Amy Varga For over 25 years, Amy Varga has worked with organizations to strengthen philanthropy, leadership, and boards. Amy founded the Varga Group in 2013 as a management consulting firm specializing in capital campaigns, major gifts fundraising, fundraising training, retreat facilitation, board development, and leadership coaching. The Varga Group has guided over 100 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits to raise more than $200M.
Ivan Leon is an accomplished cross-cultural marketing strategist. He leads Kerux Group, a multicultural communications agency that helps nonprofits engage Hispanics with authenticity. He has provided advice and direction to organizations such as Prison Fellowship, CBN, FamilyLife, In Touch, and Renewal Ministries.
Matt Scott leads CauseMic, a Portland-based consultancy that helps nonprofits, including Oregon Humane Society and Greater Good Charities, to quickly grow their revenue and drive impact. Matt teaches leaders to build growth strategies and select and implement the right technology to quickly grow revenue and impact. Before CauseMic, Matt led fundraising at Team Rubicon, taking it from $275,000 to $51 million in annual revenue in seven years.
Pamela Oakes owner/managing director of The Profitable Nonprofit, is a nonprofit development expert who is at the forefront of driving racial equity solutions across the globe. She consulted with the top 100 corporations in South Africa during the post-apartheid racial reconciliation period, conducting trainings on DEI and change management. Previously a grant maker with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio, her team worked to create a more equitable system of promoting social mobility and economic development for low-income, underrepresented, student populations of color. Pamela is a certified trainer for the Washington Nonprofit Association and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
Bobbi Snethen is a results-driven marketer and communications professional who’s spent 20 years in the nonprofit sector. She’s successfully crafted and executed strategic campaigns that have raised hundreds of millions of dollars and amplified the voices of underserved communities. As the president of CauseMic, she helps impact-driven organizations grow quickly and sustainably.
Aretha Ferrell-Benavides has over 30 years of experience as a public servant throughout the United States, spanning beyond municipal government to county, state, and federal governmental expertise. She has served as a political appointee for six strong mayors and fulfilled her ultimate career goal of serving as city manager in three communities for the past eight years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southern University and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Howard University.
Dr. Wendy Fraser mentors the collective wisdom in organizations by engaging the talents and hearts of people. Wendy has a PhD and three master’s degrees, and creatively blends that to design fresh approaches, grounded in research, with a flare of humor that gets results for clients all over the world. She is an active community volunteer, has been recognized as an international humanitarian, and is the author of the book Trust Repair: It IS Possible.
Reva Patwardhan, the founder of Greater Good Coaching, has 20 years of experience helping nonprofit leaders make their impact without burning out. Reva helps facilitate small interpersonal learning groups with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She serves as chair of the Board of Directors at Rethink Media. She is also a coach with Leaderspring, LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics), and Aletheia: A School of Integral Unfoldment.
Karalyn Aronow serves as the Vice President of Operations at the East Bay SPCA. She is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator and actively participates in industry leadership through serving on the CalAnimals Emergency Management Committee, reviewing grant proposals for the state of California, and contributing to the development of the original Shelter Playgroup Alliance guidelines for shelter dog playgroups and enrichment. Karalyn completed two Master of Science degrees in Ecology and Evolution and Animal Behavior and has over a decade of experience as a leader in numerous facets of animal welfare.
Jerrica Owen, the Executive Director of the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA), is a dynamic leader with a deep-rooted passion for animal welfare. With years of experience in the field, Jerrica has played a pivotal role in advancing animal care and control practices nationwide. Her visionary leadership and dedication to fostering collaboration have earned her widespread recognition as a driving force in the advancement of animal welfare initiatives.
Lorien Clemens is the co-founder and CEO at PetHub, Inc. Lorien was honored by PetAge Magazine as one of the pet industry’s Women of Influence. She was also named the Pet Industry Network’s 2014 Pet Industry Woman of the Year and was a keynote speaker at their national conference.
