Speakers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586198695664-JGDN3M976RDIZNPM6KNV/image-asset.jpeg 2025 Speakers - “We enjoyed all of the things we learned. We made new friends. Great event for animal people to meet and be educated.” — MASC 2019 Conference Attendee https://www.missourianimals.org/aboutmawc2026 daily 0.75 2026-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183778753-91KZWLKBE1PTJBCPAV1R/image-asset.jpeg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183570096-MHDQHXQJNFJZ1XFCN7QT/gettyimages-841758452.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586183894656-T0P3MBCV24NJX5RMF9QX/2019_0815_ColombiaMo_Website_825x500px.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e890c751b1e3722cd6f9689/1586213145512-TU28MQU9S0WUEPDQM30O/image-asset.jpeg About - “Lots of great info learned here! I can't wait to share new knowledge with coworkers and start helping animals more than we thought possible!” — MAWC Attendee