Keynote Speakers
20th Annual Conference
Keynote Speakers
Carol J. Adams
Author, Activist, and Scholar, The Sexual Politics of Meat
In 1989, just as she was completing The Sexual Politics of Meat, she received a Durfee Award from the Durfee Foundation for “enhancing the dignity of others through the use of law or legal institutions,” in specific for using “creative legal means to ensure construction of over 90 new housing units in a troubled, racially mixed area, securing a judicial opinion defining discrimination against battered women in federally subsidized housing, and establishing the first cooperatively owned mobile home park in New York State.”
Carol has published close to 100 articles in journals, books, and magazines on the issues of veganism, animal advocacy, domestic violence and sexual abuse. In addition, Carol has presented the dynamic and always-changing Sexual Politics of Meat Slide Show from Oregon to Maine, from experimental schools to universities with slaughterhouses on their campus, from Yale Law School to CalTech, from Trinity College in Dublin to Toronto’s annual vegetarian food fair.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
U.S. Representative, 3rd District of Oregon
While still a student at Lewis & Clark College, he spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age both in Oregon and at the national level. He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1972, where he served three terms and Chaired the House Education and Revenue Committee in 1977-78. In 1978, he was elected to the Multnomah County Commission, where he served for eight years before being elected to the Portland City Council in 1986. There, his 10-year tenure as the Commissioner of Public Works demonstrated his leadership on the innovative accomplishments in transportation, planning, environmental programs and public participation that have helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities.
Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, Mr. Blumenauer has created a unique role as Congress’ chief spokesperson for Livable Communities: places where people are safe, healthy and economically secure. From 1996 to 2007, he served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he was a strong advocate for federal policies that address transportation alternatives, provide housing choices, support sustainable economies and improve the environment. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001 to 2007 and vice-chair of the the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2010. He is currently a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee. Congressman Blumenauer’s academic training includes undergraduate and law degrees from Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
Nancy Perry
Senior Vice President of Government Relations, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Nancy Perry is currently senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations, where she oversees the ASPCA’s legislative efforts and public policy at the local, state and federal government levels. Under Nancy’s leadership, the ASPCA Government Relations team works closely with lawmakers and citizen advocates to secure the strongest possible protections for animals through the passage of humane legislation and regulations. She is currently establishing a Washington, D.C., office for the ASPCA and hiring several new staff positions.
Prior to joining the ASPCA, Nancy served as vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) where she oversaw HSUS’s state and federal legislative efforts, including ballot measure campaigns and nationwide grassroots activities. During her 16-year tenure at the HSUS, Nancy led successful efforts to secure federal legislation preventing the distribution of notorious animal crush videos, prohibiting the practice of shark finning, requiring truthful labeling of fur garments, banning the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills, prohibiting the interstate commerce of birds for fighting, requiring disaster planning for pets, banning tigers and other big cats as pets, securing greater protections for pet food safety, and defunding government-supported horse slaughter.
Nancy has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees and worked directly with legislators on pending federal and state legislation on puppy mills, horse protection, and other high priority bills. Nancy has also been a key architect and leader on more than 20 successful state ballot measures to protect animals since 1995.
Nancy graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in Political Science and Philosophy. She received her MA in Communications from California State University, Northridge and a JD with an Environmental Law Certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she co-founded Lewis & Clark’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. She was a two-time national champion in the Pace Environmental Moot Court competition while in law school. She also co-founded the Animal Law Journal and organized the country’s first animal law conference ”“ an event now in its 20th year. Nancy is an advisory board member of the Animal Law Review, teaches animal law at both George Washington University and Lewis & Clark Law Schools, and has published several articles on animal law.
Nancy lives in the Washington, D.C. area, with her husband, her two rescued dogs, Ellie and Summer, her three former feral cats, Emma, June and Sylvester, and Sam, a rescued bird.
Panelists
Lewis Bollard
Law Student, Yale Law School
Robert Cheeke
Author, Vega Ambassador, and Vegan Bodybuilder
As a two-time natural bodybuilding champion, Robert has been considered one of VegNews Magazine’s Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours all over North America, regularly giving talks about his story transforming from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder.