Brittany Fleming created the Unicorn Foster Program at Gateway Pet Guardians in 2019. Under her direction, the program reduced the length of stay of their “unicorns” by 70%. Brittany has since created Save the Unicorns which is a consulting company that helps assist animal rescue groups with their “unicorns” in foster and adoptive homes. Brittany has a strong passion for seeing an animal’s progression from shy and scared to happy, confident, and social, no matter how they act on intake.
Emma Clifford, originally from the UK, founded Animal Balance in response to discovering that cats and dogs were being routinely poisoned on the Galapagos Islands. She created Animal Balance to offer a humane management program to the Ecuadorian Government. They agreed and next year we will celebrate 20 years of success of working together to humanely balance ALL species. The model worked so well that Clifford expanded to include 12 other island nations. When the pandemic hit, we pivoted to provide VetAID, a remodeled version of the program for the US.
In her role as Division Manager at Grand Prairie Animal Services in Texas, Lily Yap brings a strong background in open admission, municipal shelter operations, and lifesaving programs, Building on experience from over a decade in animal sheltering and knowledge of corporate business fundamentals gained from one of the top 10 professional MBA programs in the nation, she strives to support teams that will promote a future in which animals and the families that love them thrive together.
Scott Schaffer is a management consultant who has led successful nonprofits in the environmental, food security, and housing fields. His firm, Public Interest Management Group, focuses on helping nonprofits build effective and sustainable business models. Based in Seattle, he has been working with mission-driven organizations around the US and Canada for over 15 years.
As founder of WorkJoy, Tina Robinson builds on 20 years of operations, technology consulting, and HR leadership experience to provide facilitation and coaching solutions to organizations ready to unleash the potential of their people. She co-creates talent programs that drive business outcomes and deliver human results, partnering with leaders from prominent organizations including Fabletics, FOX Sports, National Wildlife Federation, SAP, Savage X Fenty, and Spotify. Tina graduated from the University of Virginia (BA), University of Michigan (MBA), and Coactive Training Institute coaching program, and is adjunct faculty at Loyola Marymount University.
Alexandra Reese works with leaders and their organizations to define and bring bold visions to life with confidence, ease, and joy. Over her 13-year career, Alexandra has helped 100+ organizations to build high-performing teams that deliver transformational results and develop empowered leaders who’ve done the work “in,” so they can lead transformation “out.” Alexandra has worked with many mission-driven organizations, including Oregon Humane Society, Boys & Girls Clubs, and The Conservation Alliance.
Brett Cooper is the co-author of Solving the People Problem and the visionary president of Integris Performance Advisors, a professional development firm he co-founded that helps animal welfare organizations across the country increase employee engagement and team performance. By creatively bringing together concepts from Everything DiSC, Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, and Lean Six Sigma, Brett and his team have influenced thousands of people in nonprofits, government agencies, and corporate America to work together in more productive, more effective, and more human ways.
Keynotes & general sessions
KEYNOTE
Being Human: Self-Care During a Time of Relentless Crises
Wednesday, November 15
9:30–10:30 am
It has been a brutal few years. The people and animals we serve continue to face increasing challenges. Many organizations strive to do their best with limited resources. Everyone is exhausted and at max capacity as we struggle with multiple pandemics and our own personal crises. Burnout is a constant risk, which is why it is vital we take a moment to acknowledge how far we’ve come, remember the differences we make in the world, and reimagine a better normal as we move forward. This presentation, filled with humor and pictures of baby animals, will leave you motivated and energized.
Session Sponsored by Maddie's Fund
Vu Le (“voo lay”) writes the NonprofitAF blog. He is the former executive director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by supporting leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities.
