Meet Our 2024 NMHC Speakers

April Huntsman, CAWA, serves as the director of animal welfare insights for Adopt a Pet and Rehome by Adopt a Pet, the nation’s largest self-supported rehoming service. Her credits include implementing sustainable social enterprise models, developing at-risk animal population programs and administering no-kill community partnerships. April has been in the animal welfare industry for more than 20 years and has worked for both local and national animal welfare organizations including Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Salt Lake County Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Society and Michelson Found Animals Foundation. April lives in Utah and is the proud pack mom of three senior dogs.

Jessica Shelton is Chief Government Affairs Officer for the statewide nonprofit Animal Protection New Mexico and its legislative arm Animal Protection Voters, where she leads legislative and political efforts for the protection of all New Mexico’s animals. Jessica has been instrumental in the passage of many major victories in the New Mexico State Legislature, including banning sexual abuse of animals, coyote killing contests, and trapping on public lands, and securing sustained funding for statewide spay/neuter and equine rescues. With over a decade of experience in government relations on behalf of animal protection, her expertise includes lobbying strategy, legislative and statutory analysis, and grassroots advocacy. Jessica earned a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR, where she specialized in environmental and animal law, and received the Animal Law Leadership Award upon graduation. She lives in Santa Fe, NM with her husband, two daughters, her beloved flock of companion chickens, and intrepid rescued canines, Zelda and Edwin.

Dr. Sohaila Jafarian is a first-generation Iranian who grew up in Dallas, Texas. She completed her DVM and MPH at Kansas State University in 2018. During her MPH project she developed a passion for community-based healthcare and realized the lack of ethical community-based interventions in veterinary medicine. After graduation, she went on to a rotating internship with VCA in Albuquerque, NM, gaining valuable clinical experience in emergency, surgery, and internal medicine. After her rotating internship, she had the opportunity to work at the University of Pennsylvania as a Community Medicine Intern. Not only was this an invaluable experience to see the positive impact of ethical veterinary community medicine in action, but also introduced Dr. Jafarian to the field of veterinary social work as another viable avenue to improve collective human and animal welfare. She lives in New Mexico and is working as a relief veterinarian in shelter, emergency, and general practice. Beyond her clinical work, she is a Clinical Year Mentor for the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a board member for Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association and also a member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ DEI Task Force.
Dr. Jafarian has always been passionate about diversity, equality, and inclusion, viewing them as public health issues of the upmost importance. She is also deeply passionate about combating implicit bias and discrimination within the veterinary community as well as towards communities of pet owners that have been historically discriminated against.

Gina Knepp is the National Shelter Engagement Director for the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. Her primary focus is increasing the return to home rate by engaging animal sheltering organizations in finding innovative ways of locating missing pet people and more importantly, helping people not lose their pets to begin with. Gina’s background includes managing the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento, California. Her experience leading a municipal, open intake, high volume shelter adds to her passion for helping lost animals get back home where they belong. Her current work with Michelson Philanthropies has offered the opportunity to work with shelters across the country, improving reunification efforts. Gina is currently on the Board of Directors of the California Animal Welfare Association, the Bitterroot Human Association and on the Executive Committee of Human Animal Support Services (HASS) with American Pets Alive, launching national animal shelter reform. Gina lives in Hamilton, Montana with her husband Chris and her two dogs, Lucy & Rex, along with her cat, Kit, 18 deer and 80 turkeys.

Vincent Medley is Maddie’s® Director of Human Animal Support Services. Vincent spent 21 years as a leader of four of the largest government funded animal shelters in the United States—Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Philadelphia—where he served at every level of shelter operations and management, and led through some of the toughest transitions. 

Vincent was also the CEO of a non-profit shelter that contracted enforcement and shelter services within large city governments, and has been a frequent speaker and trainer in animal shelters and at conferences across the country. 

Most recently, Vincent was the Senior Coordinator and Program Manager at the Humane Society of the United States Outreach, Engagement and Training Law Enforcement Training Center. He has experience in the business world as well—Vincent is a Lean Six Sigma White Belt and a life coach.

Vincent’s background, experience, and values drive his commitment to lifesaving, and the HASS model of keeping people and pets together.

Accomplished animal welfare professional Jerrica Owen joined the National Animal Care & Control Association in April 2021. She brings with her nearly 20 years of experience in emergent animal welfare, engaging and developing a diversity of staff, and shelter operations, and leading successful initiatives in Animal Welfare in a cross-cultural environment. In addition, she has extensive experience in the field during some of our country’s worst disasters supporting tactical and shelter operations for all types of animals including domestic, wildlife, and equine. Jerrica is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and standard setting of the animal control and service profession. She is committed to inclusive engagement and resource accessibility for the industry.