Currently Robert works for Vega, a line of vegan whole-food products, as a representative of the pro-vegan film Forks Over Knives and also works full-time running Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, which includes writing books, touring and maintaining the popular website.
Robert recently moved to Austin, TX and continues to spread the vegan way of life leading by example as an accomplished vegan athlete.
Emily Davidsohn
Staff Attorney and Case Coordinator, Oregon Humane Society
Emily received her Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont, where she served as the co-chair for the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Administrative and Development Editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.
As a law clerk for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Emily researched a wide variety of substantive and procedural issues in support of animal cruelty prosecutions pending across the United States.
Alexis C. Fox
Massachusetts State Director, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
At Lewis & Clark Law School, Fox specialized in animal protection law and was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the Cornelius Honors Society and her writing has appeared in Animal Law. Before joining HSUS as a State Director, Fox worked in animal protection litigation.
With more than a decade of experience in advocacy Fox has worked with numerous animal protection organizations including the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the National Center for Animal Law. Fox is also an Adjunct Professor at Emerson College where she teaches a course on Leadership in their Communications Department.
Pamela Frasch
Assistant Dean, Animal Law Program; Executive Director, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School
Pamela Frasch is the assistant dean of the animal law program and executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. CALS was established in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and is an academic program with a focus on research, scholarship, and experiential education in animal law. In her dual role, Dean Frasch supports and works to develop all the various components of the program including teaching, writing, speaking, competitions, the Animal Law Review, the conference and the Student ALDF group (SALDF).
Previously, Dean Frasch was general counsel for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and in 1996, she created the ALDF Criminal Justice Program which has since assisted law enforcement and animal advocates in investigating and prosecuting thousands of animal abuse and neglect cases nationwide.
In addition to her duties with CALS, Dean Frasch is co-editor of the first casebook in the field, Animal Law, Cases and Materials now in its fourth edition (Carolina Academic Press, 2010), and co-author of Animal Law in a Nutshell (Thomson West, 2010). She has taught survey and advanced courses in animal law at Lewis & Clark Law School since 1998 and co-authored (with Professor Kathy Hessler and Megan Senatori) the amicus brief submitted in the U.S. v. Stevens case on behalf of 45 law professors who teach animal law.
Dean Frasch is a frequent speaker on issues of animal law and is the principal author of Oregon’s first felony anti-cruelty law. She has authored or co-authored many articles and book chapters in the field, and has been recognized by the Humane Society of the United States and the Oregon Humane Society for her contributions.
Andrew Freeman
Assistant District Attorney, Washington County District Attorney’s Office
At the DA’s office Andrew prosecutes animal abuse, animal neglect, wildlife crimes, and other environmental crimes. He coordinates efforts with the Oregon Humane Society, Washington County Animal Services and law enforcement agencies across the state to combat crimes against animals and increase awareness about the legal ramifications of animal abuse.
Since becoming a Deputy DA in 2009, Andrew has had the opportunity to achieve significant results in animal-related cases, nailing down convictions against a state-wide poaching group, a family of large-scale domestic animal hoarders and three co-defendants tried for neglecting horses. In an area of criminal law that is still taking shape in the State of Oregon, Andrew recognizes the unique challenges of prosecuting animal cases and hopes to continue to achieve results.
Bruce Friedrich
Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, Farm Sanctuary
Photo Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur
Dr. Michael Greger
Director, Public Health and Animal Agriculture, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
A physician specializing in clinical nutrition, Greger focuses his work on the human health implications of intensive animal agriculture, including the routine use of non-therapeutic antibiotics and growth hormones in animals raised for food, and the public health threats of industrial factory farms. He also works on food safety issues, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), and plays a role in The HSUS’s efforts to analyze and shape public policy concerning agriculture and nutrition.
Greger has been an invited lecturer at universities, medical schools and conferences worldwide. He is the author of “Heart Failure: Diary of a Third-Year Medical Student” (2000), “Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America’s Low-Carb Craze” (2005), and “Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching” (2006).
In 2009 he produced a video with tips for avoiding swine flu. In 2011 he launched NutritionFacts.org to profile the latest news in nutrition research.
Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Maya Gupta
Executive Director, Ahimsa House
Scott Heiser
Director, Criminal Justice Program, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
Ralph Henry
Deputy Director, Animal Protection Litigation, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
Kathy Hessler
Clinical Director, Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School
Kathy Hessler is a clinical professor of law and director of the only animal law clinic in the country. She is the first faculty member hired to teach animal law full time in a law school. She received her LLM from Georgetown University Law Center and graduated with a JD from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.
Prior to teaching at Lewis & Clark, Professor Hessler taught in clinical programs at Case Western Reserve University Law School, Cornell Law School, the University of Dayton Law School, the Capital University School of Law, and Georgetown University Law Center.
She has been an animal activist and vegan since the late 1980’s. She has been an advisor to the journal Animal Law since 1998, and is currently a SALDF faculty advisor. She coaches the animal moot court teams, and has been teaching Animal Law directly since 2001 and as a part of nonviolence courses beginning in 1989. She was a board member with ALDF and helped found the Animal Law Committee of the Cuyahoga County Bar. She was the chair and a founder of the Animal Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools. She co-authored (with Pamela Frasch and Megan Senatori) the amicus brief submitted in the U.S. v. Stevens case, on behalf of 45 law professors who teach animal law. She co-authored Animal Law in a Nutshell (with Pamela Frasch, Sarah Kutil and Sonia Waisman) and has written numerous other law review and other articles and she is co-authoring two new books on animal law.
Professor Hessler lectures widely on animal law and animal law education issues in the US and beyond.
Jessica Johnson
Grassroots Advocacy Manager, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Jeffrey Jones
Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School
Mark Jordan
Attorney, Nonprofit Support Services
Jeff Kerr
General Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Affairs, PETA Foundation
Jeff stands as PETA’s “shield” against these attacks, ensuring that our vital work is not compromised and that our activities are in compliance with the law. As the PETA Foundation’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Jeff is involved in all corporate matters, including contracts and PETA’s cruelty investigations. As General Counsel, he is involved in litigation oversight, involving each of the PETA affiliates around the world.
Jeff has participated in several high-profile legal battles, including one before the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect PETA’s ability to expose and end animal abuse and suffering, and a recent case in which the jury ruled in PETA’s favor after a lawsuit claiming malicious use of process was filed by Howard Baker, a cruel veterinarian who was caught on tape punching and choking cats and dogs.
Jeff has represented PETA before Congress in both written and oral testimony. And his letters and comments on matters related to PETA’s animal protection efforts, especially on the animal rights struggle in the historical context, an area of his interest, have appeared numerous times in print and television media across the country.
“I can’t wait to get to work every day. I’m so incredibly grateful for the chance to use the law to fight for animals’ right to be free from exploitation and cruelty, but I’m also mindful of the awesome responsibility I carry to make sure I do the best job possible to protect PETA’s ability to fight for animal rights.”
Kendra Kimbirauskas
President and Founder, Friends of Family Farmers; CEO, Socially Responsible Agricultural Project
Matthew Liebman
Senior Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
Tom Linney
Pro Bono Coordinator, Animal Law Program, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
Tom is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law where he helped establish the school’s first Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter. He coordinated several projects as SALDF President and successfully petitioned the school to add an animal law class to its curriculum. While in law school, Tom worked for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, the Texas Legislative Council, and an animal law attorney. Tom also became the first student to receive a Baron & Budd Fellowship from UT Law to pursue animal protection work. He served as legislative intern for the Texas Humane Legislation Network researching and drafting legislation to promote the humane treatment of animals. Tom has also worked for a state senator, a county judge and an in-house counsel for a federal agency.