KEYNOTE
Where Animal Rights and Social Justice Intersect
Thursday, November 16
9:15–10:15 am
Karen Diver is the Senior Advisor to the President for Native Americans at the University of Minnesota. She previously held positions at the University of Arizona and the College of St. Scholastica. She served as Special Assistant to President Obama for Native American Affairs at the White House from 2015-2017, and was Chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from 2007-2015. She has a Bachelor’s in economics from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
GENERAL SESSION
Futurecast: A Collaborative Exercise in Forward Thinking
Thursday, November 16
3:45–4:45 pm
The future is unknowable, but it’s incredibly malleable. Let’s elevate our focus beyond today’s worries and constraints and recognize how the world (and our communities) may soon be different as a result of technology, demographics, environment, and other factors–and work together to illuminate the responsibilities and opportunities that arise from those expectations. Takeaways include:
- The indispensable value of your organization’s Vision Statement
- Five ways your world will soon be profoundly different
- What you most need to learn or adjust today to prepare for the future
Matt Lehrman is co-founder and managing director of Social Prosperity Partners, an Arizona-based consulting firm dedicated to the proposition that “Where people work together courageously, their potential is unlimited.” As a facilitator, Matt’s passion and expertise is facilitating the strategic deliberations of governance councils, boards of directors, and management teams, while helping them achieve consensus among their diverse constituencies. As a national speaker, Matt inspires and instructs civic and nonprofit organization leaders on topics of civility and community engagement.
GENERAL SESSION
Decoding the Thought Process Behind Choices through Behavioral Economics
Friday, November 17
9–10 am
This session offers a captivating exploration of the intersection between behavior and economic decision-making. Delve into the fascinating world of how people make choices, respond to incentives, and engage in various behaviors based on economic principles. This interdisciplinary approach combines insights from veterinary medicine, psychology, and economics to shed light on the complexities of decision-making processes.
Gain a deeper understanding of how factors such as cost, benefit, risk, and reward influence choices. Case studies will highlight the practical applications of behavioral economics in sheltering, from optimizing animal adoption strategies to better relationships with staff. Attendees will engage in interactive exercises and thought-provoking discussions that encourage critical thinking and the application of behavioral economics concepts to animal welfare scenarios.
Dr. Nellie Goetz is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine where she teaches in the second year Anesthesia and Surgery courses and runs an elective Community Cat Management Course. She received her DVM from The Ohio State in 2005 and her Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2017.
Dr. Cristie Kamiya graduated from Colorado State University with a Master of Business Administration degree in 1999 and earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 2005. She has worked as a shelter veterinarian in Colorado and Arizona. She is the Chief of Shelter Medicine at Humane Society Silicon Valley.
Michael Robbins is a senior executive with more than 12 years of distinguished accomplishments in both the corporate and nonprofit environments. Michael serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Humane Society. Immediately prior, Mike spent 10 years with the Michigan Humane Society.
GENERAL SESSION
PANEL: Solutions to Access to Care Challenges
Friday, November 17
11:30 am–12:30 pm
Access to veterinary care and the worsening shortage of veterinarians are huge, complex problems negatively impacting animal welfare in major ways. As with other major challenges, solutions will have to be broad-ranging and creative. Hear from a panel of industry experts who will share thoughts on various facets of a solution and share your questions and thoughts as well. Possible solutions to be discussed include:
- How the new mid-level practitioner (veterinary physicians assistant) position could positively impact the work of animal welfare organizations
- How the creative use of veterinary telemedicine could help clear log jams shelters are experiencing
- Nonsurgical sterilization research and product developments–where they stand, and when and how they might be ready for use by animal welfare organizations
- Strategies in high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter to include large-scale sterilization events to address back-logs
Joyce Briggs has served as ACC&D’s President since 2006. During this time she has helped substantially advance interest in, work toward, and support for creating non-surgical sterilants for progressive population control of cats and dogs.
Dr. Julie Levy is a professor of Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida. She founded Operation Catnip, a nonprofit university-based community cat TNR program that has spayed, neutered, and vaccinated more than 80,000 cats. She co-founded the Shelter Medicine Program with Dr. Cynda Crawford, the Million Cat Challenge with Dr. Kate Hurley, and helped launch Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge.
Dr. Cherice Roth a Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine graduate, is the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Digital Health Platform for Mars Veterinary Health and is known for her work in standardizing high-quality veterinary telemedicine at scale. Dr. Roth is a children’s book author and a practicing relief ER veterinarian.
Apryl Steele, DVM is the President and CEO of the Dumb Friends League. After practicing veterinary medicine for 18 years, she had the honor of joining the League in 2014 to advocate for animals who are vulnerable due to homelessness, mistreatment, or their owner’s financial situation. She is currently a board member for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and is the chair-elect. Apryl is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA).