Speakers
The Animal Law and Advocacy Conference will bring together some of the biggest leaders in the field of animal law & advocacy from across the globe.
60+ inspiring animal lawyers, scholars, & advocates will share their knowledge and expertise.
Presentations by
Alexandra Pester
Staff Lawyer, Animal Justice
Session: Know Your Rights: Legal Tools for Animal Advocates
Alexandra brings to Animal Justice over five years of legal experience along with more than a decade dedicated to animal advocacy. As a criminal lawyer, Alexandra developed a practice representing animal rights and other social justice advocates and was involved in high-profile cases. Alexandra graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2017 after completing her undergraduate degree at Carleton University. Alexandra lives in Southern Alberta where she enjoys exploring the vegan food scene and dog sitting whenever asked.
Amy Fitzgerald
Full Professor, University of Windsor
Session: Companion Animals and the Law: Rethinking Protection in the Shadow of Domestic Violence
Amy Fitzgerald, PhD is Full Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor. She is the 2023-2025 University of Windsor Vice-President Research and Innovation’s Research Chair. Her research focuses on the intersection of harms perpetrated against people, non-human animals, and the environment. She has published many peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books and is currently working on three grant-funded projects. She was recently accepted as an expert on the relationship between animal abuse and intimate partner violence by the British Columbia Supreme Court. Fitzgerald the recipient of a Distinguished Scholarship Award from the Animals and Society section of the American Sociological Association, the University of Windsor Mid-Career Outstanding Faculty Research Award, is currently a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and was a Visiting Fellow in the Animal Law and Policy Program at Harvard University in 2020 and 2024.
Dr. Andrew Fenton
Professor of Philosophy, Dalhousie University
Session: Beyond the Lab: Rethinking Ethics, Science, and Advocacy in Animal Research
Dr. Andrew Fenton is a Professor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University. He completed his B.A. Honours in philosophy and comparative religion at Acadia University, his M.A. in philosophy at Dalhousie University, his Ph.D. in philosophy at Calgary University, and a postdoc in neuroethics at Dalhousie University. His areas of specialty lie in animal ethics, epistemology, neuroethics, and philosophy of animal minds. Most of his recent published work is focused on other animals, particularly our moral obligations to those used in animal-based science. Fenton has also been a part of a small but mighty group of philosophers submitting amicus briefs in support of cases spearheaded by the Nonhuman Rights Project. The first amicus brief led to an expanded discussion published as a co-authored book, Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers’ Brief (Routledge, 2019)—any royalties go to the Nonhuman Rights Project.
Andrew Stobo Sniderman
SJD Candidate, Harvard Law School
Session: Evaluating the Impact of Canada’s 2020 Animal Transport Regulation Amendments
Andrew Stobo Sniderman is a writer, lawyer and Rhodes scholar from Montréal. He is the co- author of Valley of the Birdtail : An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation (HarperCollins, 2022), with Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii). Currently, Andrew is an SJD (doctoral) candidate at Harvard Law School. Andrew has published reporting and opinions in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, the Toronto Star, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen, and England’s Sunday Times. His profile of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Residential Schools won the award for best print feature of 2011 from the Canadian Association of Journalists. As a lawyer, Andrew has argued before the Supreme Court. His academic writing has been published in the Canadian Bar Review, the Ottawa Law Review, the International Journal of Refugee Law, the Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies and the Western Journal of Legal Studies. He has also served as the human rights policy advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as a law clerk for a judge of South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
Andrew Westoll
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto - Scarborough
Session: The Power(s) of Animals’ Stories: A Multi-Media Roundtable
Andrew Westoll is an award-winning author and professor whose writing explores our fraught relationship with the natural world. His books include The Riverbones (2008), the Charles Taylor Prize-winning The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary (2011), and The Jungle South of the Mountain (2016). His next book, The Zoo at the End of the World, explores the many paradoxes of the modern zoo, and is forthcoming from Knopf Canada. Andrew is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, of Creative Writing and English at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), where in 2019 he won the annual UTSC Teaching Award, which recognizes sustained teaching excellence. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, is a Gold National Magazine Award winner, and his books have been published in the USA, UK, Australia and Poland.
Angela Fernandez
Professor, Faculty of Law & Department of History, University of Toronto
Session: Evaluating the Impact of Canada’s 2020 Animal Transport Regulation Amendments
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Angela Fernandez teaches animal law at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where she is a Full Professor and Director of the Animal Law & Policy Program, launching in the Fall 2025. She is the author of Pierson v. Post, the Hunt for the Fox: Law and Professionalization in American Legal Culture (Cambridge University Press 2018) and numerous book chapters and articles. From 2020-2023, she helped organize the Canadian Animal Law Conference with Animal Justice and the Scholar’s Track of the North American Animal Law Conference with the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights, Law & Policy. She has been supervising the production of the Brooks Animal Law Digest: Canada Edition since October 2021 and the Animal Law Research Guide with the Bora Laskin Law Library since March 2022. Since starting to teach animal law in 2019, she has supervised over a dozen JD research papers, along with several Masters students, and a Doctoral and Post-Doctoral student, all in the area of animal law, work which the new Program at UofT will continue to foster aad of which this project is a part.
Audrée Sirois
Notary TEP, Lecturer in the Law of Succession and Trusts
Session: Overlooked Opportunities in Private Law: Low-Hanging Fruit for Legal Sentience Respect?
Audrée Sirois has been a member of the Chambre des notaires du Québec since 2015, specializing in estates and trusts, with a focus on the notarial practice in these fields.
Passionate about advancing and promoting the notarial profession in Quebec, she has taken on various roles within the Chambre des notaires and currently serves as General Manager of the Programme d’aide aux notaires, an organization dedicated to supporting notaries’ mental well-being.
Aside from professional activities, Audrée is also an active researcher, author, and educator in the field of estates and trusts. She shares her expertise by teaching aspiring notaries completing their master’s degree in notarial law.
She holds a double bachelor’s degree in civil and common law from McGill University, a master’s degree in notarial law from Université de Montréal, and holds the title of Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) since 2019.
Becca Williams
Juris Doctor
Session: Evaluating the Impact of Canada’s 2020 Animal Transport Regulation Amendments
Becca Williams holds an MSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Guelph and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2024. She previously worked as a summer student with Animal Justice in 2021 and is currently assisting with research at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law examining legislative amendments affecting animal welfare inspections at government registered abattoirs.
Camille Labchuk
Executive Director, Animal Justice
Session: Know Your Rights: Legal Tools for Animal Advocates
Camille is one of Canada’s leading animal rights lawyers, and has worked to protect animals for over 15 years. As a lawyer, Camille seeks out cases that enhance the legal interests of animals, expose hidden animal suffering, and result in meaningful policy changes. As an advocate, Camille’s work includes documenting the commercial seal kill on Canada’s East Coast, exposing cruelty in farming, protecting the free speech rights of animal advocates, and campaigns against ag gag laws, trophy hunting, circuses, zoos, aquariums, shark finning, puppy mills, and more. Camille is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Mount Allison University. She is a frequent lecturer and media commentator on animal law issues. Camille lives in Toronto with her cat, Cecily.
Dr. Charu Chandrasekera
Founder and Executive Director, Canadian Institute for Animal-Free Science
Session: Beyond the Lab: Rethinking Ethics, Science, and Advocacy in Animal Research
Dr. Charu Chandrasekera is the founder and executive director of the Canadian Institute for Animal-Free Science (formerly the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods). A biomedical scientist, former animal researcher, and science policy expert, she champions multidisciplinary collaborations to accelerate the replacement of animals in Canadian research, education, and regulatory testing through 21st science, innovation, and ethics.
Chris Green
Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Session: Welcome Reception
Chris Green is the Executive Director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund where he previously established the organization’s Legislative Affairs Program. From 2015-2023 Chris served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School, and he currently is a Fellow with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. Green also is the former Chair of the American Bar Association’s TIPS Animal Law Committee and has been quoted on animal legal issues in dozens of major media outlets. In 2022, Chris received the American Bar Association’s Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law. Green also spent several decades working in the fine arts, film, and music industries, and currently manages an Illinois farm that has remained in his family for 187 years. Chris is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Illinois.
Claudia Lifton-Schwerner
State Policy Manager, Mercy For Animals
Session: From Policy to Implementation: Promoting Plant Forward Food Service in Government
Claudia Lifton-Schwerner is the State Policy Manager at Mercy For Animals, an international non-profit organization committed to constructing a more just and sustainable food system. In her role, Claudia lobbies local and state governments to increase their procurement of plant-based foods in order to achieve their climate and sustainability goals, and to improve the healthfulness of the food they serve their staff and constituents.
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Prior to her role at Mercy For Animals, Claudia worked at the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition and spoke to over 40,000 students, stakeholders, and business leaders about the environmental, social justice, public health, and animal welfare impacts of industrial animal agriculture.
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Claudia also serves as the Co-Chair of the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council. In this role, she works with government agencies to adopt plant-based default policies, and supports Denver institutions with the implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program.
Cristina Kladis
Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Session: Litigating for Animals in a Shifting Legal Landscape
Cristina Kladis is a Staff Attorney in the Litigation Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She develops creative legal strategies to advocate for increased protections for animals, employs environmental laws to combat factory farming pollution, and challenges unconstitutional laws that harm consumers, activists, and businesses.
Daniel Dylan
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
Session: Animal Symbols and Scapegoats: The Politics of Representation and Protection
Daniel Dylan is an Associate Professor at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He teaches Animal Law, Contract Law, Evidence Law, Remedies, Intellectual Property Law & Indigenous Knowledge Governance. In the past he has also taught Professional Responsibility, Legal Research and Writing, and undergraduate courses in Aboriginal law and Human Rights law. In 2020, 2023 and 2024, he was awarded a Lakehead Contribution to Teaching Award and in the 2020 and 2024 won the award. He clerked at the Federal Court for two years, completed a judicial clerkship externship at the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and is a former lawyer in the Government of Nunavut Department of Justice, where over the course of several years his practice focused on Impact Review Assessments, Wildlife, and Natural Resources law. He also currently maintains a small litigation practice in these areas.
Danielle Hanosh
Co-Founder/Executive Director, LEAP
Session: Teaching Change: Humane Education, Youth Empowerment, and the Role of Emotion in Animal Advocacy
Danielle Hanosh is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LEAP (Leaders for Ethics, Animals, and the Planet), Co-Founder of Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary in Northern California, and serves on the board of the wildlife conservation NGO, Women for Wolves. With a teaching credential, MA in Education, a decade of experience as a public school teacher, and eleven years of experience running a non-profit animal sanctuary, she uses her unique background to ensure the next generation has access to free, hands-on humane education and leadership development. She is an avid reader, passionate traveler/adventure enthusiast, professional pig snuggler, and the author of several children’s books about animals.
David Michelson
Chief Petitioner, IP28 Oregon
Session: Shifting the Status Quo: Legal Tools for Reimagining Animals in Society
David Michelson is one of the chief petitioners for Initiative Petition 28 (IP28), a proposed ballot measure for the Oregon 2026 election that would ask voters if they are ready to end the slaughter, hunting, and experimentation of animals statewide. Inspired by prior social movements, David believes that bringing the question of animal liberation to the ballot will help stimulate a radical transformation in how we collectively view the animals currently exempt from the same legal protections granted to our companions. David began working on building the foundations for this campaign in 2020, after recognizing the untapped potential of ballot initiatives to accelerate the animal rights movement.
Delci Winders
Associate Professor of Law and Animal Law & Policy Institute Director, Vermont Law & Graduate School
Session: Teaching Science in an Animal Law Graduate Course
Delci Winders is an associate professor of law and the founding director of Vermont Law and Graduate School’s (VLGS) Animal Law and Policy Institute, which trains future leaders in animal advocacy while centering animals in the fight for environmental protection. Delci teaches a range of courses at VLGS including, with Dr. Lori Marino, Science of Animal Law and Policy. Prior to joining the VLGS faculty, Winders was on the faculty of Lewis & Clark Law School, where she established and directed the world’s first law school clinic dedicated to farmed animal advocacy. She previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at the PETA Foundation and the first Academic Fellow in the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program. Winders has also taught animal law at four other law schools. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of administrative and animal law.