Jerrica earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from California State University-Chico and holds certifications in Animal Welfare Administration (CAWA), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Organizational Leadership, and Modern Humane Resource Management. She lives in California and is a proud wife and mother to both humans, fur, and shelled (Tortoise!) babies. Her hobbies include yoga, jump rope, and surfing.

Dr. Wailani Sung has a passion for helping owners prevent or effectively manage behavior problems in companion animals, enabling them to maintain a high quality of life. Dr. Sung obtained her Master’s degree and Doctorate in Psychology, with a special interest in animal behavior from The University of Georgia. Upon completion of these graduate programs, she obtained a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, then board certification in veterinary behavioral medicine.

Dr. Sung does not consider any patient or problem hopeless, and her treatment protocols are based on scientific information about animal behavior, psychopharmacology, and learning theory. In addition to providing behavioral consultations for privately owned pets, she also oversees the management and treatment of the behavioral needs of our shelter animals.

Dr. Sung frequently lectures on managing common behavioral issues and consults with veterinary practices to design programs and train staff in best practices for making vet visits less stressful and developing treatment protocols for patients with behavioral issues. Dr. Sung also provides consultations to shelter and rescue organizations.

Dr. Sung is a co-author of the book, “From Fearful to Fear Free”, in which she collaborated with America’s veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary colleague Dr. Lisa Radosta, and renown trainer, Mikkel Becker. Dr. Sung also co-authored a chapter in “Decoding your Cat” and has written chapters in a number of veterinary textbooks. You can also read her contributions in the magazines, Healthy Pet and Happy Paws, and the websites, PetCoach and PetMD. Dr. Sung is also an advisory member of Fear Free Pets and is a Fear Free certified speaker. She was interviewed on the documentary, Cat Tales by NOVA and on the Netflix documentary, Inside the Mind of a Cat.

Katelin is the owner and behavior consultant at K9 Turbo Training, a science-based training company out of Detroit, MI. Along with a double major in Psychology and Peace and Conflict Resolution, she is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (IAABC), Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CCPDT-KA), and is Fear-free shelter certified.​ Alongside the team at K9 Turbo Training, she is the founder and host of the The Science of Animal Behavior Conference, a national conference that brings together the best experts in the field to ensure rescues; shelters; veterinary professionals; and trainers have access to the most up-to-date information around behavior and training. Above all else, Katelin is an educator who is fiercely passionate about using empathy and compassion in training and has a lifelong goal of improving the lives of animals by teaching, supporting, empowering the guardians and professionals who love and care for them. 

Ledy VanKavage is the Senior Legislative Attorney for Best Friends Animal Society located in Kanab, Utah and a member of the ISBA’s animal law section. Before coming to Best Friends Ledy was the Senior Director of Legislation and Legal Training for the ASPCA. She has helped spearhead the passage of over 50 humane state bills during her lobbying tenure and is also a past Chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.  Ledy is the recipient of the ABA’s Excellence in Animal Law award for 2014, the 2018 Wallace Award from the Wallace the Pitbull Foundation, and Excellence in a State Campaign award from the Women in Government Relation’s Association. She is a co-author of the USDOJ publication, “The Problem of Dog Related Incidents and Encounters” and is an instructor for the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. She has been interviewed on MSNBC, NPR, the Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine and the New York Times.

Randy is a graduate of the Washburn University School of Law. He is the General Counsel of the New Mexico Municipal League where he advises municipalities, their officials and employees on various statutory and constitutional issues. Randy’s public service includes employment as an Assistant District Attorney, the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Disciplinary Board of the New Mexico Supreme Court, an Assistant Attorney General, and as a City Attorney. Randy has served as President of the New Mexico Municipal Attorneys’ Association and Chairman of the State Bar Local Government Law Specialization Committee, he is also currently on the faculty of the Graduate School of Public Administration at the University of New Mexico. Randy has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Municipal Lawyers’ Association (IMLA), and past Chair of IMLA’s State League Counsel Section. In 2001 he was named a Fellow in Local Government Law in recognition of his demonstrated excellence in the field of local government law by the International Municipal Lawyers’ Association, and re-certified in 2006 and 2010. In 2005 Randy was approved by the State Bar of New Mexico as the first Board Certified Specialist in Local Government Law. Randy is a frequent speaker and panelist at seminars and conferences throughout New Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Dr. Jennie Willis is an applied animal behaviorist and holds a PHD from Colorado State University in Zoology with a focus in Animal Behavior.  Her dissertation research was related to dog cognition and problem solving.   Since that time, she has worked with species ranging from mice to ferrets, and from cats to cattle! 

Dr. Willis has made a career in helping companion, zoo and farm animals using the scientific principles of human behavior change, including positive reinforcement and errorless learning.   For many years, Dr. Willis has helped, pet parents and their animals, along with their veterinarians, solve severe behavior issues. Her life focus has been helping people and their pets navigate towards better solutions in when they struggle with challenging issues like biting, reactivity, separation anxiety, self-mutilation, house soiling and escape among many other issues.

Dr. Willis is the Director for the Professional Science Masters (PSM) Degree in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management.  She and her graduate students conduct applied research to benefit the lives of animals in managed care and organizational settings. Her special research interests include:  behavior modification strategies for aggressive animals, evaluation of animal welfare, analyzing and developing enrichment, analyzing efficacy of animal training protocols and understanding public perceptions of animal behavior and training.  Her special interest is in improvement of adoption rates of cats through enrichment, evaluation and training.

Dr. Willis teaches several courses in applied animal behavior that are available for undergraduates and graduate students in any program including:  BZ 479 Biology and Behavior of Dogs, NSCI 579 Applied Animal Behavior In Captive Populations and BZ 478 Behavior and Biology of Cats.  

Dr. Willis also speaks and consults professionally internationally for groups and organizations on a variety of animal training and behavior modification topics..   She is a member of the Animal Behavior Society, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, Animal Welfare Agencies of Colorado, the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Animal Behavior Management Alliance.

In her spare time, Dr. Willis enjoys spending time with her human and canine family hiking, swimming and adventuring in the Colorado mountains.

Rory Adams utilizes feminist frameworks to honor the connection between people and animals. As a transgender person, Rory is most comfortable leading from the margins, working at the intersections of social justice and animal welfare to create equitable and inclusive change for people, animals, and the planet.

Before joining PetSmart Charities, Rory worked for over 16 years in animal well-being at the local and national levels, including American Pets Alive and Maddie's Fund, where he created, developed, and implemented Maddie’s Apprenticeship and Fellowship programs.  

Rory is passionate about ensuring all shelter animals are valued and given a chance at life. Rory’s areas of expertise include connecting people and pets, creating learning opportunities for the field, increasing community engagement, removing barriers to foster care and adoption, and teaching shelter directors and advocates how to access, understand and utilize shelter data.

Rory believes that people are the solution to creating a world where animals and people thrive. Rory is committed to expanding programs that grow future leaders, heal injustices, facilitate the inclusion of historically marginalized people, and celebrate the love between people, animals, and our habitats. 

Alan Edmonds was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to New Mexico in 1997 after falling in love with the Southwest. He served as Animal Protection New Mexico’s Cruelty Case Manager from 2011 to 2021 and became director of APNM’s Challenging Animal Cruelty program in 2022. Alan earned NACA ACO Certification and has participated in training on animal cruelty and fighting investigations, emergency management, and animal control for law enforcement officers. Alan is also a writer, musician, activist, and artist. He and his wife Tisha live with their feline companions Nona, Chauncey, and Pippi, all rescued from the streets of Albuquerque.

Judah Battista is a co-founder of Best Friends Animal Society who began his journey with the organization when he was just 14 years old. Born in Chicago in 1970, Judah was raised among many of the children of the adult co-founders of Best Friends. While growing up, Judah had an affinity for animals and was especially sensitive to those who were suffering. He channeled this compassion into his work at the Sanctuary, where he spent his spring breaks and summers helping the organization get off the ground. To that end, Judah framed buildings, installed drywall, ran electrical wiring and did plumbing.

After graduation, Judah took on full-time roles as a vet tech and cat care manager, providing for the medical care and adoption of approximately 350 cats. By 2005, he had also served as clinic manager and interim director of animal care.

In 2006, Judah made a decision to leave Best Friends to work in Chicago, where he learned about the scale of the challenges involved in saving homeless animals and about how to address the homeless pet problem on the community level. After two years with PAWS, a Chicago animal rescue organization, Judah returned to Best Friends to work in outreach programming and, in 2011, he again took on the responsibilities of animal care director.

As a second-generation co-founder whose father, Francis Battista, found the property that became Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Judah literally grew up under the auspices of the people who created a major national movement to end the killing of dogs and cats in shelters. For Judah, his involvement has always been about his love for animals and the awareness that he wanted to live a life based on kindness and compassion toward all.

Like the other co-founders, Judah has held true to the belief that kindness to animals creates a better world for everyone. He says, “When a community stops the killing of pets and achieves no-kill status, it benefits everybody — both people and animals.”

Stacie graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Animal Ecology, specializing in wildlife and earned a Master's degree from Northern Illinois University in Ecology and Evolution. After starting her career in animal sheltering in Nebraska, she worked her way up from cleaning kennels as a volunteer to the Director of Veterinary Services at Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha. In late 2013 Stacie took the leap to move to New Mexico where she took over as the Animal Welfare Director for the City of Farmington.