Conference Registration Brochure

Transcription

Our Generous Sponsors
CCThingamajig Regular
WE ARE THEIR VOICE.
Also Exhibiting:
AEM Gallery
AKC Reunite
Animal Care Equipment & Services (ACES)
Chameleon Software Products by HLP Inc.
Chlor Air
Datamars/PetLink
Mars Veterinary
Mason Company
Pet King Brands, Inc./Zymox
Smart Tag Microchip
Spay Neuter Network
Texas Animal Control Association
Texas Humane Legislation Network
The Latham Foundation for the Promotion of
Humane Education
There are still partner Opportunities Available!
Please see the sponsor/exhibitor page of our website for more information.
www. texasunites.com
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conference Information
workshops
Texas Unites for Animals 2016 includes 50 workshops in six tracks:
• Leadership
• Field Services
• Adoptions & Rescue
• Health & Behavior
• Marketing & Professional Development
• Shelter Medicine (limited registration for DVMs and LVTs)
CEUs
Texas Unites for Animals has been approved for the following CEUs:
• The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has approved all conference workshops for CE credit for ACOs, up to a
maximum of 15 hours per Officer.
• The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME) has approved a total of 21.5 hours (14.25 hours in the clinical
category and 7.25 hours in the practice management category) for Veterinarians and Licensed Veterinary Technicians up to a
maximum of 17 hours per individual.
• The Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) has approved all conference workshops for CE credit for Certified Animal
Welfare Administrators (CAWA) up to a maximum of 15 hours.
Hotel Reservations
Texas Unites for Animals 2016 will be held at the PET-FRIENDLY Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas. To reserve your room,
call 1-800-468-3571 or visit www.texasunites.com/travel for our unique reservation link. The special Texas Unites for Animals room
rate is $149 per night, while they last, and must be reserved by March 31, 2016. Please refer to “Texas Unites for Animals” when
booking your reservation. Additional travel and overflow hotel information is available at www.texasunites.com.
MEALS
Your registration fee includes a daily continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks/refreshments at evening receptions. See the
complete schedule on pages 6-11 for additional details.
Exhibit Hall Events
Friday, April 22nd 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Get a first look at the exhibitors, mingle with your colleagues, and say howdy to your hosts, the Texas Unites Board of Directors, at
the Exhibit Hall Opening & Welcome Reception in the Rio Grande Exhibit Hall. We’ll have a cash bar and several door prizes to
kick off the conference!
Saturday, April 23rd 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a fun filled networking event with prizes! We’ll have complimentary appetizers and a cash bar, so come on down to the
Rio Grande Exhibit Hall and make some new friends.
The Exhibit Hall will be open during breakfasts, lunches, breaks, and evening events, providing you many opportunities to check out
all of the exhibitors and participate in several contests and raffles!
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Is Texas Unites 2016 for you?
IfYOU work for, volunteer for or support Municipal Shelters, Private Shelters,
Rescue Groups, Law Enforcement, Veterinary Clinics, etc ...
IfYOU are interested in the latest practices, ideas, trends, and products in the
animal welfare field ...
IfYOU enjoy networking and socializing with over 500 of your animal
welfare colleagues ...
then the Texas Unites for Animals 2016 Conference
is for you!
With your 2016 Texas Unites for Animals
Conference registration, you will also receive a FREE annual
membership to Texas Unites for Animals.
Your membership connects you with the
Texas Unites community, providing professional, educational opportunities and collaboration
between animal welfare professionals.
Our mission is to provide a system of information, support and guidance by:
• Enhancing professionalism in the animal welfare industry
• Strengthening the human companion animal bond
• Promoting respect and compassion for all life
Together, We Save More Lives!
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Conference Workshops by Track
Opening Session
A Matter of Trust: A Human Service Approach to Animal
Welfare
LEADERSHIP
Workshop 1
Under the Dome - A Brief Overview of the Bills that Passed and Failed in 2015 and How to Get Political for Animals
Workshop 6
Transitioning Your Working Board to a Governing Board
Workshop 11 Customer Service Strategies for Animal Welfare Professionals
Workshop 16 Navigating Change Management
Workshop 21 Shelter Transformation: How a Shelter Evaluation Helped Our Organization Move Forward
Workshop 26 Toolkit for the Time-Starved Leader: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Employee Engagement
Workshop 31 Fundraising’s Hidden Power: Making Every Donor Count
Workshop 36 Matching Resources to Animal Shelter Goals
Workshop 41 Ethically Speaking
Field Services
Workshop 2
Think Big, Start Small: Building Sustainable Enforcement Programs, From the Ground Up
Workshop 7
Stray Cats and Owner Reclaims: Solving the Puzzle, How to Increase Your Feline RTO & Decrease Intake
Workshop 12 Chip, Chip Hooray! Using Microchips to Dramatically Increase Return to Owner Rates, Boost Licensing Compliance AND Your Shelter’s Profile in the Community
Workshop 17 Dangerous Dog Investigations Overview
Workshop 22 The Evolution of Animal Response
Workshop 27 Building a Cockfighting Investigations Program
Workshop 32 Logistics of a Large Scale Operation
Workshop 37 Community Engagement in Underserved Areas
Workshop 42 The Gateway Crime - How Investigating Animal Cruelty Can Lead to Discovering Other Crimes
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Nothing So Practical As a Good Theory: Harm Reduction & Animal Welfare
8
The Breed ID Game: Removing Breed Labels to Increase Adoptions
13 Revisiting Adoption Ambassadors: A Movement You Don’t Want to Miss
18 Open Selection Adoption - Higher Adoption Numbers, Much Less Effort
Workshop 23 Rescue Right: Increasing Adoption Appeal through Appropriate Veterinary Medicine
Workshop 28 Adopters Welcome: A New Guide to Transform Your Adoptions!
Workshop 33 Implementing Adopters Welcome: Making the Shift Away From Application Based Adoptions
Workshop 38 Pit Bull Rescue: What Works and What We’ve Learned
Workshop 43 Public/Private Partnerships: An Updated Model for Trap-Neuter-Return
Health & Behavior
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
4
9
14
19
24
29
34
39
44
Understanding the Mind of the Dog – You Don’t Have to Be a Psychic!
The Power of Natural Healing! Taking Care of Animals and Ourselves, Naturally!
Concord With Cats – Avoiding the Rodeo
Refurbish and Renovate Rather than Build a New Facility: Make Your Existing Facility Look Great on a Budget!
Inside the Mind of the Hoarded Dog
Cootie Control: Infectious Disease Prevention and Management (Part 1)
Outbreak! Putting Out the Fires Before They Burn You (Part 2)
Wildlife Management – Developing Effective SOPs for Animal Shelters
To PEP or Not to PEP
Marketing &
Professional development
Workshop 5
Technology 101 for Small Non-Profit Organizations
Workshop 10 The Power of Words: How What We Say About Animals Impacts Public Perceptions
Workshop 15 Big Message, Big Mission, Small Budget: The Marketing Challenge
Workshop 20 Social Media for Leadership: Strategies for Engagement
Workshop 25 Take the Time to Save Time
Workshop 30 Using Social Media for Crisis Communication
Workshop 35 P.U.G.S.S. – The Best Breed of Conflict Management
Workshop 40 More Cheese, Please! Marketing Pets & Partnerships through Community-Wide Adoption Events
Workshop 45 Hold the Antibiotics – Let’s Go Viral!
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shelter medicine (Saturday only)
This track is limited registration for DVMs and LVTs.
See page 7 for complete details.
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Workshop and Event Schedule
Friday, April 22
Sunday, April 24 (Continued)
Noon to 8 p.m.
Conference Registration
10:30 to 11 a.m.
Break
6 to 8 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Opening & Welcome Reception
11 to 12:30 p.m.
Workshop 21
Workshop 22
Workshop 23
Workshop 24
Workshop 25
Workshops
Shelter Transformation: How a Shelter Evaluation Helped Our Organization Move Forward
The Evolution of Animal Response
Rescue Right: Increasing Adoption Appeal through Appropriate Veterinary Medicine
Take the Time to Save Time
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Lunch in Exhibit Hall
Saturday, April 23
*SEE PAGE 7 FOR SHELTER MEDICINE TRACK SCHEDULE
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
8 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Opening Session
A Matter of Trust: A Human Service Approach to Animal Welfare
10:30 to 11 a.m.
Break
11 to 12:30 p.m. Workshops
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Workshop 3
Workshop 4
Workshop5
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Lunch in Exhibit Hall
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Workshops
Workshop 26
Toolkit for the Time-Starved Leader: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Employee Engagement
Workshop 27
Building a Cockfighting Investigations Program
Workshop 28
Adopters Welcome: A New Guide to Transform Your Adoptions!
Workshop 29
Workshop 30
Using Social Media for Crisis Communication
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Extended Break with Refreshments
*FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT EXHIBIT HALL
4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Workshops
Workshop 31
Fundraising’s Hidden Power: Making Every Donor Count
Workshop 32
Logistics of a Large Scale Operation
Workshop 33
Implementing Adopters Welcome: Making the Shift Away From Application Based Adoptions
Workshop 34
Outbreak! Putting Out the Fires Before They Burn You
(Part 2)
Workshop 35
P.U.G.S.S. – The Best Breed of Conflict Management
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Workshops
Workshop 6
Workshop 7
Workshop 8
The Breed ID Game: Removing Breed Labels to Increase Monday, April 25
Adoptions
Workshop 9
The Power of Natural Healing! Taking Care of Animals and 8 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast
Ourselves, Naturally!
Workshop 10
The Power of Words: How What We Say About Animals 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Workshops
Impacts Public Perceptions
Workshop 36
Matching Resources to Animal Shelter Goals
Workshop 37
Community Engagement in Underserved Areas
3:30 to 4 p.m.
Break with Refreshments
Workshop 38
Pit Bull Rescue: What Works and What We’ve Learned
Workshop 39
Wildlife Management – Developing Effective SOPs for 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Workshops
Animal Shelters
Workshop 11
Customer Service Strategies for Animal Welfare Workshop 40
More Cheese, Please! Marketing Pets & Partnerships through Professionals
Community-Wide Adoption Events
Workshop 12
Chip, Chip Hooray! Using Microchips to Dramatically Increase Return to Owner Rates, Boost Licensing 10:30 to 11 a.m. Break
Compliance AND Your Shelter’s Profile in the Community
Workshop 13
Revisiting Adoption Ambassadors: A Movement You Don’t 11 to 12:30 p.m. Workshops
Want to Miss
Workshop 41
Ethically Speaking
Workshop 14
Workshop 42
The Gateway Crime - How Investigating Animal Cruelty Can Workshop 15
Big Message, Big Mission, Small Budget: The Marketing Lead to Discovering Other Crimes
Challenge
Workshop 43
Public/Private Partnerships: An Updated Model for Trap-
Neuter-Return
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Networking Event in Exhibit Hall
Workshop 44
Workshop 45
Hold the Antibiotics – Let’s Go Viral!
Sunday, April 24
12:30 to 1 p.m.
8 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
9 to 10:30 a.m.
Workshop 16
Workshop 17
Workshop 18
Workshop 19
Workshop 20
Workshops
Navigating Change Management
Dangerous Dog Investigations Overview
Open Selection Adoption - Higher Adoption Numbers, Much Less Effort
Social Media for Leadership: Strategies for Engagement
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Closing Ceremony & Raffle
Workshop and Event Schedule
Shelter Medicine Track
Single Day, Limited Registration for DVMs and LVTs Only
Friday, April 22
Noon to 8 p.m.
6 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 23
7:30 to 8 a.m. Check-In and Breakfast
8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Workshop 1: Don’t Panic! - How to Manage an Infectious Disease Outbreak in Any Shelter
Chumkee Aziz, DVM, Outreach Veterinarian, University of Wisconsin, Madison – Shelter Medicine
9:30 to 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Workshop 2: Legal and Ethical Dilemmas for Shelter Vets in Texas
Wendy Blount, DVM, Candidate ACVIM, Eastex Veterinary Clinic
11:15 to 11:30 a.m.
Break
11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Workshop 3 and Lunch: We Get Along! – What Successful Cooperation Between Shelters and Private Practice Veterinarians Looks Like
Russell N. Ueckert, DVM, President TVMA
P. Shawn Ashley, DVM, MS, Shelter Veterinarian, Humane Society of North Texas
Catherine McManus VMD, MPH, DACVPM, Operations Manager, Dallas Animal Services
Erin Shults, DVM, CEO, Mazie’s Mission
Rosemary C. Lindsey, DVM, La Paloma Small Animal Hospital
2:00 to 2:15 p.m.
Break
2:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Workshop 4: Canine Influenza: An Animal Control Perspective Focused on Outbreak Prevention at the Animal Shelter
Sandra J. Strong, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Wake County Animal Center
3:45 to 4:00 p.m.
Break with Refreshments
4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Workshop 5: Debunk Behavioral Myths and Stop the Revolving Door
Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, Veterinary Services Specialist, Ceva Animal Health
5:30 to 7 p.m.
CE credit through TBVME is offered each day of the Texas Unites for
Animals Conference. DVMs and LVTs are encouraged to register for
the full, three day conference to take part in the general conference
workshops and activities on Sunday, April 24 and Monday, April 25.
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Friday, April 22
Registration
Noon to 8 p.m.
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 23
DVMS and LVTs: See Page 7 for Shelter Medicine Track Schedule (SAturday Only)
Additional TBVME approved CE Courses Highlighted in Blue
Registration
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m.
Opening Session A Matter of Trust: A Human Service Approach to Animal Welfare, B.J. Rogers, CAWA, Vice
9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
President, ProLearning, ASPCA
Break
10:30 to 11 a.m.
LEADERSHIP
Workshops
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
FIELD SERVICES
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
1 Under the Dome
- A Brief Overview
of the Bills that
Passed and Failed
in 2015 and How
to Get Political for
Animals, Shelby
L. Bobosky, Esq.,
President & Legislative
Chairman, Laura
Donahue, Executive
Director, and Stacy
Sutton Kerby,
Operations Director,
Texas Humane
Legislation Network
2 Think Big, Start
Small: Building
Sustainable
Enforcement
Programs, From
the Ground Up,
Vincent Medley,
Executive Director,
Animal Care and
Control Team
Philadelphia
3 Nothing So
Practical As a
Good Theory:
Harm Reduction &
Animal Welfare,
B.J. Rogers, CAWA,
Vice President,
ProLearning, ASPCA
4 Understanding
the Mind of the
Dog – You Don’t
Have to Be a
Psychic!, Valarie
V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl.
ACVB, Veterinary
Services Specialist,
Ceva Animal Health
5 Technology
101 for Small
Non-Profit
Organizations,
Susie Lim,
Administrator of
Grants Training and
Technology, ASPCA
6 Transitioning
Your Working
Board to a
Governing Board,
Ron Marullo,
Executive Director,
Texas Humane Heroes
7 Stray Cats and
Owner Reclaims:
Solving the
Puzzle, How to
Increase Your
Feline RTO &
Decrease Intake,
Kimberley Freeman,
Founder, Lost Cat
Recovery
8 The Breed ID
Game: Removing
Breed Labels
to Increase
Adoptions, Kristen
Auerbach, Deputy
Chief Animal Services
Officer, Austin Animal
Center and Caitlin
Quinn, Director of
Operations, HeARTs
Speak, Inc.
9 The Power of
Natural Healing!
Taking Care of
Animals and
Ourselves,
Naturally!, Carrie
Donahue, DVM,
Full Circle Holistic
Veterinary Care
10 The Power of
Words: How What
We Say About
Animals Impacts
Public Perceptions,
Cathy M. Rosenthal,
Animal Welfare
Communications
Consultant, Writing
for a Cause
Lunch
12:30 to 2 p.m
Workshops
2 to 3:30 p.m.
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Saturday, April 23 (continued)
LEADERSHIP
Workshops
4 to 5:30 p.m.
11 Customer
Service
Strategies for
Animal Welfare
Professionals,
Cathy M. Rosenthal,
Animal Welfare
Communications
Consultant, Writing
for a Cause
FIELD SERVICES
12 Chip, Chip
Hooray! Using
Microchips to
Dramatically
Increase Return
to Owner Rates,
Boost Licensing
Compliance AND
Your Shelter’s
Profile in the
Community, Lisa
Norwood, Public
Relations and
Outreach Manager,
City of San Antonio
Animal Care Services
and Vincent Medley,
Executive Director,
Animal Care and
Control Team
Philadelphia
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
13 Revisiting
Adoption
Ambassadors:
A Movement
You Don’t Want
to Miss, B.J.
Rogers, CAWA,
Vice President,
ProLearning, ASPCA
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
14 Concord With
Cats – Avoiding
the Rodeo,
Elizabeth J. Colleran
DVM, MS DABVP
feline specialty,
CEO, Cat Hospital of
Portland
MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
15 Big Message,
Big Mission,
Small Budget:
The Marketing
Challenge, Ashtyn
Rivet, Marketing and
Outreach Manager,
BARC Animal Shelter
& Adoptions
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 24
Registration
8 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m.
LEADERSHIP
Workshops
9 to 10:30 a.m.
FIELD SERVICES
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
16 Navigating
Change
Management,
Alex Muñoz,
Director, MiamiDade County Animal
Services
17 Dangerous
Dog Investigations
Overview,
Ray Rentschler,
Field Operations
Administrator –
Animal Services, City
of Arlington
18 Open Selection
Adoption Higher Adoption
Numbers, Much
Less Effort, Sandra
J. Strong, DVM, Chief
Veterinarian, Wake
County Animal Center
19 Refurbish
and Renovate
Rather than Build
a New Facility:
Make Your
Existing Facility
Look Great on
a Budget!, Greg
Taylor, CEO, Mason
Company
20 Social Media
for Leadership:
Strategies for
Engagement,
Kristen Auerbach,
Deputy Chief Animal
Services Officer,
Austin Animal Center
21 Shelter
Transformation:
How a Shelter
Evaluation Helped
Our Organization
Move Forward,
Bob Citrullo, Executive
Director, Humane
Educational Society
and Tim Crum,
CEO, Animal Shelter
Services, LLC
22 The Evolution
of Animal
Response, Tim
Rickey, Vice President,
Field Investigations
and Response, ASPCA
23 Rescue Right:
Increasing
Adoption
Appeal through
Appropriate
Veterinary
Medicine, Erin
Shults, DVM, CEO,
Mazie’s Mission
24 Inside the
Mind of the
Hoarded Dog,
Kellie Snider MS,
Animal Behavior
Programs Manager,
SPCA of Texas
25 Take the Time
to Save Time, Carl
Youngberg, President,
Concepts 3 Inc.
Break
10:30 to 11 a.m.
Workshops
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
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Sunday, April 24 (continued)
Lunch
12:30 to 2 p.m.
LEADERSHIP
Workshops
2 to 3:30 p.m.
26 Toolkit for
the Time-Starved
Leader: A
Practical Guide
to Creating
and Sustaining
Employee
Engagement,
Jocelyn Kessler, Senior
Director, Spay/Neuter
Operations, ASPCA
FIELD SERVICES
27 Building a
Cockfighting
Investigations
Program,
Audra Houghton,
Field Operations
Supervisor, City of
San Antonio Animal
Care Services
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
28 Adopters
Welcome: A
New Guide to
Transform Your
Adoptions!, Sarah
Matisak, Senior
Shelter Services
Coordinator, The
Humane Society of
the United States
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
29 Cootie Control:
Infectious Disease
Prevention and
Management
(Part 1), Katie
Broaddus, DVM,
Chief Veterinarian,
Austin Humane
Society
30 Using Social
Media for Crisis
Communication,
Rebecca Poling, Social
Media Coordinator,
Dallas Animal Services
Extended Break with Refreshments - FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT EXHIBIT HALL!
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Workshops
4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
31 Fundraising’s
Hidden Power:
Making Every
Donor Count, Tim
Crum, Founder &
CEO, Animal Shelter
Fundraising
32 Logistics of
a Large Scale
Operation, Tim
Rickey, Vice President,
Field Investigations
and Response, ASPCA
33 Implementing
Adopters
Welcome: Making
the Shift Away
From Application
Based Adoptions,
Sarah Matisak, Senior
Shelter Services
Coordinator and
Suzanne D’Alonzo,
CAWA, Coordinator,
Shelter Services, The
Humane Society of
the United States
34 Outbreak!
Putting Out the
Fires Before They
Burn You (Part 2),
Katie Broaddus, DVM,
Chief Veterinarian,
Austin Humane
Society
35 P.U.G.S.S. –
The Best Breed
of Conflict
Management,
Seamus R. Nelson,
Director of
Communications,
San Antonio Humane
Society
Monday, April 25
Registration
8 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m.
Workshops
9 to 10:30 a.m.
LEADERSHIP
FIELD SERVICES
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
36 Matching
Resources to
Animal Shelter
Goals, Kent Glenn,
DVM, Veterinarian,
Weatherford Parker
County Animal Shelter
37 Community
Engagement in
Underserved
Areas, Todd Stosuy,
Field Services
Manager, Santa Cruz
and Jody Jones,
Division Manager,
City of Dallas
38 Pit Bull Rescue:
What Works
and What We’ve
Learned, Brandy
Monnens, Board
Member and Lindsey
Ortiz, Board Member,
Love-A-Bull, Inc.
39 Wildlife
Management
– Developing
Effective SOPs for
Animal Shelters,
Kate Rugroden,
Director of Special
Projects, Bat World
Sanctuary
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MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
40 More
Cheese, Please!
Marketing Pets
& Partnerships
through
Community-Wide
Adoption Events,
Lisa Norwood,
Public Relations and
Outreach Manager,
City of San Antonio
Animal Care Services
and Bethany Heins,
Local Program Cities
Manager, Best Friends
Animal Society
Monday, April 25 (continued)
Break
10:30 to 11 a.m.
LEADERSHIP
Workshops
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
41 Ethically
Speaking, Kevin
D. Hearst Sr., Chief
Cruelty Investigator/
Instructor, The Law
Enforcement Training
Institute University of
Missouri Extension
FIELD SERVICES
ADOPTIONS & RESCUE
HEALTH & BEHAVIOR
42 The Gateway
Crime - How
Investigating
Animal Cruelty
Can Lead to
Discovering Other
Crimes, J. Macklin
Milligan, Assistant
District Attorney,
Harris County District
Attorney’s Office
43 Public/Private
Partnerships: An
Updated Model
for Trap-NeuterReturn, Shelly Kotter,
Community Cat
Program Manager
and Desiree TristeAragon, Community
Cat Project Supervisor,
Best Friends Animal
Society
44 To PEP or Not
to PEP, Michael A.
White, DVM, MS,
Executive Director,
Montgomery County
Animal Shelter and
Animal Control
Closing Ceremony & Raffle
12:30 to 1 p.m.
Texas Unites
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MARKETING &
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
45 Hold the
Antibiotics – Let’s
Go Viral!, Whitney
Hanson, Director of
Development and
Communications,
Humane Society of
North Texas and Misty
Valenta, Community
Programs Coordinator,
Williamson County
Regional Animal
Shelter
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Keynote Address
A Matter of Trust: A Human Service Approach to
Animal Welfare
Saturday, April 23, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
B.J. Rogers, CAWA, Vice President, ProLearning, ASPCA
A relatively recent trend, animal welfare organizations are
increasingly recognizing that the work they do - - in many
ways - - is a human service endeavor with the ultimate goal
of benefitting animals. After all, few animals enter or leave
our facilities or organizations without a person attached to
them in some way.
Given that realization, we’ll explore the application of some
social service principles (rooted in an approach known as
Harm Reduction Theory) in our field. What can we learn
from our peers on the human service side? Where might
our paths diverge? Be prepared to engage - - the genius in
the room will be at the table around you; the guy on the
dais is just there to incite your insight.
Leadership
1 Under the Dome - A Brief Overview of the Bills
that Passed and Failed in 2015 and How to Get
Political for Animals
Saturday, April 23, 2016 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Shelby L. Bobosky, Esq., President & Legislative Chairman,
Texas Humane Legislation Network
Laura Donahue, Executive Director, Texas Humane
Legislation Network
Stacy Sutton Kerby, Operations Director, Texas Humane
Legislation Network
This course will begin with a brief description of the
Texas Humane Legislation Network and then explain how
Texas Unites’ attendees, whether they are ACOs, rescue
volunteers, shelter managers or other animal welfare
advocates, can get politically active for the sake of the
animals. This includes grass roots tips, how to engage
legislators within their own causes, and effectively lobbying
for the animals in Texas. Most of this will be handled by
Ms. Kerby. This course will also cover the 84rth Texas
Legislative Session in depth with respect to all of the animalrelated bills brought during the session. Ms. Bobosky will
give a brief background to the 2014 Texas legislature,
including how the elections shifted Texas into a three party
state, and the numbers of bills brought, passed and vetoed
and legislatively “scorecarding” animal bills. They will
focus on the successful bills that relate to animals, and how
those bills change existing law. This course will briefly
touch on federal animal bills as well as cutting edge legal
topics including universities using animals in laboratories,
how long a Texas shelter can hold an animal before it
legally owns an animal and how to get your elected
officials to take animal cruelty seriously.
6 Transitioning Your Working Board to a
Governing Board
Saturday, April 23, 2016 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Ron Marullo, Executive Director, Texas Humane Heroes
Too many “chefs in the kitchen”? Do you think your
organization is ready to make a switch from a working board
to a policy-driven governing board, but don’t know where to
start?
Many nonprofits have difficulty moving from a working board
to a governing board, or even deciding if the time is right.
In a working board, board members work in key roles as
unpaid staff, conducting program operations, fundraising,
and administrative work. When an organization is ready to
transition to a governing board, the board instead takes on
roles related to advocacy, networking, oversight, strategic
planning, and major gift fundraising.
In addition to understanding the difference between different
board types, you will learn ways to see if your organization
is ready for a transition to a governing board, and if so,
some suggested methods to conduct the transition, change
management, and steps to carry forward with a transition to
a governing board to accomplish your mission.
11 Customer Service Strategies for Animal
Welfare Professionals
Cathy M. Rosenthal, Animal Welfare Communications
Consultant, Writing for a Cause
Poor service means fewer people will think of your agency
as the place to adopt pets. Whenever you offend someone,
you reduce the flow of traffic at your agency, which in turn
impacts adoptions. Delivering exceptional customer service
increases traffic to your shelter and may even increase
potential adopters for your homeless pets. In this workshop,
discover the secret to understanding those “two-legged
animals,” how to achieve a high-level of service for your
community, and what the role customer service should play
in the animal shelter environment.
Learning outcomes:
•
Why customers get upset
•
Major “don’ts” of customer service
•
How to use your voice and body to keep interactions calm
•
The trick to getting people to agree with you
•
Tips for handling difficult customers
16 Navigating Change Management
Sunday, April 24, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Alex Muñoz, Director, Miami-Dade County Animal Services
Organizational change is a reality in the life of an Animal
Welfare Organization. Alex Muñoz, Director of MiamiDade County Animal Services (ASD) took on the role
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of Director in 2011. Since that time, he has managed
to change the culture and values of ASD by developing
a professional staff focused on services and innovative
programs. He strategically gained the trust and confidence
of Miami-Dade County policymakers resulting in funding to
sustain progressive programs. Throughout his tenure with
ASD, Mr. Muñoz has also gained community trust and
successfully navigated the hyperactivity of social media
through transparency and outreach. As a result, ASD has
reached the highest save rates in the department’s history.
21 Shelter Transformation: How a Shelter
Evaluation Helped Our Organization Move
Forward
Sunday, April 24, 2016 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Bob Citrullo, Executive Director, Humane Educational
Society
Tim Crum, CEO, Animal Shelter Services, LLC
Many non-profit animal shelter boards and leaders
are so involved in the details of running the day-today operations they no longer have the ability to view
themselves objectively or to make the difficult decisions
to effect change. This workshop is the true story of how
one executive director opened up his shelter to receive a
comprehensive, objective shelter evaluation that examined
every aspect of his organization’s shelter operations,
management and board governance. Through first-hand
account, Bob Citrullo and Tim Crum will share pointcounterpoint of the shelter evaluation process and how
the Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga, TN was
able to leverage findings from the shelter evaluation to
negotiate more revenue from local municipalities and begin
the process to fund a new animal shelter. This is a must
attend workshop for any shelter director, board member
or volunteer who wants to learn how they can take shelter
operations to an entirely new level.
26 Toolkit for the Time-Starved Leader: A
Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining
Employee Engagement
Sunday, April 24, 2016 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Jocelyn Kessler, Senior Director, Spay/Neuter Operations,
ASPCA
Employee engagement is essential to success, and there are
infinite opinions on how to achieve it. This workshop will
provide a clear and simple path that is achievable in any
organization without overhauling everything. Hiring the right
people, setting motivating goals, and spending worthwhile
one-on-one time with your staff will help you develop
the team you need to succeed in our ever-changing,
challenging environment. This workshop will provide you
with the fundamental tools and show you how to get the
most out of them. They are easy to implement, so you can
reap the benefits as soon as you return to the office.
31 Fundraising’s Hidden Power: Making Every
Donor Count
Tim Crum, Founder & CEO, Animal Shelter Fundraising
More adults in the United States contribute money to
charities than vote, volunteer or attend houses of worship.
The key to getting more money and more donors lies in your
ability to work smarter and more efficiently by tapping into
resources right underneath your nose. Encourage those who
already support you to help with the work of securing funds.
Come learn how to build lasting relationships with donors,
ask current donors for more money, invite donors to find
other donors, and build a volunteer team devoted to asking
for money to help more animals. It’s not pie in the sky; it’s a
powerful source of fundraising.
In this workshop you will learn:
• how to invite your donors to find other donors,
• how to build meaningful lasting relationships with
donors
• how to ask current donors for more money
• how to build a team of volunteers who are willing to
ask for money
36 Matching Resources to Animal Shelter Goals
Monday, April 25, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Kent Glenn, DVM, Veterinarian, Weatherford Parker County
Animal Shelter
This session will present ways to maximize resources to
provide healthier, more adoptable animals at animal
shelters, increase efficiency with resources and achieve
animal shelter goals. The discussion will emphasize the best
use of financial and staff resources from intake to adoption,
including the variables of capacity management and how
to apply those “onerous” ASV Guidelines. The topics will
include the “dos” and “don’ts” in medical treatment and
surgery and some discussion of different approaches to
stretching resources. Participants will share ideas to increase
a shelter’s “bang for the buck,” develop financial resources,
“sweeten the pot” to encourage rescues and attain results
that bring that very important positive outlook to staff and
volunteers! The data shows “there is hope!”
41 Ethically Speaking
Monday, April 25, 201611:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Kevin D. Hearst Sr., Chief Cruelty Investigator/Instructor,
The Law Enforcement Training Institute University of Missouri
Extension
Why ethics should be enforced at your work place. Our
presentation will explain what role ethics play in your work
environment, how to navigate through character & integrity
issues on and off the clock. Supervisory and subordinates,
legal liabilities and misconduct while in uniform/ on the job.
Audience participation will lean toward Law Enforcement
agencies (Police, Sheriff, Code Enforcement, Animal
Control, shelter workers, volunteers and rescue groups).
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Field Services
2 Think Big, Start Small: Building Sustainable
Enforcement Programs, From the Ground Up
Vincent Medley, Executive Director, Animal Care and
Control Team Philadelphia
This course will teach participants simple techniques to
improve enforcement, live release and outreach programs
and monitor the success through process improvement and
report analysis. Managers, supervisors, and frontline staff
of small and large shelters will learn how to move their
agency from reactive to proactive through enforcement.
The target audience are frontline staff, supervisors and
managers. The course objectives are as follows:
• Participants will learn how to utilize the largest outreach
group in the humane industry, animal control officers.
• Participants will learn the mechanics involved with
evaluating public needs and creating programs to
address the need.
• Participants will learn how to develop agency and
officer performance measures to maximize program
results
• Participants will learn to integrate enforcement and live
release programs to benefit their agency.
• Participants will learn how outreach programs are used
to address community public health and safety issues.
7 Stray Cats and Owner Reclaims: Solving
the Puzzle, How to Increase Your Feline RTO &
Decrease Intake
Kimberley Freeman, Founder, Lost Cat Recovery
An estimated 50 thousand cats are reported missing per
week in the U.S. Roughly 12 thousand of them are never
found. Many end up as strays in shelters. Why are so few
cats reclaimed? This presentation will look at:
• Ways to improve owner reclaims
• Two methods to decrease stray intake and crowding
• Owner mindsets that block reclaim potential
• The microchip myth and public misunderstanding
• Typical search mistakes owners make
• Improving shelter tips to lost cat owners
• Lost pet scams and why owners fall for them
• Tools to offer shelter visitors
• Simple methods to increase monthly shelter donations
Learn how to make a difference implementing an integrated
approach to benefit your shelter and community.
12 Chip, Chip Hooray! Using Microchips to
Dramatically Increase Return to Owner Rates,
Boost Licensing Compliance AND Your Shelter’s
Profile in the Community
Lisa Norwood, Public Relations and Outreach Manager,
City of San Antonio Animal Care Services
Vincent Medley, Executive Director, Animal Care and
Control Team Philadelphia
We all know microchips can be a lost pet’s way home…
but they can also be just the ticket your agency needs to
revive a failing licensing program! While other communities
encourage microchipping with differential fees, San Antonio
is the largest city in the nation to use registered microchips
as the primary means of pet licensing….and it’s led to
huge increases in happy reunions and good press! Find out
how a microchip license ordinance can help your shelter
saves thousands of lives (and dollars) through enhancing
a process you may already have in place. This workshop
is focused on municipal agencies that run pet licensing
programs but the community outreach efforts, media
relations and stakeholder buy-in tips are universal.
17 Dangerous Dog Investigations Overview
Ray Rentschler, Field Operations Administrator – Animal
Services, City of Arlington
There have been some changes in the Texas Dangerous
Dog laws as of last legislative period. This exciting
investigative class will cover these new laws and give an
overview of the sometimes complicated dangerous dog
laws. Dangerous Dog Investigations Overview will also
give some practical tips on finding, relating individuals to
animals and meeting the elements of the Dangerous Dog
law for solid cases.
22 The Evolution of Animal Response
Tim Rickey, Vice President , Field Investigations and
Response, ASPCA
In the past decade the animal response profession has
seen significant improvement in our approach and
impact. Looking at lessons learned from significant
events like Hurricane Katrina to Super Storm Sandy and
groundbreaking animal cruelty cases like the Mo-500.
We will look back at some of the challenges that come
with rescuing and sheltering large numbers of animals and
reflect on the many best practices and lessons learned that
form our approach today.
27 Building a Cockfighting Investigations
Program
Audra Houghton, Field Operations Supervisor, City of San
Antonio Animal Care Services
Since the passage of the Texas cockfighting laws in 2011
agencies have a much broader range of tools available to
aid in the enforcement of these animal fighting crimes. In
this workshop, we will discuss what animal control agencies
can do to spearhead a taskforce to effectively enforce these
laws. San Antonio Animal Care Services has worked with a
group of SAPD officers for the last 2 years and has effected
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seizures of over 600 roosters, leading to numerous criminal
cases being filed under the new statute. These techniques
can be used by departments both large and small, and
can have a huge impact in your community and for your
organization.
animal cruelty laws don’t allow investigators to file an
animal cruelty case.
32 Logistics of a Large Scale Operation
Tim Rickey, Vice President , Field Investigations and
Response, ASPCA
3 Nothing So Practical As a Good Theory: Harm
Reduction & Animal Welfare
In the last few years, the ASPCA has provided emergency
sheltering for nearly 10,000 animals as a result of disasters,
blood-sports, and cruelty cases. Typically, large seizure
cases will involve multiple agencies or jurisdictions including
law enforcement and regulatory agencies, and may require
hundreds of responders from local, regional, state, and
national agencies. The purpose of this presentation will
be to address some of the many challenges that come with
rescuing, sheltering and placing large numbers of animals.
We will cover some of the best practices and lessons
learned from recent cases.
A follow-up to the morning keynote, we’ll take a critical
look at the principles of harm reduction theory and explore
how to translate those concepts into policy, practice, and
behavior.
37 Community Engagement in Underserved
Areas
Todd Stosuy, Field Services Manager, Santa Cruz County
Animal Shelter
Jody Jones, Division Manager, City of Dallas
We’ll hash these ideas and challenges out together, dig into
some core principles, and see if we can’t come out on the
other side with a practical approach or two - - and maybe
even a sense of how “good” this particular theory might be
when it comes to our work.
Animal care and control agencies across the United States
are beginning to change how they address nuisance
complaints and minor neglect issues in underserved areas
of their community. This is due to a new understanding of
the effects of poverty on community members and the pets
they love. This increased understanding and new way of
working WITHIN the community has not only helped keep
animals in homes that love them, but has also begun to
build trust with the community and animal care and control
agencies.
This increased trust has helped agencies further their mission
with animals and owners who truly need their help, as well
as decreasing intake numbers and euthanasia. Agencies
are proactively engaging the community and understanding
and respecting cultural differences while at the same
time trying to transform the challenges of that culture into
positives for the sake of the animals.
42 The Gateway Crime - How Investigating
Animal Cruelty Can Lead to Discovering Other
Crimes
Monday, April 25, 2016 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
J. Macklin Milligan, Assistant District Attorney, Harris
County District Attorney’s Office
This workshop will cover the different animal cruelty laws in
Texas, why it’s important to recognize how animal cruelty
and other crimes are connected, and ways to creatively
file charges under other statutes if the loopholes in current
Adoptions & Rescue
When it comes to the complex dynamics of people, poverty,
culture, and availability of services (or lack thereof), how
do we best serve pets in crisis - - and how do we shift our
philosophy and practice to serve people as a gateway to
helping animals? Or, more directly: can we in fact serve
animals without serving people?
8 The Breed ID Game: Removing Breed Labels to
Increase Adoptions
Kristen Auerbach, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer,
Caitlin Quinn, Director of Operations, HeARTs Speak, Inc.
What role should breed – breed identification and breed
labeling – play in today’s animal shelters? Thanks to
years of research we know about the inaccuracy of breed
labeling based on visual guesses, and progressive shelters
can and do remove breed labels and without any backlash
from the public. But right now, too many dogs are still
mislabeled with inaccurate guesses, too many assumptions
and predictions about behavior are made based on
behavior traits associated with the assigned breed label,
and too many dogs are unfairly penalized for the breed
label they’re given.
Luckily, the solutions are simple, effective and most
importantly, help shelters to convey accurate information to
adopters. Using tried-and-true techniques from shelters who
have put this into practice, this presentation will provide
brief background information on breed labeling, and will
focus on the tangible steps that each shelter can take to not
only remove breed labels, but to move forward with ease
---covering frequently asked questions about SOPs, adoption
logistics, public perception and basic marketing tips.
Examples from several shelters around the country will also
be used, alongside scientific information about visual breed
identification and labeling.
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13 Revisiting Adoption Ambassadors: A
Movement You Don’t Want to Miss
Trust volunteers to act as adoption counselors on your
behalf. Send them home with an animal and allow them to
do the rest - - up to and including finalizing the adoption.
The adopter never comes to the shelter, the animal never
returns, and your volunteer just became a direct partner in
saving a life. Simple, right?
28 Adopters Welcome: A New Guide to
Transform Your Adoptions!
Sarah Matisak, Senior Shelter Services Coordinator, The
Humane Society of the United States
It’s a program we call Adoption Ambassadors - - and one
the ASPCA® has been talking up for a couple of years
now.
Looking to improve adoptions? This session will introduce
Adopters Welcome, a new tool developed to help shelters
and rescues expand your pool of potential adopters,
increase staff, volunteer, and adopter satisfaction with the
overall adoption experience and ensure adopters succeed
with their new pets at home. Research, strategies and
practical tools allow you to implement its recommendations
immediately. All session participants will receive a copy of
the Adopters Welcome manual.
Following phase one of a six-month national campaign that
engaged some 750 organizations around the country, we’ll
have a look at what we’ve learned and what’s next. We’ll
focus on opportunities for your organization to implement
or expand a program of your own (and access funding to
help!) There’ll be lots of room for Q&A and to engage your
peers and colleagues in figuring out how the concept can
help you to save lives.
33 Implementing Adopters Welcome: Making
the Shift Away From Application Based
Adoptions
Sarah Matisak, Senior Shelter Services Coordinator, The
Humane Society of the United States
Suzanne D’Alonzo, CAWA, Coordinator, Shelter Services,
The Humane Society of the United States
18 Open Selection Adoption - Higher Adoption
Numbers, Much Less Effort
Sandra J. Strong, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Wake County
Animal Center
Once you’ve embraced the Adopters Welcome philosophy,
learn how to incorporate the training and tools your
adoption team needs to put the program in place. The
Adopters Welcome approach relies on open and honest
conversations that set pets and their owners up for success.
This session will introduce managers, staff and volunteers
to a positive alternative to traditional application- based
adoptions and provides the framework for delivering
engaging and supportive conversations.
This session will specifically focus on the methods used to
increase adoption numbers by utilizing an open selection
adoption process. Proven examples will demonstrate the
success of this innovative method which is used at Wake
County Animal Center. This presentation will highlight how
to implement this process in a shelter and give examples
of different shelters that utilize this strategy and how open
selection has impacted live release. Open selection
adoption allows for adopters to select from the entire
population of animals vs the traditional method of preselecting animals.
23 Rescue Right: Increasing Adoption Appeal
through Appropriate Veterinary Medicine
One of the biggest challenges rescue organizations
and municipal shelters face is providing exceptional
veterinary care for the animals in their programs. Due to
conflicting information either online or through various
recommendations, it can be difficult to know what is
considered appropriate care. Standards of veterinary
medicine have changed over the years so it can be
impossible to keep up. This session will go over vaccine
protocols, heartworm treatment, deworming standards,
spay/neuter, skin disease and other common scenarios
seen in the rescue industry.
38 Pit Bull Rescue: What Works and What
We’ve Learned
Brandy Monnens, Board Member, Love-A-Bull, Inc.
Lindsey Ortiz, Board Member, Love-A-Bull, Inc.
Love-A-Bull is a 100% volunteer run, 501(c)3 pit bull rescue
and advocacy organization. Our mission is to promote
responsible guardianship and to improve the image and
lives of pit bull type dogs through community support,
education, advocacy and rescue. Love-A-Bull has worked
incredibly hard to build positive relationships not only within
our community, but nationally and we could not persevere
without the support of our donors and volunteers. We
have been incredibly successful in just the short amount of
time we have been in operation, but we’ve also had some
bumps in the road that have helped us re-evaluate and
better our organization as a whole.
We are consistently approached via email, Facebook
and in person by others wanting to join the movement in
advocating for pit bull type dogs and they seek guidance
on how to do so successfully and effectively. Some of our
experiences that we’d like to share focus on what has
helped us be successful within our foster network, our
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adoption program, volunteer management and specific
programs that set us apart that others can implement into
their organizations, such as training including our Pit Crew.
The most common issue that we are continually trying to
overcome is the housing and insurance issue as it pertains
to “aggressive” breeds and we have had some break
through that we’d love to share.
presentation will help attendees better understand how dogs
communicate with visual cues and when and why they may
be more likely to use aggression when interacting with us.
Understanding when and why dogs resort to aggression
can help us to better evaluate some individuals and
ensure that they go to the homes most appropriate for that
particular dog’s temperament.
43 Public/Private Partnerships: An Updated
Model for Trap-Neuter-Return
Shelly Kotter, Community Cat Program Manager, Best
Friends Animal Society
Desiree Triste-Aragon, Community Cat Project Supervisor,
Best Friends Animal Society
9 The Power of Natural Healing! Taking Care of
Animals and Ourselves, Naturally!
Carrie Donahue, DVM, Full Circle Holistic Veterinary Care
Trap/Neuter/Return is the only proven effective and
humane way to reduce the number of cats killed in
municipal shelters across the country. And TNR programs
are most successful when public and private organizations
work together. Best Friends Animal Society partners with
PetSmart Charities and municipal shelters across the country
and their programs (Community Cat Projects, or CCPs) have
helped create a new model for how municipal shelters deal
with community cats.
Join Shelly Kotter and Desiree Triste-Aragon for a discussion
of the program and what, exactly, has made the CCPs so
successful: the program’s unique application of SNR (shelterneuter-return) combined with traditional TNR. Learn how
SNR helps prevent shelter euthanasia of community cats
by returning altered animals to their original location, and
how tracking the return location of cats and the location
of surrendered kittens helps to reveal new colonies for
trapping, bolstering traditional TNR efforts. The CCPs goal
is to not only work with the municipal shelter but to assist
the community in cat-related issues for both cat caregivers
and complainants.
We will discuss exactly what success we have had with this
type of programs and the evidence we are seeing of its
impact. You’ll learn how you can create TNR partnerships
that will work in your community.
Health & Behavior
4 Understanding the Mind of the Dog – You
Don’t Have to Be a Psychic!
Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, Veterinary Services
Specialist, Ceva Animal Health
Dogs communicate with each other primarily by the use
of visual cues and this remains the most effective way they
have of communicating with us as well. However, if we fail
to attend to the messages they are sending us, we leave
them confused and unsure of our intentions. When dogs
are unsure of our intentions, we put them in a situation
where they may resort to the use of aggression. This
This will be an energizing and uplifting workshop for all of
those who work in the field of animal rescue. We will focus
on what natural and alternative therapies are available
for animals in shelters and rescues and how animal care
workers can use natural methods to help animals destress, boost their immune systems, calm fears and overall
increase the quality of their lives while they await their
forever homes. These will be techniques and modalities that
ANYONE can use! In learning how to help ease anxiety
and stress in animals, we will also learn to ease stress in
ourselves, something animal care workers should be doing
daily!
14 Concord With Cats – Avoiding the Rodeo
Elizabeth J. Colleran DVM, MS DABVP feline specialty,
CEO, Cat Hospital of Portland
The shelter staff are often the only educators for guardians
of newly adopted cats. This is a unique opportunity to
shape the experiences cats have particularly with car
rides and carriers. A principal barrier to much-needed
health care for cats is the experience cats and their owners
have. The veterinary visit or exam begins 30-45 minutes
before the client arrives at the practice appointment. If as
educators, shelter staff can reach out to new guardians to
help change the pre-visit experience, by teaching principals
based upon an understanding of normal cat behavior,
much-needed health care my be less neglected or avoided.
Welfare of cat as individuals and within communities can
be better protected when guardians understand how to
reduce fear and the unwanted behavior it engenders.
The shelter experience itself can be less frightening for
cats when gentle restraint techniques are implemented and
when each person who interacts with cats understands
how to reduce fear and arousal. The specifics of arousal,
observation, restraint and other forms of intervention will be
discussed with supportive video.
19 Refurbish and Renovate Rather than Build a
New Facility: Make Your Existing Facility Look
Great on a Budget!
Greg Taylor, CEO, Mason Company
Everyone dreams of building a new shelter but budgets,
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politics, zoning problems and other issues typically conspire
to keep that goal a dream instead of reality. A more
realistic - and quicker - solution is to renovate the existing
facility rather than build a new one.
This session will focus on how to improve the existing kennel
and cattery areas of current
shelter and animal control facilities to increase adoptions
and better serve the animals. A lot can be done for
considerably less than the cost of new construction to
brighten up existing adoption areas or improve disease
control, and therefore create a more enjoyable environment
for staff and animals. Even just renovating a portion of a
facility can make a huge difference.
Renovation is different from new construction and there are
special issues to consider. Often building materials have
degraded, the layout and flow needs to be re-designed,
and HVAC, plumbing, flooring, and lighting systems need to
be upgraded. Getting these and other problems addressed
correctly will critical to success.
Topic points will include different ways to refurbish kennels
and catteries to make them more attractive and less prone
to disease outbreaks; common problems encountered with
rehabbing animal facilities and ways to address them;
types of equipment that can be transferred and redeployed
at a new facility down the road, incorporating new sound
abatement technologies, etc. We will also briefly discuss the
challenges and solutions to hiring contractors for this type of
work.
24 Inside the Mind of the Hoarded Dog
Kellie Snider MS, Animal Behavior Programs Manager,
SPCA of Texas
The horrific conditions hoarded dogs live in before they are
rescued are, for them, normal. Rescue means taking them
from the only life they know, squalid as it may be, into a
shelter or foster home that is undoubtedly healthier, but that
for them is strange and terrifying. These dogs have had
a skewed introduction to life with humans so becoming a
successful pet can be very difficult. In order to prepare them
for adoption we have to build a new foundation.
Success is not guaranteed, but looking at the world from
their point of view is where we have to start.
29 Cootie Control: Infectious Disease Prevention
and Management (Part 1)
Katie Broaddus, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Austin Humane
Society
We’ve all heard the saying “An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure”. Planning, prevention, and swift
action are crucial when managing the health of entire
animal populations. Learn how to minimize the risk of
infectious disease occurrence and spread within your shelter
with methods that (1) decrease exposure, (2) decrease
susceptibility, and (3) increase resistance to disease.
34 Outbreak! Putting Out the Fires Before They
Burn You (Part 2)
Katie Broaddus, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Austin Humane
Society
Once a case of infectious disease is recognized in the
shelter, it is vital to respond quickly to prevent catastrophic
spread throughout the population. This workshop will
outline methods for diagnosis, mitigation, tracking, and
communication that will help attendees minimize the
consequences of a disease outbreak.
39 Wildlife Management – Developing Effective
SOPs for Animal Shelters
Kate Rugroden, Director of Special Projects, Bat World
Sanctuary
Both private and municipal animal shelters are becoming
increasingly involved in urban wildlife management issues,
as human encroachment on wild animal habitats continues
to drive these animals into close contact with the public.
Developing and maintaining a standard operating plan
(SOP) for managing wildlife in domestic animal shelters is
crucial in ensuring the health and safety of the public and
shelter employees and volunteers, while protecting these
animals and remaining in compliance with local, State, and
Federal regulations and guidelines.
In this course, participants will learn about the key
components of a successful Wildlife Management SOP, and
will receive a draft outline and manual for use in developing
an SOP for their agencies.
44 To PEP or Not to PEP
Michael A. White, DVM, MS, Executive Director,
Montgomery County Animal Shelter and Animal Control
Rabies is almost always fatal and has the highest fatality
rate of any conventional infectious disease. Assessing the
exposure risk for rabies is uncomplicated when a bite is
involved. However, it not nearly as straight forward when
non-bite exposures occur. When exposure involves a bat, the
assessment becomes even more complex.
An important aspect of the risk assessment involves the rabies
quarantine or test result of the animal suspected of exposing a
person or animal to rabies. Assessment of potential exposures
of our domestic animals is also important in protecting owners
from subsequent exposure to rabies. Physicians, as well as
some veterinarians, still are not clear on the difference in
quarantine procedures for an animal that bites a person and
an animal that is potentially exposed to rabies.
This presentation will provide a brief background on rabies,
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discuss the aspects of rabies exposure risk assessment, and the
quarantine procedures of both animals suspected of exposing
a person or animal to rabies and animals that are potentially
exposed to rabies. It will also emphasize the difficulty in
assessing bat exposures.
Marketing & Professional
Development
5 Technology 101 for Small Non-Profit
Organizations
Susie Lim, Administrator of Grants Training and Technology,
ASPCA
Overview of free and low-cost technology solutions to help
small nonprofit organizations streamline administrative
operations. This workshop will simplify the process of
planning and implementing a technology upgrade. Learn
the step by step process of planning your next tech upgrade
including how to figure out what tech products you need,
finding the right people to help you get the project off the
ground and prioritizing your technology needs.
A technology background is not necessary but basic
knowledge of operating a computer (website browsing,
Microsoft Word, and email) is helpful.
10 The Power of Words: How What We Say
About Animals Impacts Public Perceptions
Cathy M. Rosenthal, Animal Welfare Communications
Consultant, Writing for a Cause
What we say about animals matters. Negative language
can encourage us to develop prejudices that are not based
on fact, but myth. Over the past century, negative references
of some dog breeds as being “dangerous” and “vicious”
have impacted perceptions leading to their abuse, neglect,
and even euthanasia. Sadly, unlike the “sticks and stones
will hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me,” children’s
rhyme, which was designed for anti-bullying protection,
words do have the power to shape beliefs and attitudes
about animals. In this workshop, learn how to stop using
negative metaphors and introduce positive language in all
your interactions to reflect the individually of each pet that
comes into your care.
This workshop is for the advanced storytellers of your
agency or rescue operation – executive director, public
relations or development directors, board members, or any
volunteer or staff who speaks to the media or local groups
about animals. Attendees will learn:
• How language shapes and continues to shape
community perceptions about animals
• The five ways we can change our language to talk
about animals in a more positive way
• How to use persuasive language techniques to influence
public opinion
15 Big Message, Big Mission, Small Budget: The
Marketing Challenge
Ashtyn Rivet, Marketing and Outreach Manager, BARC
Animal Shelter & Adoptions
As an animal shelter or rescue, we constantly see
opportunities to tell our story. Marketing the services we
provide and our adoptable pets saves lives and impacts
countless families. A common challenge in our industry is
that most of us don’t have huge budgets. The good news
is that there are plenty of ways to spread your message
and your mission to many, many people on a dime (well,
almost).
Social media, your website or blog and other online tools
are only a few of the keys to successful marketing on a
budget. In this seminar, learn how to optimize your online
tools to reach your audience effectively, get tips on earning
media attention for free and see how your volunteers and
staff could be some of your best marketing tools through
excellent and memorable customer interactions! Day-today tactics are an important part of your marketing plan,
but building a well thought out strategy with a strong but
attainable goal is critical to effective marketing.
20 Social Media for Leadership: Strategies for
Engagement
Kristen Auerbach, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer,
In most animal welfare organizations, press releases,
media calls and television appearances are handled
by people in executive leadership roles. The same isn’t
always true for social media, which is often run by multiple
employees acting as publishers who may not have a clear
understanding of the agency vision and mission. The reality
of today’s world of high speed communications is social
media can have a wider audience and a bigger impact
than more traditional platforms. In this presentation, you’ll
learn how taking charge of your organization’s social
media program will increase community engagement, build
your brand and get your shelter noticed.
25 Take the Time to Save Time
Carl Youngberg, President, Concepts 3 Inc.
Time for a time management makeover? The Time Mastery
Makeover™ is one of the most dynamic and rich programs
Carl offers because it identifies both areas of strength and
weaknesses. You learn how to make changes to grow your
careers. The seminar has three main components:
• Examine how you manage your time during the day.
• Identify ways that you use time effectively and
ineffectively.
• Determine specific ways you can improve your time
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management.
This will help you manage your time for optimum
performance throughout your day. The outcome is less
stress, no surprises in the workplace and a sense of control.
Carl will offer a multitude of planning tools to help you
along the way. Avoid procrastination by learning the
process of “taking action” and being accountable for that
action.
30 Using Social Media for Crisis Communication
Rebecca Poling, Social Media Coordinator, Dallas Animal
Services
Social media has the potential to reach more people
with more relevant messages than ever before, making
Facebook and Twitter indispensable tools in a crisis, be
it man-made or nature-made. But anyone can create and
distribute content, accurate or not. So how do you, as a
first responders and subject matter experts, control the
messaging? This workshop will show you step-by-step how
to use social media to:
• prepare ahead of time for when things go wrong,
• monitor social channels and anticipate problems before
they reach crisis level,
• draft a holding statement and assess the situation,
• spot “teachable moments” and deal with negative
comments
• effectively use facts and reason to calm the crazy
Social media can be a powerful ally, or your worst
nightmare. Find out what you need to know to be sure that
social works for you - and not against you.
This presentation relies heavily on examples from a
municipal sheltering perspective, but the information can
apply to any type of shelter or rescue, even veterinary
clinics and private businesses.
35 P.U.G.S.S. – The Best Breed of Conflict
Management
Seamus R. Nelson, Director of Communication, San Antonio
Humane Society
P.U.G.S.S. is going to be your favorite tool in your tool
box by the end of this presentation. We all experience
conflict in our professions. Conflict with coworkers, conflict
with bosses, conflict with board members, conflict with
volunteers, conflict with our clients – it all happens in our
world. Because our work is so important to us, it is easy for
our disagreements to turn into full-blown arguments. As the
tension gets higher we seem to get farther from coming to a
solution or an agreement.
In the presentation you will get to learn the P.U.G.S.S.
process developed by Dr. Steven Beebe and Dr. Timothy
Mottet. It takes a “we” approach rather than a “you vs.
me” approach to coming to the best solution in the midst
of an argument. The model will not only be applicable
in the workplace, but in personal relationships, and is a
great approach to use in general problem solving, even if
everyone is in agreement.
40 More Cheese, Please! Marketing Pets &
Partnerships through Community-Wide Adoption
Events
Lisa Norwood, Public Relations and Outreach Manager,
Bethany Heins, Local Program Cities Manager, Best Friends
Animal Society
Ever wonder how to bring different organizations in your
community together to save more lives AND get media to
cover the story? The answer is a city-wide adoption event.
This workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of bringing
local animal agencies together to partner for pets in a BIG
way that gets your shelter (and your pets) noticed. Come
prepared to embrace the weird, wonky and wonderful
ways you can increase your adoptions and your shelter’s
community profile in just one weekend! This workshop will
help small and large animal welfare groups boost their
adoption rates and shelter’s reputations.
45 Hold the Antibiotics – Let’s Go Viral!
Whitney Hanson, Director of Development and
Communications, Humane Society of North Texas
Misty Valenta, Community Programs Coordinator,
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
Going viral on social media is the gold medal. When you
create a message that has spurred engagement more social
media users than ever will discover your organization, read
your message, and be able to respond and share your call
to action.
While writing a viral post isn’t an exact science, we have
both had social media posts that have travelled farther
than we imagined. We will share with you exactly how we
built the message, selected the still images/video, how we
shared the message, who picked up our story and how,
why we think it was such a success for us and how you can
create successful messaging for your organization.
Shelter Medicine
(Saturday - limited registration)
V1 Don’t Panic! - How to Manage an Infectious
Disease Outbreak in Any Shelter
Chumkee Aziz, DVM, Outreach Veterinarian, University of
Wisconsin, Madison – Shelter Medicine
Infectious diseases remain persistent challenges for shelters.
They threaten the health and wellbeing of individual
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animals, as well as the shelter as a whole. This presentation
will describe a step-by-step approach to recognizing and
responding to a disease outbreak, and how to apply this
organized system for response to almost any infectious
disease. We will also focus on implementing proactive
measures to prevent future outbreaks.
V2 Legal and Ethical Dilemmas for Shelter Vets
in Texas
Wendy Blount, DVM, Candidate ACVIM, Eastex Veterinary
Clinic
Do you ever wonder if it’s possible to keep abreast
of the laws that regulate us as shelter vets, much less
figure out how to obey them while taking good care of
shelter pets at the same time? Health and Safety Code,
Veterinary Practice Act, Rules of Professional Conduct,
Federal Controlled Drug Regulations, Pharmacy Act, FDA
Compounding Regulations, Case Law, etc., etc. We’ll cover
the following important topics:
• Where do you go to find the most current versions of
the laws that regulate us? How do you keep up with
changes?
• Which laws are the biggest pitfalls for shelter vets at
this time?
• Does owner exemption apply to shelter vets? Shelter
staff? Are fosters included?
• Can we legally vaccinate and deworm strays on intake?
• Is it true that dogs and cats cannot live in a herd in the
State of Texas?
• What medical care is shelter staff with no supervising
vet permitted to provide?
• What do we do if current law does not permit us to
care for animals according to standard of care in
shelter medicine?
V3 We Get Along! – What Successful
Cooperation between Shelters and Private
Practice Veterinarians Looks Like
P. Shawn Ashley, DVM, MS, Shelter Veterinarian, Humane
Society of North Texas
Catherine McManus VMD, MPH, DACVPM, Operations
Manager, Dallas Animal Services
Rosemary C. Lindsey, DVM, La Paloma Small Animal
Hospital
from this cooperation as well. Providing care from the
beginning for adopted pets allows for better owner
education as well as a better continuity of care for the pet.
Attracting new pet owners to a practice is a good method
of building a client base and new pet owners generally
make good clients. Cooperating with a shelter or rescue
group is also a good way to build good will and visibility
within the community.
V4 Canine Influenza: An Animal Control
Perspective Focused on Outbreak Prevention at
the Animal Shelter
Sandra J. Strong, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Wake County
Animal Center
In July of 2015, the novel strain of Canine Influenza H3N2
entered Western North Carolina and cases proceeded
eastwardly to Raleigh NC. The Wake County Animal
Center immediately implemented a multi-prong strategy
to alert our citizens, educate our board of commissioners,
and implement a plan for keeping the virus out of the
shelter. This workshop will share approaches to community
disease, along with the importance of public education
and organizational transparency. Each participant will be
encouraged to bring their own organization’s plan for an
outbreak response as part of workshop discussion.
V5 Debunk Behavioral Myths and Stop the
Revolving Door
Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, Veterinary Services
Specialist, Ceva Animal Health
Evidence suggests that adoptions have a higher rate of
success when owners of newly adopted pets can be well
counseled. Learn about the ten most common behavioral
myths that get pet owners in trouble and be prepared
to send the new pet owner home with the most accurate
up to date information so that they can avoid the pitfalls
that lead to broken human companion animal bonds and
failed adoptions. Pet owners who leave the shelter with this
information about animal behavior and training will have
more appropriate expectations of their new pet and be
better prepared to deal with the common challenges of pet
ownership thus decreasing the chance that the pet will be
returned to the shelter.
Cooperation between shelters and private practice
veterinarians is a real possibility with real benefits. There
is a need for veterinary involvement in the shelter industry,
even in small shelters and rescue groups. No group is too
small to have their “own” veterinarian. Veterinary care
lends credibility to the organization and an increased value
of the product being produced. The knowledge available
can help shelters and rescues provide better care and avoid
disasters.
Private practice veterinarians have the potential to benefit
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Speaker Bios
P. Shawn Ashley, DVM, MS, Shelter Veterinarian,
Humane Society of North Texas
Dr. Ashley graduated from Texas A&M University, College
of Veterinary Medicine in 1988. She was the sole
Practitioner/Owner of Lake Joe Pool Animal Clinic, Cedar
Hill, Texas, for 15 years. She then moved to Emergency,
Medical, Surgical, and Small Pet Exotic Medicine at I-20
Animal Medical Center, Arlington, Texas from 2004 2007. Dr. Ashley graduated with a Masters In Veterinary
Microbiology in 2009, from Texas A&M University. Dr.
Ashley was a Shelter Veterinarian for SPCA of Texas for
five years and is currently the shelter veterinarian for the
Humane Society of North Texas and the Co- Chair for the
TVMA Shelter Medicine Committee.
Kristen Auerbach, Deputy Chief Animal Services
Officer, Austin Animal Center
Kristen Auerbach is the Deputy Chief Animal Services
Officer at the Austin Animal Center, in Austin, Texas. AAC
is a national leader in No Kill animal sheltering, placing
more than 90% of the 18,000 animals that come through
its doors. Since 2011, Austin has been the largest No Kill
city in America. Kristen previously served as the Assistant
Director at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Fairfax,
Virginia, where she helped double adoptions and cut
euthanasia in half.
During her tenure, she implemented dog playgroups, a
comprehensive in-shelter enrichment program for cats and
dogs and innovative, lifesaving foster programs. Kristen
presents at regional and national conferences on topics
ranging from lifesaving foster solutions to social media for
animal shelters and how smart marketing and language
can change the game for homeless animals.
Chumkee Aziz, DVM, Outreach Veterinarian,
University of Wisconsin, Madison – Shelter
Medicine
Dr. Aziz obtained her DVM degree at Tufts Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. She completed a
rotating internship at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal
Hospital in NYC in 2013, which included experience in
anti-cruelty work and shelter medicine. Her current interests
include the role of community collaboration in mitigating pet
homelessness, proactive shelter population management,
and infectious disease prevention in shelters.
Wendy Blount, DVM, Candidate ACVIM, Eastex
Veterinary Clinic
As a companion animal veterinarian based in
Nacogdoches, Texas, Dr. Wendy Blount treats dogs and
cats only. She is Residency trained in Small Animal Internal
Medicine. Dr. Blount conducts Continuing Education
Seminars for small animal veterinarians, veterinary
technicians and animal control officers. As well, Dr. Blount
is on faculty at Duquesne University, and serves as Medical
Director for O’Malley PET (Preventing Euthanasia Together).
Dr. Blount has been the recipient of several prestigious
awards including 2012 TVMA Companion Animal
Practitioner of the Year, the 2011 Bilderback Award for
support of the animal sheltering community and the 2004
TAVP Clinical Referral and Consultation Award.
Shelby L. Bobosky, Esq., President & Legislative
Chairman, Texas Humane Legislation Network
Ms. Bobosky attended the University of Kentucky for her
undergraduate degree, earning a double major in History
and Spanish in 1996. She then attended the University of
Tulsa Law School and spent a year as a visiting law student
at Northwestern University School of Law graduating in
1999. In 1999, Ms. Bobosky moved from Chicago, Illinois
to Dallas, Texas, to begin her law practice. Since 1999,
Ms. Bobosky has continued practicing general civil litigation
until recently when she decided to do only pro bono work
putting in hundreds of hours for THLN as well as assisting
animal welfare advocates and rescues when possible. Ms.
Bobosky was heavily involved in the Dallas Association of
Young Lawyers, co-chairing the Animal Welfare Committee
for four years and raising thousands of dollars for local
501(c)(3) rescues during her terms.
Ms. Bobosky has been Vice President and Board Member
with THLN since January 2011 and became President in
2016. Ms. Bobosky served as the Co-Legislative Chairman
for THLN in the 2013 and 2015 sessions wherein she
helped ban gas chambers in Texas shelters for dogs and
cats and helped pass legislation to get peace officers
trained on canine encounters to reduce the number of
senseless shootings of Texas pets. She has traveled
thousands of miles with THLN in order to promote its
mission. Ms. Bobosky and her husband, three boys and
three rescue dogs live in Dallas, Texas.
Katie Broaddus, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Austin
Humane Society
Dr. Katie Luke Broaddus received a bachelor’s degree
in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin in
2000 and is a 2004 graduate of the Texas A&M College
of Veterinary Medicine. After a couple of years in private
practice, Dr. Broaddus began working as the first fulltime staff veterinarian at the Austin Humane Society. In
2007 she helped found the Austin Humane Society’s Feral
Cat Spay/Neuter Program which has since served over
40,000 free roaming cats. As the Chief Veterinarian
for the Austin Humane Society, Dr. Broaddus supervises
the medical care for over 11,000 pets each year and
has had the opportunity to assist in many hoarding
cases as well as supervise medical operations in the
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Austin Humane Society’s emergency pet shelter during
hurricane Ike, the Bastrop county fire, and the Onion Creek
floods. Dr. Broaddus serves on the Board of Directors
of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, is a member
of the AVMA, and is active with the Shelter and Disaster
Preparedness committees of the TVMA. She and her
husband have 3 small children and 2 furry kids.
Bob Citrullo, Executive Director, Humane
Educational Society
Bob Citrullo is a 25-year military veteran who has spent the
past 15 years working in animal welfare. Before joining the
Humane Educational Society, he was the Executive Director
of the Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption Center, located in
Smyrna, Ga. He has held the following positions with
different animal welfare organizations around the country:
executive director, director of operations, director of support
services and shelter director.
Over the past several years, he has established programs
that have successfully reduced the number of healthy
adoptable animals that are euthanized yearly, along with
numerous other animal care, fundraising and community
awareness initiatives.
Elizabeth J. Colleran DVM, MS DABVP feline
specialty, CEO, Cat Hospital of Portland
Dr. Colleran is a 1990 graduate of Tufts University School
of Veterinary Medicine. She is the owner of two feline
exclusive practices, one in Portland, Oregon founded in
2003 and the second in Chico, California founded in
1998. She received a Master’s in Animals and Public Policy
in 1996 from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Colleran is an ABVP Diplomate in Feline Practice. She
is also a Past President of the AAFP and member of the
AAFP’s Cat Friendly Practice Task Force.
Tim Crum, Founder & CEO, Animal Shelter
Fundraising & Animal Shelter Services
Tim Crum is a nationally recognized expert on fundraising,
board governance and shelter operations in the animal
shelter industry who is often called upon to speak at
national and regional conferences. In 2008, Tim founded
Animal Shelter Fundraising, and has consulted with more
than 150 animal welfare groups across the United States
and has raised in excess of $200,000,000. In 2013,
Tim co-founded Animal Shelter Services to help animal
shelters and rescue groups with operational issues ranging
from shelter evaluations to board development to interim
management.
Tim is the author of two books (An Animal Shelter’s Guider
to Fundraising and An Animal Shelter’s Guide to Board
Governance) and his third book (An Animal Shelter’s Guide
to Capital Campaigns) is set for publication in February
2016.
Suzanne D’Alonzo, CAWA, Coordinator, Shelter
Services, The Humane Society of the United
States
Suzanne graduated from Clark University in 1994 and has
been involved in sheltering since 1997. She spent 15 years
at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, VA, working
in a variety of departments and roles, including Kennels,
Adoptions, Emergency Services, and Youth Programs.
Seeing a need for both enrichment and community
engagement at her shelter, Suzanne devised programming
that brought the two together. She has worked for The
HSUS for 3 years, in their Shelter and Rescue Services
Department, and is co-author of the recently published
Adopters Welcome manual.
Suzanne routinely presented in her roles at the AWLA,
has been a speaker at a number of Animal Care Expo
sessions, and regularly presents to a variety of audiences in
her role with the Shelter and Rescue Services Team. She’s
has developed and presented a 5-part series on Adopters
Welcome, as well as delivered it in person at multiple
venues.
Her home is shared with 5 cats, 2 birds, a dog, and fosters
of all species.
Carrie Donahue, DVM, Full Circle Holistic
Veterinary Care
Dr. Carrie Donahue, a holistic veterinarian and medical
director for Underdog Pet Rescue of Wisconsin will discuss
several techniques and treatments she has used with
success in all animals, and highlights those that can make
a significant impact on shelter and rescue residents. We
will cover the use of essential oils, homeopathics and flower
essences, energy medicine, and herbals that can greatly
improve everyone’s well-being! We will discuss how to
know when holistic remedies may be useful and when
conventional medical intervention is required. Workshop
participants will learn how to make several DIY treatments
to take home with them. The goal of this workshop is to
empower participants with knowledge that will make a
difference in their lives and the lives of the animals in their
care.
Dr. Carrie Donahue is the owner and veterinarian at Full
Circle Holistic Veterinary Care in Madison, Wisconsin. She
is a regular guest on Wisconsin Public Radio providing
holistic veterinary advice. In 2014 she was voted Best
Veterinarian in Madison by Madison Magazine readers.
Her goal is to provide information on natural care for
animals and to make it accessible to all caretakers. She
regularly offers classes in the community, and uses natural
as well as conventional medical care for animals coming in
to Underdog Pet Rescue.
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Laura Donahue, Executive Director, Texas
Humane Legislative Network
Laura Donahue is the new Executive Director for the Texas
Humane Legislation Network. Laura’s responsibilities include
overall strategic and operational responsibility for the
Network’s legislative advocacy, fundraising and expansion.
Laura is a native Texan and is returning from a decade and
a half of legislative advocacy work on the east coast. Most
recently she was a lobbyist and political consultant for the
Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington DC and served as the
Virginia State Director for the Humane Society of the United
States. She also founded Virginia’s first political action
committee for animals, Humane Dominion. Laura obtained
her BA at the University of Delaware and her Master of
Social Work from the University of Maryland. Laura is
currently transitioning to a new residence in Austin and at
home she takes her orders from a gregarious pit bull named
Demi.
Kimberley Freeman, Founder, Lost Cat Recovery
Kimberley Freeman coaches shelters and cat owners on new
methods to recover missing cats and proven strategies for
increasing RTO rates and decreasing stray intake.
Ms. Freeman is part scientist, part cat behaviorist, and part
educator. With a background in research and working with
shelters to solve cat behavior issues
in-home, she combined her knowledge into a niche
specialty: Lost cat recovery.
Freeman trained with Kat Albrecht of Missing Pet
Partnership, then added mammal tracking, bird language,
trapping techniques and technology to get missing cats
home before they end in shelters. In the past 8 years she’s
become a world expert in lost cat recovery with cases in the
UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland
and Latvia.