Elizabeth Schoales
Independent Scholar and Advocate
Session: Unpacking Disinformation: Challenging the Myths Sustaining Animal Agriculture
Elizabeth is a former professor of history who decided she’d rather work for animals. Over the past twenty years she has been able to put her academic research and writing skills to good use, collaborating with numerous organisations on a wide range of animal rights and legal campaigns.
Elizabeth holds a BA and MA from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of London, and a PhD from the University of Wales. She's based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Ellie Ponders
Senior Director of Global Corporate Engagement, The Humane League
Session: Strategic Advocacy for Animals: Tools, Tactics, and Transparency
Ellie Ponders is the Senior Director of Global Corporate Engagement at The Humane League (THL). She leads a talented team of corporate negotiators and campaigners focused on a single mission: to free every hen from her cage. She has the privilege of working alongside hundreds of passionate activists in the Open Wing Alliance.
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Ellie became an animal rights activist as an angsty teenager growing up in Ottawa, Ontario. She dropped out of highschool to protest outside a fur store all day, every day -- in what would become Canada’s first ever successful campaign to shut down a fur store. Ellie has handed out oodles of vegan outreach materials, run a sexual violence support centre, answered hundreds of middle-of-the-night crisis counselling calls, and forced some of the world's biggest food companies to do the right thing.
Erin Martellani
Humane Education Program Lead, Montreal SPCA
Session: Teaching Change: Humane Education, Youth Empowerment, and the Role of Emotion in Animal Advocacy
Erin Martellani has worked at the Montreal SPCA for the last 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a graduate diploma in Communication Studies from Concordia University. She has worked in the Animal Advocacy department since 2017 and currently leads the organization’s humane education program. She is responsible for the program’s development and implementation, which aims to awaken compassion for animals in young people and raise their awareness about animal protection.
Hannah Brown
Director, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada
Session: Advancing Farmed Animal Welfare: Legal Frameworks, Policy Innovation, and Corporate Accountability
Hannah Brown is an animal lawyer (qualified in England & Wales) and Director at the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada. She has lectured internationally on animal welfare law and has advised both Canadian and British NGOs on a wide range of topics from animals in agriculture, animals in sport and companion animal welfare. She has spent the last 10+ years advocating for better laws for animals and enjoys using her knowledge of UK animal law to advance the legislative landscape for animals in Canada.
Hattie More
Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership Student, Huron University
Session: Companion Animals and the Law: Rethinking Protection in the Shadow of Domestic Violence
Hattie More is majoring in Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership at Huron University College, Western University. She has served as the VP of Marketing and Communications for the Huron Protection of Animal Welfare Society and been a professional animal caregiver for several years.
Ilaria Cimadori
PhD Candidate
Session: Advancing Farmed Animal Welfare: Legal Frameworks, Policy Innovation, and Corporate Accountability
Ilaria is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, School of the Environment. Her current research examines the adequacy of laws and regulations in safeguarding farm animals from the impacts of breeding practices and gene editing, using a comparative legal approach. She is a fellow of the Law, Environment and Animal Program (LEAP) at Yale Law School and a LEAP student grant recipient, which supported her doctoral dissertation research. Ilaria holds an MA in Comparative International Relations from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, specializing in the protection of animals in international law. During her master’s studies, she was awarded a scholarship to conduct research at Duke University, where she developed her dissertation on the protection of African elephants in international law. Passionate about advancing legal frameworks for animal protection, she aims to contribute to more effective regulations addressing the ethical challenges of evolving breeding technologies.
Jeffrey Phillips
Managing Director, Dawson Strategic
Session: Strategic Advocacy for Animals: Tools, Tactics, and Transparency
Jeffrey Phillips is Managing Director of Dawson Strategic, a consulting company that helps organizations accomplish their mission through government relations and stakeholder engagement in the areas of sustainability, clean transportation, and wildlife and animal protection.
Jeff works at the intersection of government policy and animal protection. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, an Ambassador for Wild Tomorrow, and an expert member of the Technical Support Group for the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime.
