Karen Anderson originates from Kansas, where frequent visits to her family’s Century farm provided her early agricultural experience. She received her D.V.M. from Kansas State University and has over 20 years experience in veterinary practice. In recent years, she enjoyed keeping her own small flock of egg-laying hens, and has pursued her interest in poultry health and welfare through supplemental courses at the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Animal Sciences. She is pleased to be part of Animal Welfare Approved’s auditor team, and to support farmers who value animal welfare as an essential part of their livelihood.

David Bane, DVM, Ph.D. is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bane has been a private veterinary practitioner, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, and a swine technical consultant for a pharmaceutical company. Currently Dr. Bane operates his own veterinary research and consulting business, and produces natural pork, beef, chicken, eggs and turkey on the family farm near Sidney, IL. His current research focus includes objective assessment of animal health and wellness. Dr. Bane coordinates the Boundary Waters Veterinary Conference (www.bwcaw-vetconf.com) – the conference objective is to provide science-based information to veterinary students and veterinarians serving clients that produce and market natural and organic food animals.

Dr. Jan Busboom is a professor and extension specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences at Washington State University (WSU). In addition to his training and experience as a meat scientist and extension meat specialist, he has significant experience in beef, sheep, and swine production. He is a leader of the Western (US) Regional Beef Quality Assurance Program and the WSU Meat Animal Product Quality and Safety Team, as well as a member of the WSU Grass-fed Beef Production Systems Team. Jan was one of the leaders in the production of the Youth Quality Assurance and Animal Care Program published by Ohio State University. Jan and his wife, Janice, have a flock of 37 cross-bred ewes. They sell primarily project lambs for 4H and FFA projects and try to model and teach quality assurance and humane care practices to these young producers.

Lance Gegner is an auditor for the Animal Welfare Approved program. He audits farms and attends agricultural conferences. He previously operated a farm in Minnesota, where he bred and raised pigs from birth to market and raised various crops for feed and sale. He worked for Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas for 20 years, advising members and writing publications on sustainable and organic farming and marketing for crop and livestock farmers all over the United States.

Andrew Gunther joined the Animal Welfare Approved program in April 2008 as program director. Previously, he was the senior global animal compassionate product procurement and development specialist for Whole Foods Market, leading the team that designed and launched the company’s five-step welfare program in the United Kingdom. From a truly agricultural background, Andrew, with his wife and children, pioneered the world’s first organic poultry hatchery for chickens. The Gunther family also managed the production for the largest independent organic chicken producer in the United Kingdom.

As Program Director for Animal Welfare Approved, Andrew has spearheaded the program’s unprecedented growth, increasing the number of approved farms tenfold, promoting farm viability for humane livestock farmers and growing market strength. The Animal Welfare Approved standards have been rated “most stringent” in both 2008 and 2009 by the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Andrew also works with restaurants groups and retailers to increase the availability of Animal Welfare Approved meat, dairy and eggs in traditional retail settings. Andrew is currently part of the Texas State Board of Agriculture’s organic advisory board and a member of the American Association of Agricultural scientists.

Beth Hauptle is the director of marketing and public relations for the Animal Welfare Approved program, overseeing and coordinating marketing, outreach, advertising and press relations. Beth has 24 years experience in non-profit marketing and public relations and is an adjunct professor at George Mason University, teaching Public Relations and Marketing Strategies. Beth is pleased to be working with such a committed and knowledgeable group of individuals and is determined to help make “Animal Welfare Approved” a household name.

Karen Haverinen is an auditor for the Animal Welfare Approved program. She grew up on a family dairy farm in northern Minnesota where she had a small, free-range, farrow to finish hog operation.  She graduated from Ridgewater College with a degree in Farm Operations and Management (Dairy Emphasis).  She also owns a certified organic dairy farm and rotational grazes 70 crossbred cows.  Karen is excited to join the Animal Welfare Approved team.

Tim Holmes is Animal Welfare Approved’s lead auditor, and advisor focusing on pigs. A graduate of East Carolina University, Tim holds a B.S. in industrial engineering technology. With more than 24 years experience as an outdoor pasture pig farmer, Tim is well-suited to inspect and verify compliance of participating farms with Animal Welfare Approved standards for pigs. He enjoys working with farmers in the program to help ensure animal well-being.

Amanda Kisner joined the Animal Welfare Approved team in June 2010 as Program Assistant. She graduated in May 2009 from American University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and has developed keen interests in the environment, sustainable agriculture, food security, and non-profit management.  She is excited to be deepening her knowledge of high-welfare and sustainable agriculture, and to learn from all the experienced and talented people on the Animal Welfare Approved staff.

Emily Lancaster serves the Animal Welfare Approved program in farmer and market outreach. She is a frequent guest of farm groups, agricultural conferences, and other food-related events. Emily works to recruit farmers to be a part of the Animal Welfare Approved program, and to support those farmers through her outreach to consumers. She believes strongly that consumer education is the key to keeping high welfare family farmers in our communities.