Ms. Freeman’s presentations are a great opportunity to
hear about methods for educating your community and
also reducing cat intake. Kim will also share best practices
from shelters around the country who implemented these
techniques and increased their RTO (return to owner) rates
well above the national 4% average.
Kent Glenn, DVM, Veterinarian, Weatherford
Parker County Animal Shelter
Dr. Glenn received his BS from Texas Tech University in
1971 and DVM from Colorado State University in 1976.
During his 40 year career as a mixed animal practitioner
he has always been actively involved for the betterment of
the animal shelter programs in his communities. He has
served on the Young County Animal Shelter Advisory Board,
the Weatherford Parker County Animal Shelter Advisory
Committee, as a Weatherford College Veterinary Assistant
Practicum Instructor and a Texas A&M Veterinary Student
Surgery Externship mentor. He is a member of the Texas
Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors and the
TVMA Shelter Committee. Dr. Glenn is the recipient of the
2006 TVMA Distinguished Career Achievement Award
and the Tarrant County Veterinary Medical Association
Community Service Award.
Whitney Hanson, Director of Development and
Communications, Humane Society of North Texas
Whitney Hanson is the Director of Development and
Communications for the Humane Society of North Texas
and serves on the Advisory Board for the Texas Humane
Legislation Network. At HSNT she oversees social media,
public relations, community outreach, donor relations,
fundraising and publications. Before joining HSNT,
Whitney worked as the Marketing Associate for the Austin
Humane Society, served as Chair of the Online Marketing
Subcommittee for the Humane Society of Williamson
County and founded White Island Design Group, LLC. A
graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Whitney
began pursuing her interest in animal behavior with the
Animal Behaviorist at Town Lake Animal Center, where
she assisted on a study examining shelter dog enrichment
activities.
Kevin D. Hearst Sr., Chief Cruelty Investigator/
Instructor, The Law Enforcement Training Institute
University of Missouri Extension
Kevin D. Hearst Sr. was hired by DeKalb County Animal
Control in August 1994, where he received several
commendations for outstanding investigation work.
Officer Hearst was promoted to Chief Cruelty Investigator in
2008, by DeKalb County Animal Services & Enforcements’
Director K. J. Mooneyham. Director Mooneyham created
DeKalb County’s first Animal Cruelty Taskforce, including
two sworn Police Officers. The Taskforce assembled key
components to prosecute violators and fight for animal
victims. The team included one assistant Solicitor, one
assistant DA, one Shelter Veterinarian, one Forensic
Veterinarian, Toxicologists, Pathologists, two Police Officers
and four Cruelty investigators. Officer Hearst was now
working alongside his mentor Dr. Melinda Merck, Forensic
Veterinarian from Cobb County, Georgia.
Late September of 2010, Officer Hearst completed
his cruelty certification from the University of Missouri
Extension/Law Enforcement Training Institute, National
Animal Cruelty Investigation Schools, where he met Lisa
Dority, Program Coordinator for the National Animal
Cruelty Investigation Schools. Mrs. Dority afforded Officer
Hearst the opportunity to teach for the National Animal
Cruelty Investigation Schools in all three levels beginning in
December of 2010.
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Bethany Heins, Local Program Cities Manager,
Currently serving as the Local Program Cities Manager
for Best Friends Animal Society, Heins previously served
as the Live Release Manager for the City of San Antonio’s
Animal Care Services from 2013 through early 2015. Prior
to joining the City of San Antonio Heins worked for Best
Friends where in April 2012 she was sent to San Antonio
to save community cats through an innovative program that
focuses on partnerships and grassroots public engagement.
In her tenure in San Antonio, Heins recognized that despite
perceived conflicting goals, all divisions of ACS existed
to provide public safety & services by helping pets in the
community. It was this realization that led Heins on a
journey to close the gap between Field Enforcement and
Live Release – elevating San Antonio to a new level of
service. In addition to her work with ACS and Best Friends,
Heins worked as Executive Director of Vernon County
Humane Society in Wisconsin. Heins and her husband are
proud parents of five cats, two dogs and a never ending
stream of foster pets.
Audra Houghton, Field Operations Supervisor,
Audra Houghton is a Field Operations Supervisor with the
City of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services investigations
unit and has been at ACS since March 2008. Prior
to being promoted to Supervisor, she was an Animal
Cruelty Investigator, during which time she was directly
involved in several thousand animal cruelty investigations
in cooperation with numerous Law Enforcement agencies.
She is a Certified Animal Cruelty Investigator through the
University of Missouri- Columbia’s Law Enforcement Training
Institute, a Certified Animal Control Officer in the State of
Texas, and holds professional certificates from West Virginia
University’s extended learning program in various forensic
disciplines including Crime Scene Investigations, Forensic
Photography, and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, among
others. She enjoys being part of a high-volume, fast paced
organization and finding ways to innovate in Animal Care
operations and Animal Cruelty Investigations.
Jody Jones, Division Manager, City of Dallas
Jody began her career in animal welfare as a volunteer at a
small no-kill shelter. Her unique background of volunteerism,
combined with the management of both open and limited
admission shelters has resulted in the implementation
of innovative programs to save lives and build “Humane
Communities” nationally.
As Manager of the City of Dallas’s Animal Services, she has
set to work implementing proven strategies to significantly
reduce the number of homeless pets euthanized each year,
in addition to mobilizing the community in collaborations to
save lives and preserve the human animal bond.
Prior to coming to Dallas, Jody’s leadership and
appreciation for partnerships in life saving strategies,
eliminated the euthanasia of healthy animals in Richmond,
Virginia and launched many of the lifesaving programs
still being used in the fight to save lives in NYC. Her
collaborative style has played an important role in many
local and statewide legislative initiatives and served to
advance animal cruelty investigations and prosecutions, as
well as domestic violence initiatives.
In addition to her position as Manager of Dallas Animal
Services, she currently serves as a faculty member of
the American Prosecuting Attorneys Association for the
Committee on Animal Law, the Board of the Texas Animal
Shelter Coalition and can be frequently seen helping
to advance the field of animal welfare as a speaker at
national and local conferences
Stacy Sutton Kerby, Operations Director, Texas
Humane Legislation Network
Ms. Kerby currently serves as THLN’s Operations Director.
Previously, Stacy served as THLN’s Interim Executive
Director, as well as Government Liaison to the Texas
Legislature and other state agencies with authority over
animal welfare. Prior to that, Ms. Kerby served as President
of the THLN Central Texas Chapter and coordinated
THLN’s annual animal advocacy conference. Before getting
involved in animal welfare, Ms. Kerby’s interest in child
welfare issues led her to become a Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) and a TDFPS licensed foster parent. A
self-described “Army brat” who grew up on military bases
in the U.S. and abroad, Ms. Kerby settled in Austin in
1989 and graduated with a B.S. in Communications from
the University of Texas in 1992. Ms. Kerby worked as an
intellectual property paralegal until 2013, when she joined
the THLN team as a full-time animal advocate.
Jocelyn Kessler, Senior Director, Spay/Neuter
Operations, ASPCA
Jocelyn Kessler is the Sr. Director of Spay/Neuter
Operations at the ASPCA, supporting nonmedical functions
such as transport, fleet maintenance, and outreach for seven
mobile clinics and three stationary clinics in New York and
Los Angeles; annually, these clinics perform over 45,000
subsidized spay/neuter surgeries for rescue organizations
and underserved pet owners.
Jocelyn earned a Master of Business Administration from
the University of Colorado at Denver. Prior to her career
at the ASPCA, she acquired over 20 years of experience
in for-profit sales, marketing and business operations
leadership. Jocelyn served as the director of operations
for a 64-store retail chain based in Denver, CO, led a
team of 150+ employees at a Target store in Burlington,
NC and managed strategic business development at Cox
Communications in San Diego, CA.
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Shelly Kotter, Community Cat Program Manager,
Practitioners since 1985, and is a past president of the Tarrant
County Veterinary Medical Association.
As the Manager of the Community Cat Program for Best
Friends Animal Society, Shelly Kotter advises communities
across the country on humane methods of dealing with cat
overpopulation.
Ron Marullo, Executive Director, Texas Humane
Heroes
Shelly has worked at Best Friends since 1998 and has
played a pivotal role in defining its unique stance on the
free-roaming cats generally known as “ferals.” Best Friends
refers to these cats as “community cats,” because no one
description fits all free-roaming cats and because the
solution to their plight rests with individual communities.
Best Friends partners with grassroots organizations and
municipalities around the country to help Save Them All™.
With 72 percent of the cats who enter shelters being killed,
the cat initiatives aim to keep community cats out of the
shelter system by implementing trap/neuter/return (TNR)
programs and relocating at-risk “community” cats.
Susie Lim, Administrator of Grants Training and
Technology, ASPCA
Susie Lim joined the ASPCA in August 2014 as an
Administrator of Grants Technology and Training. In past
years, she worked for ALIGN, Center for Working Families,
Citi Foundation, Tides Foundation, the International
Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), former New
York City Council Member Eva Moskowitz and Habitat
for Humanity. She holds over eight years of extensive
experience in managing grant-making processes and
operations as well as having a programmatic background
on HIV/AIDS, education and housing. She is a native New
Yorker and graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in
Political Science.
Susie came to the ASPCA because of her enormous love of
animals and her affinity for database work. She was a toprated dog sitter with Rover.com and raised two Chihuahuas
which developed her specialty in caring for small terriers.
She is a steering committee member of the Asian Women
Giving Circle and enjoys reading science fiction, running
and volunteering for good causes in her spare time.
Rosemary C. Lindsey, DVM, La Paloma Small
Animal Hospital
A 1978 graduate of Texas A&M University, Dr. Lindsey has
been in private small animal practice in the Fort Worth area
for the last 38 years. She has owned a practice, worked in
emergency medicine/critical care, and was a staff veterinarian
at the Chuck Silcox Animal Care and Control Center in Fort
Worth from 2009-2015.
In addition to shelter medicine and high quality-high volume
spay/neuter, her interests include feline medicine and
endocrinology. She has been board certified in canine
and feline practice by the American Board of Veterinary
Ron is the Executive Director of Texas Humane Heroes
and former Board President of the Humane Society of
Williamson County. As Board President, he successfully
transitioned the organization from a working board to a
policy-driven governing board. As Executive Director of
Texas Humane Heroes he led a multi-year effort that has
increased animal adoptions by 178%.
A Six Sigma Master Black Belt and expert in strategic
planning & management, his previous corporate experience
includes operations, strategic planning, and process
improvement for Dell, Apple, and AMD. He has served
as Director of Operations for Green Mountain Energy
Company where he successfully introduced and led
a variety of performance improvement projects within
marketing operations and customer operations. Ron also
proudly served as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States
Navy.
Ron is a graduate of the George Washington University
and holds a Masters of Business Administration from the
Old Dominion University College of Business and Public
Administration.
Sarah Matisak, Senior Shelter Services
Coordinator, The Humane Society of the United
States
Sarah Matisak has been devoted to the sheltering world
for almost 16 years. Before joining the HSUS’s Shelter
Services Department in 2010, she wore many hats at
various shelters and veterinary clinics along the east coast,
including a cat adoption center in Central Pennsylvania,
a high volume spay/neuter clinic in South Florida, and a
shelter in Western Maryland.
Sarah has presented at numerous conferences and
workshops across the country, including multiple Rethinking
the Cat Symposia and Animal Care EXPO. Her passion for
animals has led her to a career of helping to ensure shelter
and rescue professionals are able to access the information
they need to inspire positive change from the ground up.
Sarah is a co-author of the recently published Adopters
Welcome manual.
Catherine McManus VMD, MPH, DACVPM,
Operations Manager, Dallas Animal Services
Dr. Cate McManus is the Operations Manager for Dallas
Animal Services in Dallas Texas. Dallas Animals Services ’
receives over 28,000 animals and responds to over 50,000
calls for service each year.
Cate started at Animal Services 3 years ago, after she
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completed a 3 year residency in shelter medicine at the
University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to
her residency, she was a veterinary epidemiologist with the
Virginia Department of Health.
From 2002 to 2005, Cate served on active duty in the US
Army. Since 2008, she has been a drilling member of the
Army Reserves, and recently she was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel.
Cate’s degrees include a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Biological Sciences from Binghamton University; a Master of
Public Health Degree from the Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences; and a Veterinary Medical Doctorate
Degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of
Veterinary Medicine. Cate is a Diplomate in the American
College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
Vincent Medley, Executive Director, Animal Care
and Control Team Philadelphia
Vincent Medley is the Assistant Director of San Antonio’s
Animal Care Services Department and oversees all Field
Operations and Strategy. Prior to joining San Antonio’s
team, he served as the Bureau Chief of Animal Regulation
and Care in Houston. Previous to that he worked three
years as B.A.R.C’s Administration/Operations manager for
Field and Shelter operations. Prior to his tenure in Houston,
Medley worked for the Code Compliance Department in
the City of Dallas as the Field Operations Supervisor and
Chief Animal Cruelty Investigator. He also served three
years as the Senior Lead Animal Services Officer. During
his time in Dallas, Medley received the “Animal Officer of
the Year” award from Operation Kindness for heading up
the investigation into a horrific 2006 cruelty case involving
a young puppy that was set ablaze after being doused
with gasoline. Medley is a member of both the Texas
Animal Control Association as well as the National Animal
Control Association. In addition, he holds national animal
control officer and animal cruelty investigator certifications.
Medley has both dogs and cats and also oversees his
neighborhood community cat program.
J. Macklin Milligan, Assistant District Attorney,
Harris County District Attorney’s Office
Upon graduating from St. Mary’s University School of Law
in 2004, Jessica Macklin Milligan practiced civil law in
San Antonio. She then began working as an Assistant
District Attorney for Harris County, Texas in 2006. Jessica
has been assigned to various divisions where she has
prosecuted a variety of crimes. She is currently assigned
to the Animal Cruelty Section as the senior Animal Cruelty
Specialist for Harris County, which allows her to prosecute
felony animal cruelty offenders, investigate and charge
felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty cases, and work
on special initiatives relating to animal abuse. She is also
the Internship Coordinator for the Harris County District
Attorney’s Office.
A frequent speaker on criminal law and animal cruelty
issues, Jessica lectures at different law schools, law
enforcement academies, and animal welfare conferences.
She is the past-chair of the Houston Bar Association’s
Animal Law Section.
Jessica holds a dual bachelors degree in Marketing and
Management from New Mexico State University in Las
Cruces, New Mexico, a J.D. from St. Mary’s University
School of Law in San Antonio, and is a licensed attorney in
both Texas and Colorado.
Brandy Monnens, Board Member, Love-A-Bull,
Inc.
Brandy Monnens has been an avid pit bull lover since her
teenage years. After moving to Texas, she and her husband
sought out a reputable organization to help with selecting
a playmate for their female pittie, Karma. In September
2012 the couple adopted Felix from Love-A-Bull and her
relationship with the organization began. Soon after
adopting Felix, as part of her dog training certification,
Brandy began mentoring under Jess Wilson as part of
Love-A-Bull’s training team which provides obedience
training to the organizations fosters, Love-A-Bull members
and the greater-Austin communities. Over the next year
she continued to become more heavily involved in the
organization as a trainer and foster, becoming Love-ABull’s Training Team Committee Chair. In March 2014,
Brandy was ecstatic to be offered the opportunity to sit as
part of Love-A-Bull’s Board of Directors. Her “get it done”
attitude has proven to be a valued trait to the organization
as Love-A-Bull continues to press forward with its mission of
changing the negative stereotypes surrounding pit bulls and
pit bull type dogs. Brandy looks forward to a day when
discrimination based on breed is outlawed everywhere.
Alex Muñoz, Director, Miami-Dade County
Animal Services
Alex Muñoz was appointed Director of the Miami-Dade
County Animal Services Department (ASD) in August
2011. During his time as Director, he has developed
and implemented many life-saving programs which have
resulted in the highest live release rate in the shelter’s
history, 87% in the first half of 2015.
Some of these programs and initiatives include: mobile
adoption events, foster and volunteer programs, rescue
partnerships, pet retention programs, transfer and transport
partnerships, grant programs, educational programs, free
and low cost sterilization services, a Trap, Neuter, and
Return policy for free roaming community cats, and a new
shelter, currently under construction, which will utilize best
practices related to animal welfare, housing, design, and
disease control.
During his 22-year career in public service, Mr. Muñoz
has distinguished himself as a highly capable problem
solver who readily takes on difficult challenges that require
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complex solutions. This knowledge and experience along
with Mr. Muñoz’s deep commitment to safeguarding and
ensuring the wellness of pets have been instrumental in
helping ASD on its no kill mission.
is no doubt for the wellbeing of animals in need, and
advocating for them all. Lindsey joined the Love-A-Bull
Board of Directors in late 2014 and is still actively the
Event Committee Chair.
Mr. Muñoz received his undergraduate degree from Florida
State University (FSU) where he majored in International
Affairs, Spanish and History. He also holds a Master’s in
Urban and Regional planning from FSU. Mr. Muñoz resides
in Miami with his wife and two children.
Rebecca Poling, Social Media Coordinator,
Dallas Animal Services
Seamus R. Nelson, Director of Communication,
San Antonio Humane Society
Seamus was hired as the San Antonio Humane Society’s
Director of Communication in August of 2012 and hit the
ground running. He and his team have secured local,
national, and international media coverage for the shelter,
telling millions of people about SA Humane’s mission to
protect and improve the lives of dogs and cats.
Seamus earned a BA in Speech Communication at Texas
A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2008 and an MA in
Communication at Texas State University in 2012. He
serves as a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve and
completed a tour in Djibouti, Africa as the command public
affairs officer for Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent
U.S. military base in Africa from 2014-2015. His most
important job is that of being a husband to his wife and a
father to his year-old daughter and his two-year old dog.
Lisa Norwood, Public Relations and Outreach
Manager, City of San Antonio Animal Care
Services
Ever heard that phrase “Been There, Done That?” When
it comes to working with the media and animal shelter
public relations, Lisa Norwood has checked a lot of boxes.
Norwood worked as a journalist for more than a dozen
years before taking a dream job promoting the City of San
Antonio’s animal shelter. Today, Norwood serves as ACS’
Public Relations & Outreach Manager. Using basic media
savvy and street-style marketing, Norwood has propelled
San Antonio’s Animal Care Services onto an international
stage. The Alamo City’s shelter has been spotlighted in
media outlets throughout the world including the Wall
Street Journal, USA Today, NBC Nightly News and CNN.
Norwood has a basic menagerie including two Mexican
Hairless dogs and very cross Siamese.
Lindsey Ortiz, Board Member, Love-A-Bull, Inc.
Lindsey is a native Austinite and subsides in Leander
with her husband and 4 dogs including her 2 pit bulls,
Chihuahua, and Dachshund mix. She joined Love-A-Bull as
the Volunteer Event Planner in 2011 and has been actively
planning and hosting fundraisers to raise money and
awareness for the organization. She is an avid animal lover
and previously worked and volunteered at her local shelter
as Adoption Counselor and Event Planner. Her passion
Rebecca created and manages the social media program
for the City of Dallas Animal Services Department. In three
years, she has grown the agency’s Facebook fans from
1,800 to nearly 40,000, solicited more than $100,000
in cash and in-kind donations to support shelter and field
operations, helped the public understand the agency’s
role as first responders and worked with the media to
disseminate timely, accurate information to the public.
As a result, Dallas Animal Services now benefits from
significantly improved public perception, growing support
in the community, increased live release rates and a
positive relationship with the media.
Rebecca is a long-time Dallas resident. Active in the
animal welfare industry for more than a decade, Rebecca
served as a member of the City of Dallas Animal Shelter
Commission from 2007 - 2015 and was co-founder of the
Dallas Companion Animal Project.
Caitlin Quinn, Director of Operations, HeARTs
Speak, Inc.
Caitlin is the Director of Operations at HeARTs Speak,
an organization dedicated to creating a united voice
for animals through art. HeARTs Speak’s programs
include connecting professional photographers, writers,
and graphic artists with their local animal shelters and
providing free workshops on marketing and photography
at shelters across the country. Prior to joining HeARTs
Speak, Caitlin was the Assistant Director of Animal Farm
Foundation. She has found her four-legged soul mate in
her dog, Paddy, and hopes to bring to her work what
she has learned from him: Endless curiosity, unshakeable
optimism, and the courage to lead with compassion.
Caitlin received her BA in Communications and
Writing, and recently obtained her Masters in Public
Administration. Her main goal in life is to support
those working in animal welfare to do all they can to
increase visibility for the animals in their care, and
to strive towards the best practices in language and
communication related to animal sheltering. She has
had the pleasure of presenting at national and regional
conferences and workshops in animal welfare since
2009.
Ray Rentschler, Field Operations Administrator
– Animal Services, City of Arlington
Ray Rentschler has been in the animal control field
for over 15 years and has worked in the positions of
Animal Control Officer, Bite Investigator, Dangerous Dog
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Investigator, Cruelty Investigator and Field Supervisor. Ray
has his completed his Basic, Advanced and Administrative
Animal Control training and instructs Animal Law
Enforcement classes across the state. Ray is a certified
humane investigator through the University of MissouriColumbia, certified in Chemical Capture through Safe
Capture and has specialized training in Basic Criminal
Investigation and Intermediate Crime Scene Investigation.
Tim Rickey, Vice President , Field Investigations
and Response, ASPCA
Tim Rickey currently serves as vice president of the ASPCA’s
Field Investigations and Response (FIR) team. Under Mr.
Rickey’s leadership, the team investigates animal cruelty
cases and responds to natural disasters throughout the
country. From hurricanes and floods to animal fighting raids
and other large-scale animal cruelty cases, the team works
with local law enforcement and animal welfare agencies to
rescue animals from life-threatening situations and provide
them with the essential care they need.
With Rickey’s direction, the FIR team has worked on various
animal fighting cases. He spearheaded the ASPCA’s
blood sports division in 2010, which has provided local
law enforcement agencies assistance and investigative
support hundreds of animal fighting cases throughout the
U.S. Rickey also led the largest dog fighting operation in
U.S. history in July 2009, covering eight states and seizing
more than 500 dogs in one day. In 2013, he lead the
operation which seized more than 300 dogs from a fourstate dog fighting operation at the request of the FBI and
U.S. Attorney’s Office. Most recently the team has assisted
in the seizure of more than 4,000 birds and collected
evidence during the largest cockfighting raid in New York
State history. Rickey’s 25-year career has been devoted to
animal welfare issues and is regarded as a national expert
in animal cruelty investigations, animal fighting, disaster
response and large scale operations.
Ashtyn Rivet, Marketing and Outreach Manager,
BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions
Ashtyn is BARC’s Marketing and Outreach Manager. She
earned a Public Relations degree from the University of
Texas. After several years of working in Public Affairs in
Austin, Texas, she moved to Houston to pursue a career
in helping to build the media and marketing program at
the recently transformed City of Houston municipal animal
shelter, BARC. She has worked with BARC since April
2012.
B.J. Rogers, CAWA, Vice President, ProLearning,
ASPCA
B.J. Rogers, Vice President of ProLearning, guides the
ASPCA team responsible for delivering high quality learning
and information to professionals in the animal welfare field
through channels such as ASPCApro.org, shelter training,
and national life-saving initiatives. Prior to joining the
ASPCA in 2011, B.J. was the chief executive of the Humane
Society of Chittenden County, in northern Vermont.
B.J. has more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit
arena, and has worked in the human service sector as both
an executive director and community relations director, in
higher education as both an instructor and researcher, and
in politics as senior campaign staff and Press Secretary for
a gubernatorial campaign. He’s a Certified Animal Welfare
Administrator (CAWA), a Certified Dialogue Education
Teacher (CDET) and has training in both mediation and
Appreciative Inquiry.
Cathy M. Rosenthal, Animal Welfare
Communications Consultant, Writing for a Cause
As an animal welfare professional for the past 25 years,
Cathy M. Rosenthal has worked in communications and
education for both local and national animal groups.
During that time, she has handled hundreds of media
interviews, delivered numerous humane education
programs, and written many marketing and promotional
materials for humane organizations. Since 2003, she has
written Animals Matter, a weekly pet column for the San
Antonio Express-News and is a regular contributing writer
to Dog Fancy and Natural Dog magazines. She is also the
author of the children’s book, The Lucky Tale of Two Dogs.
Cathy currently offers communications and grants consulting
and writing for local and national animal groups. She
delivers workshops at various conferences around the
country, which have included Best Friends No More
Homeless Pets Conference, the Humane Alliance’s SNIP!
Summit, PetSmart Charities’ Fix-it Forum and Feline Forum
and Texas Unites for Animals.
Kate Rugroden, Director of Special Projects, Bat
World Sanctuary
Kate is a TPWD permitted wildlife rehabilitator specializing
in bats, opossums, and raccoons, and holds both TPWD
and USDA Educational Display permits as well. She
has over 25 years’ experience in presenting live animal
programs in addition to her 10 years as a rehabilitator.
She is a member of IWRC, NWRA, the Texas Bat Working
Group, the Texas Animal Shelter Coalition, and Texas
Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, and serves as Chair of the
Stakeholders Committee for the National White Nose
Syndrome Response Team.
Kate serves as Director of Special Projects for Bat World
Sanctuary, the largest rehabilitation and teaching facility
in the world dedicated exclusively to rescue, rehabilitation,
and sanctuary for bats. In that role, she has presented
educational programs to thousands of adults and school
children throughout the DFW Metroplex. She is a founding
member of Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, and serves
as an advisor to the Board for that organization. She has
developed training manuals for four wildlife rehabilitation
classes, and, with Amanda Lollar of Bat World Sanctuary,
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co-authored the book The Essential Bat (Bat World
Sanctuary, 2012). In addition, she is approved by the Texas
Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to provide over
60 hours of continuing education credit to Animal Control
Officers for the wildlife-related classes she teaches.
for shelter dogs and cats with a variety of behavior
challenges.
Officer Stosuy is the Field Services Manager for the Santa
Cruz County Animal Shelter in California and has been the
NACA President since 2011. Todd has two undergraduate
degrees from Rutgers University in Administration of Justice
and Sociology. The combination of these two degrees,
along with a myriad of jobs working with underprivileged
people, has brought Todd to a unique position of enforcing
animal related laws while also understanding and serving
disadvantaged residents and the pets they love.
Dr. Erin Shults attended The University of North Texas for
undergraduate studies from 1990-1994 and Texas A&M
College of Veterinary Medicine from 1994-1998. She
practiced in the private sector for 16 years before opening
Mazie’s Mission Rescue Clinic in Frisco, Texas- a full service
veterinary hospital servicing only homeless animals in either
rescue organizations or municipal shelters. Dr. Shults has
a unique insight in that she has worked with the general
public and is aware of their expectations of becoming
new pet parents. She also has extensive experience
understanding the hardships of rescue organizations and
shelters. Dr. Shults serves on the Advisory Board of THLN
and testified before the Senate in 2011 in support of HB
1451 otherwise known as the Puppy Mill Bill. Her first
encounter with the struggles of the rescue community was in
2009 when she volunteered her time during a large HSUS
puppy mill bust in Kaufman County. Dr. Shults has since
volunteered for investigations and offers cruelty/forensic
exams to interested cities and counties.
Kellie Snider MS, Animal Behavior Programs
Manager, SPCA of Texas
Kellie Snider, M.S. began serving as the Animal Behavior
Programs Manager at the SPCA of Texas in 2008. She
has developed a strong team of Behavior Specialists and
volunteers to perform enrichment, training, socialization,
playgroups and behavior modification with the animals
at the Russell H. Perry and Jan Rees Jones shelters in the
DFW area. Through a contract with the SPCA of Texas,
Kellie serves as the behavior consultant for the PetSmart
Charities Rescue Waggin® Program where she trains shelter
employees and volunteers from across the United States
about assessing dogs for transport.
Kellie has BS and MS degrees in Behavior Analysis from
the University of North Texas. Her graduate thesis, A
Constructional Canine Aggression Treatment, resulted in
several years of travelling across the United States, Canada
and England to present the rehabilitation procedure for
aggressive dogs to trainers and behaviorists in seminar
settings. DVDs of presentations were published by Tawzer
Dog Videos and were sold in at least 9 countries. The DVDs
were best sellers for the publisher. Kellie has presented
topics on a variety of animal behavior-related subjects in
university symposia, colloquia, seminars, webinars, radio
programs, and conferences. In 2007 she won awards for
Humane Dog-Dog Aggression Rehabilitation and Humane
Dog-Human Aggression Rehabilitation from the International
Positive Dog Training Association. Kellie’s work in shelter
behavior over the past 8 years has presented ongoing
opportunities to observe and provide behavior modification
Todd Stosuy, Field Services Manager, Santa Cruz
Sandra J. Strong, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, Wake
County Animal Center
With over fifteen years of experience as a veterinarian,
Dr. Sandra Strong has turned her passion for shelter
medicine into tangible successes at shelters and clinics
in both Texas and North Carolina. Currently serving as
Chief Veterinarian for the Wake County Animal Center,
Dr. Strong has focused her professional career on assisting
animal welfare organizations and is excited about all the
positive changes in Wake County. Prior to coming home
to Raleigh she served as the Medical Director of SPAYSA, a
non-profit High Volume Spay Neuter clinic in San Antonio,
Texas where she also served as the staff veterinarian for the
municipal animal shelter. During her tenure at San Antonio’s
Animal Care Services, Dr. Strong led the implementation
of best practices like humane housing, open selection
adoption, pediatric housing, innovative ordinance revision
and targeted spay neuter which has enabled that shelter
to consistently increase live release rates each year. In
addition to Public Health certification, she has worked
with the UC Davis shelter medicine team on national
shelter consults. Dr. Strong is passionate about shelter
medicine and continues to push for community changes and
innovative programs to prevent animal suffering.
Greg Taylor, CEO, Mason Company
Greg Taylor is the CEO of the Mason Company, the leading
designer and manufacturer of animal enclosures for humane
societies, animal control, pet care, veterinarians and other
animal facilities. Mason was founded in 1892, and has
developed the widest product line in the industry, many
with innovative designs and features, and has 9 patents
or patents-pending, including the Sani-Slope™ and Silvis
Seal™. Mason sells around the world, has installations in
over 30 countries, and has worked with many of the most
successful shelters and animal control facilities to develop
animal housing unique to their facility’s needs. Greg is a
frequent contributor to animal care periodicals and speaker
at conferences. Greg earned a BA from Denison University
and a MBA from the University of Chicago.
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Desiree Triste-Aragon, Community Cat Project
Supervisor, Best Friends Animal Society
Desiree Triste-Aragon is the Community Cat Project
Supervisor for Best Friends Animal Society. She’s helped
launched Community Cat Projects all across the county
including Tucson, Arizona and Albuquerque, NM. These
programs partner with PetSmart Charities and local
municipal shelters in a 3-year program to address the
overpopulation of free roaming cats. Since these programs
have started, municipal shelters have seen a dramatic
reduction in euthanasia for cats.
Albuquerque now has one of the lowest euthanasia rates
for cats in an open admission shelter serving a major
metropolitan area and Tucson has seen a 90% save rate for
2015.
Desiree received her BA at New Mexico State University
and MA at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, Veterinary
Services Specialist, Ceva Animal Health
Dr. Valarie Tynes is a 1987 graduate of 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. Her special interests are the behavior
and welfare of pet pigs, exotic pets and zoo animals.
She is the editor of The Behavior of Exotic Pets and coeditor of the Behavior issue of the Veterinary Clinics of
North America- Small Animal Clinics released in May
of 2014. Most recently, she contributed a chapter to the
book, Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff.
She is a veterinary services specialist for Ceva Animal
Health, providing behavior education, training and
technical support to the sales force as well as lectures and
presentations to veterinarians in the field. In her spare time
she continues to provide consulting services to zoos and
veterinarians.
Dr. Russell N. Ueckert is a general practice veterinarian in
Abilene, Texas. He co-owns and manages four veterinary
practices and an emergency clinic in the Abilene area.
A 1992 graduate of Texas A&M University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Ueckert enjoys working on a
wide variety of animals including the dogs and cats cared
for and adopted out by the Taylor-Jones Humane Society
in Abilene. One of his favorite things is to have the
opportunity to educate a family about pet care after they
have adopted a puppy or kitten. Watching that family
bond and complete the cycle of life with a pet that he first
cared for in the shelter provides him great professional
satisfaction.
Dr. Ueckert is also busy in leadership of the Texas
Veterinary Medical Association. He began on the Board
of Directors and has worked his way up to being the 2015
President of the Association. He is also an Elder and
Sunday School Teacher in his church. He and his wife,
Linda, have two daughters who are dedicated to veterinary
medicine as well. The Ueckert Family’s favorite hobby is
raising and training competitive Labrador Retrievers and
hunting with those same pets.
Misty Valenta, Community Programs
Coordinator, Williamson County Regional Animal
Shelter
Misty Valenta is the Community Programs Coordinator
for the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.
Her responsibilities include volunteer management,
foster coordination, marketing, media, fundraising, and
reaching out to rescue groups. Before joining the staff at a
government facility, she began her career in animal welfare
at a nonprofit shelter, the Austin Humane Society. Misty
lives in Austin with her husband, son, and her four furry
canine children.
Michael A. White, DVM, MS, Executive Director,
Montgomery County Animal Shelter and Animal
Control
Dr. White joined the Montgomery County Animal Shelter
(MCAS) team as the new Executive Director in February of
this year and was recently appointed to the TVMA Shelter
Medicine Committee. Prior to joining the MCAS team, Dr.
White served as the Zoonosis Veterinarian and then the
Director of the Veterinary Public Health Division (VPH) of
Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
where he effectively improved the animal care, operations
and public image of Harris County Animal Shelter.
During his 5 ½ years with Harris County, Dr. White served
as a board member for the Harris County Veterinary
Medical Association, a member of the Harris County
Disaster Animal Management Task Force, and the President
of the Board of Directors for the Friends of CountyPets nonprofit organization.
He has over 30 years of experience in the private practice
of veterinary medicine and over 11 years in the Veterinary
Public Health field. Dr. White served as a Regional
Zoonosis Control Veterinarian with the Texas Department
of State Health Services (DSHS), formerly called the Texas
Department of Health (TDH). While there, he worked
with the Rapid Response Team that performed rodent
surveillance activities associated with Hantavirus cases in
Texas and was one of the original participants in Texas’
Oral Rabies Vaccination Program.
During his career, Dr. White has served on the Board of
Directors for the Animal Emergency Clinic of Tyler, the
Animal Emergency Clinic of San Angelo, and the wildlife
rehabilitation organization called “Because It’s Right.” He
served on the Animal Services Advisory Board for the City
of San Angelo and as the President of the Concho Valley
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Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. White earned Bachelor of Science degrees in
Biomedical Science and Veterinary Science and a Doctor
of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University. He also
earned a Master of Science degree from The University of
Texas at Tyler.
Dr. White is passionate about helping stray and unwanted
animals and truly appreciates and enjoys working with
the animal welfare groups and adoption partners in the
community. Dr. White and his wife spend much of their
spare time caring for sick and injured animals as active
foster volunteers.
Carl Youngberg, President, Concepts 3 Inc.
Carl Youngberg has learned that the greatest ideas count
for little unless they can be presented with energy, insight
and clarity and embraced by the organization. Delivering
programs that inspire, motivate and educate, Carl has
talked to hundreds of organizations about building
successful businesses centered around employees, customers
and sales. The glue that makes it work is structure, processes
and people.
After twenty five years as a corporate executive with Saks
Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, he has created staff
development strategies that give customers the edge in
business. The best lesson learned at Neiman Marcus is that
by serving your customer, you serve your business. Carl’s
programs have lasting impact for long term change in
organizations.
With his rich customer service background in luxury
retailing, Carl’ has developed presentations and programs
to help companies set a new standard of excellence. Carl
is frequently sought out as a contributor by the print media
as commentator and writer. He regular writer and blogger
for the Dallas Morning News and has been featured on
Fox News and Time Magazine. He has been honored as
the Arts Patron of the Year and received the Presidential
Volunteer Service Award.
As a professional speaker, published author, and executive
coach, Carl regularly presents programs and workshops
to help business people make their ideas matter. As Vice
President of American Society of Training and Development,
for one of the largest chapters in the nation, and as
a keynote speaker for the Society of Human Resource
Management, he stays current with the latest research and
data regarding how to make successful presentations.
As an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University
in Dallas for over ten years, many of his workshops
have now become regular courses at SMU and are
presented internally at many client companies. Carl has
taught over 100 SMU courses focused on the concept of
achieving business success through individual growth and
development.
Texas Unites
32
registration form
Please visit www.texasunites.com to register or complete one form for each person attending the conference.
Name:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Organization/Agency:_______________________________________________________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ City:__________________ State:_____ Zip:__________________
Phone:______________________________________________ E-Mail:________________________________________________
GENERAL CONFERENCE
[ ] Conference Registration through February 29, 2016: $225
[ ] Conference Registration March 1, 2016 - March 31, 2016:
$250
[ ] Conference Registration Single Day - Saturday Only
[ ] Conference Registration Single Day - Sunday Only
$125
[ ] Conference Registration Single Day - Monday Only
$75
$125
SHELTER MEDICINE TRACK - LIMITED REGISTRATION FOR DVMs and LVTs
[ ] Conference Registration Shelter Medicine Track (Saturday Only)
$125
[ ] Conference Registration Shelter Medicine Track (Saturday) PLUS Sunday/Monday General Conference
through February 29, 2016
$225
[ ] Conference Registration Shelter Medicine Track (Saturday) PLUS Sunday/Monday General Conference
March 1, 2016 - March 31, 2016
$250
THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE is March 31, 2016.
Registrations received after the deadline will be considered “Walk-In” and are subject to an additional $15 handling fee.
$25 service charge for cancellations, no refunds after March 31, 2016.
[ ] Check or Money Order (enclosed)
[ ] VISA
[ ] Mastercard
[ ] AMEX
Name on Card: _____________________________________ Card Number:___________________________________________
Exp Date:_____________________ Card Security Code: ________________ Total:______________________________________
Phone Number (of card holder):_________________________________________________________________________________
Card Billing Address:________________________________________ City:__________________ State:_____ Zip:____________
Authorized Signature (for credit cards):___________________________________________________________________________
Register Today! Visit www.texasunites.com to register online OR mail, fax, or email completed registration forms with payment to:
Texas Unites for Animals
P.O. Box 6551
McKinney, TX 75071
[email protected]
Fax: 972-534-1501
Texas Unites
33
Registration Form
Please indicate your intended participation during Texas Unites for Animals by checking one box in each time slot. Your selections
will be used to estimate the attendance at each function, however, you are free to attend different workshops if you change your mind.
Meals
[ ] I prefer REGULAR meals [ ] I WILL NOT be eating any meals provided
[ ] I require VEGAN meals
[ ] I require VEGETARIAN meals
Friday, April 22
6 to 8 p.m.
[ ] Exhibit Hall Opening & Welcome Reception
Saturday, April 23
(For Shelter Medicine Track Participants, all meals & workshops included in the one-day, Saturday registration are assumed selected. Please make additional selections for Sunday/Monday below.)
8 to 9 a.m.
9 to 10:30 a.m. [ ] Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
Opening Session
[ ] A Matter of Trust: A Human Service Approach to Animal Welfare
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Workshops
[ ] Workshop 1
[ ] Workshop 2
[ ] Workshop 3
[ ] Workshop 4
[ ] Workshop 5
12:30 to 2 p.m.
[ ] Lunch in Exhibit Hall
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop 6
[ ] Workshop 7
[ ] Workshop 8
The Breed ID Game: Removing Breed Labels to Increase Adoptions
[ ] Workshop 9
The Power of Natural Healing! Taking Care of Animals and Ourselves Naturally!
[ ] Workshop 10
The Power of Words: How What We Say About Animals Impacts Public Perceptions
4 to 5:30 p.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop
[ ] Workshop
[ ] Workshop
[ ] Workshop
[ ] Workshop
5:30 to 7 p.m.
[ ] Networking Event in Exhibit Hall
11
12
13
14
15
Customer Service Strategies for Animal Welfare Professionals
Chip, Chip Hooray! Using Microchips to Dramatically Increase Return to Owner Rates, Boost Licensing Compliance AND Your Shelter’s Profile in the Community
Revisiting Adoption Ambassadors: A Movement You Don’t Want to Miss
Big Message, Big Mission, Small Budget: The Marketing Challenge
Texas Unites
34
Registration Form
Sunday, April 24
8 to 9 a.m.
[ ] Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
9 to 10:30 a.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop 16
Navigating Change Management
[ ] Workshop 17
Dangerous Dog Investigations Overview
[ ] Workshop 18
Open Selection Adoption - Higher Adoption Numbers, Much Less Effort
[ ] Workshop 19
[ ] Workshop 20
Social Media for Leadership: Strategies for Engagement
[ ] Workshop 21
Shelter Transformation: How a Shelter Evaluation Helped Our Organization Move Forward
[ ] Workshop 22
The Evolution of Animal Response
[ ] Workshop 23
Rescue Right: Increasing Adoption Appeal through Appropriate Veterinary Medicine
[ ] Workshop 24
[ ] Workshop 25
Take the Time to Save Time
12:30 to 2 p.m.
[ ] Lunch in Exhibit Hall
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop 26
Toolkit for the Time-Starved Leader: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Employee Engagement
[ ] Workshop 27
Building a Cockfighting Investigations Program
[ ] Workshop 28
Adopters Welcome: A New Guide to Transform Your Adoptions!
[ ] Workshop 29
[ ] Workshop 30
Using Social Media for Crisis Communication
4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop 31
Fundraising’s Hidden Power: Making Every Donor Count
[ ] Workshop 32
Logistics of a Large Scale Operation
[ ] Workshop 33
Implementing Adopters Welcome: Making the Shift Away From Application Based Adoptions
[ ] Workshop 34
Outbreak! Putting Out the Fires Before They Burn You (Part 2)
[ ] Workshop 35
P.U.G.S.S. – The Best Breed of Conflict Management
Monday, April 25
8 to 9 a.m.
[ ] Breakfast
9 to 10:30 a.m.
Workshops
[ ] Workshop 36
Matching Resources to Animal Shelter Goals
[ ] Workshop 37
Community Engagement in Underserved Areas
[ ] Workshop 38
Pit Bull Rescue: What Works and What We’ve Learned
[ ] Workshop 39
Wildlife Management – Developing Effective SOPs for Animal Shelters
[ ] Workshop 40
More Cheese, Please! Marketing Pets & Partnerships through Community-Wide Adoption Events
[ ] Workshop 41
Ethically Speaking
[ ] Workshop 42
The Gateway Crime - How Investigating Animal Cruelty Can Lead to Discovering Other Crimes
[ ] Workshop 43
Public/Private Partnerships: An Updated Model for Trap-Neuter-Return
[ ] Workshop 44
[ ] Workshop 45
Hold the Antibiotics – Let’s Go Viral!
12:30 to 1 p.m.
[ ] Closing Ceremony & Raffle
Texas Unites
35
This nose knows she’ll
See you in Austin!
Texas Unites For Animals
Rebecca Langevin, Conference Coordinator
P.O. Box 6551
McKinney, TX 75071
[email protected]
Fax: 972-534-1501
texasunites.com
fb.com/texasunites

Conference Registration Brochure

Transcription

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