Paul Littlefair
Head of External Affairs, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
Internationally the RSPCA is active in around 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, working with local partners - animal protection/conservation/development NGOs, government departments, academic institutions etc - delivering aid, training and consultancy to promote the development and enforcement of animal protection and wildlife law, animal welfare education, animal rescue and rehoming, humane stray control, laboratory animal welfare, and improvements in the rearing, transport and slaughter of farm animals.
Paul has continued to be responsible for promoting animal welfare in East Asia, predominantly mainland China, Taiwan and Korea. In 2008 in Beijing the RSPCA and China’s Institute of Law co-hosted a groundbreaking ”˜International Forum on Animal Protection Law in China’, for the first time bringing together Western and Chinese animal law academics to discuss the potential development of anti-cruelty legislation. This led to the setting up of a committee of experienced law professors tasked with drafting China’s first general animal protection law. A preliminary draft emerged in September 2009 and after a period of consultation a more refined ”˜Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Law’ (PCA) was released in February 2010. The draft law was further improved in late 2010 and presented for discussion at the National People’s Congress in March 2011. Support for the draft among legislators and the wider public continues to grow and is expected to lead to legislation over the coming years.
Kim McCoy
Executive Director, One World One Ocean Foundation; Cast Member, Whale Wars
Russ Mead
General Counsel, Animal Law Coalition
Martha Noble
Vice President, Clean Water Network
Dr. Nicole Pallotta
Student Liaison, Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
Nancy Perry
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Nancy Perry is currently senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations, where she oversees the ASPCA’s legislative efforts and public policy at the local, state and federal government levels. Under Nancy’s leadership, the ASPCA Government Relations team works closely with lawmakers and citizen advocates to secure the strongest possible protections for animals through the passage of humane legislation and regulations. She is currently establishing a Washington, D.C., office for the ASPCA and hiring several new staff positions.
Prior to joining the ASPCA, Nancy served as vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) where she oversaw HSUS’s state and federal legislative efforts, including ballot measure campaigns and nationwide grassroots activities. During her 16-year tenure at the HSUS, Nancy led successful efforts to secure federal legislation preventing the distribution of notorious animal crush videos, prohibiting the practice of shark finning, requiring truthful labeling of fur garments, banning the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills, prohibiting the interstate commerce of birds for fighting, requiring disaster planning for pets, banning tigers and other big cats as pets, securing greater protections for pet food safety, and defunding government-supported horse slaughter.
Nancy has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees and worked directly with legislators on pending federal and state legislation on puppy mills, horse protection, and other high priority bills. Nancy has also been a key architect and leader on more than 20 successful state ballot measures to protect animals since 1995.
Nancy graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in Political Science and Philosophy. She received her MA in Communications from California State University, Northridge and a JD with an Environmental Law Certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she co-founded Lewis & Clark’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. She was a two-time national champion in the Pace Environmental Moot Court competition while in law school. She also co-founded the Animal Law Journal and organized the country’s first animal law conference ”“ an event that recently celebrated its 19th anniversary. Nancy is an advisory board member of the Animal Law Review, teaches animal law at both George Washington University and Lewis & Clark Law Schools, and has published several articles on animal law.
Nancy lives in the Washington, D.C. area, with her husband, her two rescued dogs, Ellie and Summer, her three former feral cats, Emma, June and Sylvester, and Sam, a rescued bird.
Will Potter
Reporter, Green is the New Red
His work has appeared in publications including the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, and the Vermont Law Review, and he has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting.
Will frequently lectures about efforts to roll back civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism. Speaking engagements have included the New York City Bar Association, Yale Law School, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. Media appearances have included the Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, and Democracy Now.
His book, Green Is The New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege was recently published by City Lights Books. It has been featured by NPR, The Rumpus, and Publisher’s Weekly. Kirkus Book Reviews awarded it a Kirkus Star for “remarkable merit” and named it one of the best books of 2011.
Lauren Regan
Founder and Executive Director, Civil Liberties Defense Center
Daniel Rohlf
Event Coordinator:
Liberty Mulkani
lmulkani@lclark.edu