Richard Long grew up on a family dairy farm in Western New York and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Science from North Carolina State University. After graduating he returned home and operated the family farm in partnership with his father. Next, he returned to school to get an additional BS degree in Chemical Engineering and worked in industry for several years. Now that he’s retired he is very excited to return to the agricultural world as an auditor for Animal Welfare Approved. In his spare time he also assists with local youth programs and is leader of the local 4-H Sheep Club. Richard and his family currently maintain a flock of registered Lincoln Longwool sheep for show and for wool production.

Frank Morison is an auditor for the Animal Welfare Approved program. He was raised on a family farm in Maryland producing poultry, cattle, hogs, corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay and eventually took over the farm. Frank has participated in a horse rescue program for race horses and adopted two horses who are now a part of the family farm. He also works with various sustainable agricultural groups who utilize his technological knowledge and experience. He attends conferences and meetings related to building local food systems and is assisting on a project working toward building local food production.

Christine Peckham is the corrective action plan coordinator for Animal Welfare Approved. She holds a M.S. degree in Geology from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Previously, Chris has performed technical and regulatory reviews of hazardous waste management facility permit applications and provided guidance and support for those facilities seeking permits. She also has extensive experience in the review, approval, and oversight of the implementation of corrective action plans for the remediation of contaminated soil and ground water at hazardous waste management facilities. Agriculturally, Chris worked as a scout for a crop management consulting firm, identifying and reporting insect and weed pests, plant diseases, mineral deficiencies, and any other potential negative impacts on corn, soybean, and wheat crops.

Amy Rutledge is the public relations associate for Animal Welfare Approved. She assists with media outreach, marketing, publications and writing and editing. Prior to joining the program, she worked in political media for the 2006 mid-term elections and the 2008 presidential election. She has experience in nonprofit communications and television and video production. Amy received her M.A. in English from Iowa State University and B.A. in Communications from American University. She is active in her local farmer’s market and Women in Film and Video.

Kenneth Smith is the slaughter specialist for the Animal Welfare Approved program. Ken holds a Master’s of Science in Animal Welfare and Behavioral Psychology, along with degrees in Animal Science and History. Ken has worked in various areas of animal agriculture, including processing facilities where he gained experience in all areas of operations. He also has experience in dairy, pigs and cattle. His background and experience allow him to understand the challenges of the meat industry and seek out ways to improve welfare and handling, for both animals and employees. Ken is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to Animal Welfare Approved.

Rob Stokes graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in Animal Science production. For 13 years, he managed beef cattle operations for Niman Ranch. He and his family have spent the past year in Eastern Oregon raising meat goats for range restoration and developing a niche market into the restaurant trade, while running a Small cow/calf operation on their ranch. Rob serves the Animal Welfare Approved program as an auditor, bringing the experience and desire to help producers expand their knowledge of sustainable agriculture and animal welfare issues.

Julie Suarez is the program coordinator for the Animal Welfare Approved program. She acts as the first point of contact for interested farmers and coordinates applications, farm audits, and the approval process. Julie is an experienced non-profit program manager, previously working in the fields of language services and human rights.

Wendy Swann, Educational Outreach Coordinator, joined Animal Welfare Approved in May 2010 and brings over 10 years of experience in animal protection. She is passionate about building partnerships with schools as well as community and agricultural organizations to engage children and young adults in the discussion about food and advocate for compassionate treatment of farm animals and environmentally conscious family farming.

Brigid Sweeney is a farmer and market outreach coordinator for the Animal Welfare Approved program. She recruits farmers into the program, works with farmers on how to ensure compliance with Animal Welfare Approved standards, and talks to consumers about the importance of the program. Brigid has a Master’s Degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She also has a Master’s in Pubilc Administration with a focus on Nonprofit management and Public Policy from Bernard Baruch College (CUNY) in New York City. Brigid used to volunteer her time to animal welfare nonprofit organizations, but she is thrilled to be able to focus all of her time now on working with Animal Welfare Approved.

Erika Voogd, Voogd Consulting, Inc., has over 25 years experience in the meat industry, specializing in global assistance to meat processors and producers. Her areas of expertise include animal welfare, food safety, HACCP, quality assurance, sanitation and USDA regulations. Since 1999, she has worked closely with Dr. Temple Grandin and McDonald’s during the implementation of the McDonald’s System Animal Welfare Goals in Asia, Australia, Latin America and North America. She has assisted Dr. Grandin during training of auditors in Asia, Australia, Brazil and North America and has independently taught McDonald’s System auditors in Canada and Latin America. Recent assignments include training on behalf of the US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service to prepare meat plants for export to the United States. Erika evaluates and advises plants that are visited as part of the Animal Welfare Approved program.

Wendy Weirich, Animal Welfare Approved auditor, received her BS and DVM degrees from Michigan State University. She has worked for the last several years in many aspects of small and large animal welfare including projects in nutrition, behavior, housing and overall well-being. She is certified in medical acupuncture for veterinarians and is working on a Master’s Degree in livestock health and production. Wendy lives on a farm where she raises and cares for Nigerian dwarf goats, American Mammoth donkeys and Dominique chickens. She enjoys bringing together veterinary and animal husbandry skills to help elevate the level of welfare available to all kinds of animals – and people too.