Forum Guests

Each week, the No More Homeless Pets Forum features a different guest speaker covering topics ranging from dog training to fundraising to working with your local animal control. There's a wealth of good advice here, so sign up to join the forum and get in on the action!

Forum hosts offer a variety of experience and expertise. Many of them are leaders in their fields, known for innovative ideas and successful leadership.

Several forum guests appear as speakers at the biannual No More Homeless Pets Conferences, held in cities throughout the U.S. See Workshops & Events page to see details on when and where the next conference will be.

Previous hosts:

Charlotte Alexander	Charlotte Alexander co-authored When Your Pet Outlives You, a book on how ensure the care and safety of your pets when you are no longer able to care for them more
Leslie Appel	Dr. Leslie Appel founded SOS, a nonprofit dedicated to decreasing the animal overpopulation problem. more
Mike Arms	Mike Arms is president and executive director of the Helen Woodward Center in California. He pioneered programs such as Home 4 the Holidays and Adopt-a-thons. more
ARQ Architects	Paul Bonacci and Lucy Schlaffer of ARQ Architects have developed many groundbreaking designs for humane societies. more
Richard Avanzino	Richard Avanzino is president of Maddie's Fund, a philanthropic foundation devoted to building a no-kill nation. more
Dona Baker	Dona Cosgrove Baker is the president and founder of Feral Cat Caretakers' Coalition. more
Julie Bank	Julie Bank is director of public programs for Maricopa County Animal Care & Control in Arizona, where she oversees fundraising, marketing, and education. more
Wendy Baron	Wendy Baron is founder and president of AnimalHelp in Central Washington. more
Kim Bartlett	Kim Bartlett is publisher and photographer for ANIMAL PEOPLE news. more
Francis Battista	Francis Battista is a founder of Best Friends and director of L.A. outreach programs. more
Gail Berrigan	Gail Berrigan is the managing producer of Bestfriends.org. more
Paul Berry	Paul Berry is chief information officer at Best Friends and an expert on mobile and low-cost spay/neuter programs. more
Diane Blankenburg	Diane Blankenburg is director of the Best Friends Network. Her consulting background includes problem-solving and conflict-resolution in the workplace. more
Ed Boks	Ed Boks revolutionized animal control in Maricopa County, Arizona, and made it the first municipal no-kill shelter in the nation. He recently tok over as head of New York City Animal Care and Control. more
Jill Borkowski	Jill Borkowski is a fundraising guru who freelances for smaller shelters who need help planning special events. more
Craig Brestrup	Craig Brestrup, Ph.D. and author, combines his expertise in non-profit management and passion for animal welfare to help humane organizations. more
Bonney Brown	Bonney Brown is national No More Homeless Pets director for Best Friends. more
Michelle Buckalew	Michelle Buckalew is president of AnimalWorldUSA, an organization located in Memphis, Tennessee. more
Jill Buckley	Jill Buckley joined the ASPCA with responsibility for lobbying state legislators and key government officials in 16 western states. more
Holly Bukes	Holly Bukes is president of Pit Bull Rescue Central. more
Mark Burgess	Dr. Mark Burgess specializes in veterinary treatment of small exotic pets. more
Zoe Carson	Zoe Carson works with Alley Cat Allies and manages a number of Trap-Neuter-Return programs nationwide. more
Gregory Castle	Gregory Castle is a founder of Best Friends and president of the No More Homeless Pets in Utah campaign. more
Julie Castle	Julie Castle is program director for No More Homeless Pets in Utah and has a background in marketing and public relations. more
Virginia Clemans	Virginia Clemans is senior veterinarian at Best Friends and oversees the care of 1500+ animals at the sanctuary. more
Merritt Clifton	Merritt Clifton is editor of ANIMAL PEOPLE, the leading independent newspaper with investigative coverage of animal protection issues worldwide. more
David Congalton	David Congalton co-authored When Your Pet Outlives You, a book on how ensure the care and safety of your pets when you are no longer able to care for them more
Celeste Crimi	Celeste Crimi is the vice president of Pet Over-Population Prevention Advocates and has won an award for her animal advocacy work. more
Shannon Cummings	Shannon Cummings is a graduate of the SF/SPCA dog training academy and cofounded ShelterWorks. more
Karalee Curry	Karalee Curry is a rabbit expert and educator and president of the Columbus House Rabbit Society of Ohio. more
Alison Deeb	Alison Deeb is president and founder of MARDog, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing canine-human relationships through public off-leash dog parks. more
Denise Deisler	Denise Deisler is part of the executive management team for the Richmond SPCA. more
Rose DiLeva	Dr. Rose DiLeva is a veterinarian focused on alternative methods of treatment, and she is especially renowned for her acupuncture work. more
Ellen Dixon	Ellen Dixon has provided low-cost legal respresentation to many rescue organizations and manages a no-kill cat shelter in Pennsylvania. more
Jean Donaldson	Jean Donaldson, author and canine behavioral expert, founded the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. more
Elizabeth Doyle	Elizabeth Doyle is a staff writer at Best Friends Animal Society. more
Alicia Drakiotes	Alicia Drakiotes is a ferret expert and educator and founded the Ferret Wise Rescue and Rehab shelter in New Hampshire. more
Rick DuCharme	Rick DuCharme recently quit his "real job" to devote himself to animal advocacy full-time. He is founder and director of First Coast No More Homeless Pets. more
Paul Eckhoff	Paul Eckhoff is a Best Friends founder and architect who conceived many of the sanctuary's buildings. more
Susan Feingold	Susan Feingold is the assistant director at Fulton County Animal Services in Atlanta. more
Bob Ferber	Bob Ferber has served as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for 24 years and currently supervises the Animal Protection Unit. more
Dave Flagler	Dave Flagler is executive director for Fulton County Animal Services in Atlanta. more
Outi Flynn	Outi Flynn is the Director of the Knowledge Center at BoardSource, the premier resource for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide. more