Prior to joining Dawson Strategic, Jeff worked at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) for four years, first as a Policy Analyst in the Energy Sector and later as a Policy Advisor in the Deputy Minister’s Office.
Jeff holds an M.A. Political Science from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management (Honours) from the Arthur Kroeger College at Carleton University.
Jessica Scott-Reid
Freelance Journalist
Session: How to Make News or Be the News: For Animal Orgs and Individual Advocates
Jessica Scott-Reid is a freelance journalist. She has been covering animal topics in major Canadian media outlets for the last decade, including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Vancouver Province, Winnipeg Free Press, and more. She is also the culture and disinformation correspondent for Sentient.
Jo-Anne McArthur
Photojournalist, Founder & President, We Animals
Session: The Power(s) of Animals’ Stories: A Multi-Media Roundtable
Jo-Anne McArthur is an award-winning photojournalist, sought-after speaker, photo editor, and the founder of We Animals. She has visited over sixty countries to document our fraught relationship with animals and is the author of three books: We Animals (2014), Captive (2017), and HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene (2020). Jo-Anne is the subject of the acclaimed Canadian documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine, and her photographs have received accolades from Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, Big Picture, Picture of the Year International, the Global Peace Award, and others. Jo-Anne enjoys jurying photo competitions and has done so for World Press Photo, Big Picture, and others. She hails from Toronto, Canada.
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager, Animal Justice
Session: How to Make News or Be the News: For Animal Orgs and Individual Advocates
Josh Lynn is the Public Relations Manager at Animal Justice, bringing more than a decade of experience as a journalist and newsroom leader at outlets including CBC and CTV. While working in radio, television and digital news, Josh covered numerous local and nationally significant stories and earned recognition as an award-winning news producer. He’s worked as a journalist in both Ontario and Saskatchewan, where he now lives with his family and some royalty: a rescue dog and cat named Prince and Princess.
Karen Levenson
Research Assistant, Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta
Session: Unpacking Disinformation: Challenging the Myths Sustaining Animal Agriculture
Karen Levenson is an animal and environmental activist, feminist, and freelance writer. She authored Confessions of an Animal Rights Terrorist, a satirical exposé on Canada’s commercial seal hunt. As a research assistant at the University of Alberta and researcher with the Food Impact Network, she focuses on healthy, sustainable plant-forward food systems. Karen led the Animal Alliance of Canada’s decade-long campaign to end the harp seal slaughter, secured Canada’s only municipal wildlife trapping ban, and successfully lobbied to end terminal spay/neuter exams at Canada’s oldest veterinary college. She also ran in three federal elections with the Animal Protection Party. A former consultant with the Humane Society of the United States and communications strategist with Alley Cat Allies, she began her career in advertising and marketing. Karen holds an MFA in Film and Video from York University and pioneered the women’s studies program at Brandeis University as its first graduate.
Kathleen Wood
Criminal Justice Program Senior Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Session: Justice for All: Integrating Animal Law into Judicial Education and Courtrooms
As senior staff attorney with the Criminal Just Program at ALDF, Kathleen Wood works with prosecutors, law enforcement, and legislators throughout the U.S. to enforce and strengthen animal protections laws.
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Kathleen leads the production of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s annual Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report, which compares the various strengths and weaknesses of each state and territory’s animal protection laws. She also oversees the production of Farmed Animal Cruelty guides, which are state-specific resources developed for investigators and prosecutors to aid in the identifying and addressing crimes perpetrated against farmed animals. Kathleen conducts trainings on this topic, as well as subjects such as psychological evaluations for animal cruelty offenders, the Link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, and more. She also represents ALDF with coalitions and partnerships with other organizations, including the National Link Coalition, the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executive’s Association, and the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Kathy Hessler
Asst. Dean, Animal Law, The George Washington University Law School
Session: Justice for All: Integrating Animal Law into Judicial Education and Courtrooms
Kathy Hessler is the inaugural Assistant Dean for Animal Law and founding Director of the Animal Legal Education Initiative at George Washington University Law School and Affiliate Faculty for the Global Food Institute. Dean Hessler has been a clinical law professor for 30 years and has been teaching animal law since 2000. She is the first law professor in the world hired to teach animal law full-time. Dean Hessler helped develop the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, directed the Animal Law Clinic, created and directed the Aquatic Animal Law Initiative, and co-founded World Aquatic Animal Day. At GW Law she created the Aquatic Animal Law Project; the Animal Law & Science Project; the Council on Animal Legal Education; and the Coolidge High School Project. Dean Hessler also writes and lectures widely.
Dr. Kendra Coulter
Professor and Coordinator of Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership, Huron University College at Western University and Author
Session: The Power(s) of Animals’ Stories: A Multi-Media Roundtable
Dr. Kendra Coulter is a full professor in management and organizational studies at Huron University College, Western University, where she developed and leads the world’s first major in Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership. She is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and a globally recognized expert in the analysis of work involving animals and animal protection. A prolific and award-winning author, she has written over seventy op-eds, influential public reports, and dozens of scholarly publications, including Animals, Work, and the Promise of Interspecies Solidarity (Palgrave Macmillan). Her latest nonfiction book is Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection (The MIT Press) and her fiction debut, The Tortoise’s Tale, is being published by Simon & Schuster and Simon & Schuster Canada this fall.
Kimberly Carroll
Coach for Changemakers, Academy Director & Campaigns Strategist - Animal Justice
Session: Preventing Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue in Your Animal Advocacy Work
Kimberly Carroll is a coach for changemakers, a campaigns strategist with Animal Justice, and director of Animal Justice Academy. Her passion is to create transformations—in people and the world—through her programs, talks, activism, and community-building.
As a coach and teacher for 15 years, she helps activists, social entrepreneurs, and mission-driven leaders who want to make a bigger difference in the world with the inner shifts, high-performance habits, and strategies to take their important work to the next level. Kimberly has worked to help empower thousands of animal advocates and has counselled those in high-stress activist positions like undercover investigators and executive directors.
Kimberly has been an animal rights activist for 20 years. For the past 10 years, she's been with Animal Justice working on campaigns, investigations, and creating the Animal Justice Academy (10,000 members strong!)—an online training program (with 80-plus instructors), supportive community, & action collective for those who want to make a better world for animals. She produces and hosts AJA's popular live online panels and workshops.
Kimberly's also a director with the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank which provides cruelty-free, eco-conscious, and healthy foods to those living under the poverty line, and is also passionate about environmental activism, democratic reform, and amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities.
Kip Phillips
Junior Associate Solicitor, City of Guelph
Session: Law, Enforcement, and Advocacy: Exposing Ontario’s Failures to Protect Animals and the Environment
Kip Phillips B.A., J.D., is a Junior Associate Solicitor at the City of Guelph. She practices environmental law, municipal law, land-use planning law, and specializes in legal issues on species conservation, biodiversity risk, and other animal-related environmental issues. She draws on her background in environmental journalism to assist clients with environmental legal problems. Kip also volunteers as the Student Programs Lawyer with Animal Justice, and is a proud cat & turtle lady.
Kira Berkeley
Animal Law Research Associate, University of Toronto
Session: Evaluating the Impact of Canada’s 2020 Animal Transport Regulation Amendments
Kira Berkeley is an Animal Law Research Associate at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto and Co-Director and Counsel at Animal Environmental Legal Advocacy (AEL Advocacy). She graduated from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law in 2020. During her studies, Kira acted as the Vice President of the University of Ottawa’s Animal Justice Association and interned in various animal law at organizations including Animal Justice, Breder Law (Vancouver), and Gartner & Associates Animal Law (Toronto). Kira completed her articles at OLLIP Professional Corporation, handling cases before the Trademarks Opposition Board, Federal Court, and Federal Court of Appeal. Her commitment to pro-bono work during this time helped those in need access justice. Following articling, Kira practiced real estate, wills; estates, and business law at Scott Law Group, where she also launched the firm's animal law department.