Nathania Gartman	Nathania Gartman was a founder of Best Friends and director of Humane Education at the sanctuary. She believed strongly in working with children and had a special passion for teenagers. more
Alison Gianotto	Alison Gianotto is the director and founder of Pet-Abuse.Com, an organization that tracks animal cruelty cases and animal abusers. more
Caryn Ginsberg	Caryn Ginsberg helps organizations get better results using proven strategic planning and marketing approaches. more
Stewart Gollan	Stewart Gollan is the chief financial officer and spay/neuter director for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. more
Karen Green	Karen Green is assistant director of No More Homeless Pets and offers outreach and support to humane organizations nationwide. more
Brenda Griffin	Brenda Griffin received a B.S. degree in biology from the University of South Carolina in 1986, a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Georgia in 1990, and a master's degree in biomedical sciences from Auburn University in 2001. more
Rebecca Guinn	Rebecca Guinn is the program director for No More Homeless Pets Atlanta. more
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant	Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM is currently director of veterinary toxicology training at the National Animal Poison Control Center. more
Susan Hall	Susan Hall is a veterinarian and member of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights. more
Michelle Hankins	Michelle Hankins, journalist and editor, has always been devoted to animal rescue and is currently president of DC Metro No More Homeless Pets. more
Jean Hansen	Jean Hansen has worked to develop a system at Best Friends that coordinates the transportation of animals to and from the sanctuary, and provides assistance to other rescue groups and individuals who are trying to move animals. more
Linda Harper	Linda Harper is a psychologist and author who helps people manage the emotional ups and downs of rescue work. more
Stephanie Hiemstra	Stephanie Hiemstra develops outreach programs and partnerships for the No More Homeless Pets in Utah campaign. more
Jane Hoffman	Jane Hoffman is president of  The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, which acts as a liaison between the government and animal care community to reduce the euthanasia rate in NYC shelters. more
Susan Hogarth	Susan Hogarth is involved with rescue transport, and founded the Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina. more
Dr. Kate Hurley	Dr. Kate Hurley has been working in shelters since 1989. She has worked in almost every capacity of sheltering, including adoption counselor, kennel attendant and California state humane officer. more
Claire Ives	Claire Ives has worked for Best Friends for many years and is an expert at soliciting donations. more
Joy Jett	Joy Jett handles all general e-mail inquiries to Best Friends. more
Don Jordan	Don Jordan is the executive director of Seattle Animal Control and a seasoned ACO. more
Denise Kelly	Denise Kelly is a founder and board member of the Avian Welfare Coalition and has a background in communications and marketing. more
Anita Kelso Edson	Anita Kelso Edson is the director of media relations for the SPCA of Texas. more
Mary Hessler Key	Mary Hessler Key, PhD, a lifelong animal lover and expert on human learning, is a speaker, author, and consultant who inspires people around the globe to grow both personally and professionally. more
Randy Kidd	Dr. Randy Kidd is a veterinarian with an interest in alternative medicines. more
Susan Kilgore	Susan Kilgore is the founder and president of Feral Friends Animal Rescue and Assistance. more
Patrick Kwan	Patrick Kwan is the founder and executive director of the Student Animal Rights Alliance (SARA), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building a strong and diverse youth movement for animal protection. more
Julie Levy	Julie Levy, DVM, is the founder of Operation Catnip in Florida. more
Julie Lewin	Julie Lewin is the founder of Animal Advocacy Connecticut, a political lobbying organization. more
Anne Lindsay	Anne Lindsay is president and founder of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, and helps to develop rescue transport programs across the country. more
Annemarie Lucas	Annemarie Lucas is a Supervisory Special Investigator for Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) at the ASPCA and appears each week on Animal Planet's Animal Precinct. more
Sally Mackler	Sally Mackler has been an advocate for animals for over 20 years, and is active in political advocacy for wildlife and domestic animals through various state and federal organizations. more
Faith Maloney	Faith Maloney is a founder of Best Friends and director of animal care at the sanctuary. more
Peter Marsh	Peter Marsh is the founder of STOP, New Hampshire, which developed one of the first state-wide publicly funded spay/neuter programs. He has campaigned for animal advocacy and legislature since the 1970's. more
Mary Martin	Mary Martin brings veterinary medical experience to shelter medicine programs. She is director of medical services for Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, Arizona, which spays/neuters over 22,000 animals each year. more
Jim Mason	Jim Mason is an author, lecturer, journalist, environmentalist, and attorney who specializes in human/animal concerns. He is the director of the Two Mauds Foundation, which gives grants to grassroots animal protection organizations. more
Quita Mazzina	Quita Mazzina is executive director of the Humane Alliance Spay/Neuter Clinic in North Carolina, which serves as a model program for other humane organizations. more
Eileen McCarthy	Eileen McCarthy is a founder and director of MAARS, the Midwest Avian Adoption and Rescue Services. She also co-founded the Avian Welfare Coalition, and is an expert on parrot behavior and health care. more
Charlie McGinley	Charlie McGinley has had over 26 years of experience in no-kill shelter operations. He's currently director of Brookhaven Animal Shelter in New York. more
Esther Mechler	Esther Mechler is founder and national director of SPAY/USA. more
Tracy Miller	Tracy Miller is the volunteer director for the No More Homeless Pets in Utah campaign. more
Rick Moyers	Rick Moyers is a frequent speaker and trainer on nonprofit management and leadership issues. more

Go to PAGE 2 of speakers.