Krystal-Anne Roussel
Co-Director and Legal Counsel, AEL Advocacy
Session: Law, Enforcement, and Advocacy: Exposing Ontario’s Failures to Protect Animals and the Environment
Krystal-Anne Roussel is head of AEL Advocacy's environmental law division. She also holds the role of Research Associate in Animal Law at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
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Krystal has a Bachelor of Arts from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law in June 2020. While completing her studies, Krystal took part in the uOttawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic and worked as a legal intern with East Coast Environmental Law, Animal Justice, and the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick. She completed her articles with the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and subsequently served as a staff lawyer and water policy coordinator at CELA before starting AEL Advocacy.
Lesley Fox
Executive Director, The Fur-Bearers
Session: Canadian Fur Farms: Exposed Documentary Screening
Lesley Fox is the Executive Director of The Fur-Bearers. She holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University, a certification in Humane Education, and multiple credentials in non-profit management, marketing, public relations and communications. Lesley lives with her partner on Vancouver Island, on the traditional territories of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations.
Lori Cohen
Founder, Executive Director, The Beagle Alliance
Session: Beyond the Lab: Rethinking Ethics, Science, and Advocacy in Animal Research
Lori is the Executive Director and Founder of The Beagle Alliance. She has years of experience with dogs coming out of laboratories and has contributed to the placement of hundreds of beagles into loving homes after release.
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She has spent most of her life caring for her own animals including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and chickens on her property in rural Manitoba. Lori’s love for her beagle, Trouble, sparked her advocacy for animals in research as well as the creation of her cruelty free skincare company.
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Lori believes that the collective love for dogs in this country and our culture can spark the change needed for all animals in research.
Lori Marino
Co Director, Animal Law and Science, George Washington University
Session: Teaching Science in an Animal Law Graduate Course
Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and adjunct professor of Animal Studies at New York University. She is the founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-based Animal Advocacy. Lori’s scientific work focuses on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales (as well as primates and farmed animals), and on the effects of captivity on wild animals. She has published over 150 peer- reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and magazine articles in these areas. Lori also works at the intersection of science and animal law and policy and is the co-director (with Professor Kathy Hessler) of the Animal Law and Science Project at George Washington University as well as an adjunct faculty member at Vermont Law School. She also teaches at the Vermont Law School and has worked with the Nonhuman Rights Project for many years.
Maddie Youngman
Graduate Student Researcher, Philosophy Department, University of Alberta
Session: Unpacking Disinformation: Challenging the Myths Sustaining Animal Agriculture
Maddie Youngman has a BA in Philosophy and Government from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in Philosophy, and an MA in Gender and Social Justice from the University of Alberta. Their research interests include a variety of topics within Feminist, Queer, and Indigenous philosophies, ethics, and environmental justice. They are the co-host of the Plants and Polices podcast and are currently a researcher with Canadians for Responsible Food Policy [CRFP] analyzing the current agricultural system and government policies within Canada to assess the need and prospects for the implementation of a much more plant based food system in Canada to address our duties of environmental, health, social, decolonial and animal justice.
Marie-Andrée Plante
Professor, Faculty of Law, Université de Sherbrooke
Session: Overlooked Opportunities in Private Law: Low-Hanging Fruit for Legal Sentience Respect?
Marie-Andrée Plante is a professor at the Faculty of Law at the Université de Sherbrooke since 2023. Her teaching focuses on legal theory and philosophy, property law, as well as legal methodology and writing.
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She holds dual degrees in civil law and common law from McGill University, a master’s from the University of Oxford, and a joint master’s from the École normale supérieure de Paris, EHESS, and the Université Paris Nanterre. Previously, she worked as a law clerk at the Court of Appeal of Québec and served as the assistant director of the Paul-André Crépeau Centre for Private and Comparative Law before pursuing her doctoral studies in law at McGill University. She is a member of the Québec Bar since 2015.
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Her current work explores themes like the concept of victimhood in law, sexual and intimate partner violence, and animal law.
Marine Lercier
Founder and Executive Director, International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE)
Session: Shifting the Status Quo: Legal Tools for Reimagining Animals in Society
Marine Lercier is a PhD candidate in Global Animal Law and a Doctoral Researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she taught Animal Law and Roman Law. She graduated with high honours with a Master’s degree in Animal Law and Society from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and holds Master's degrees in International and European Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law and Transitional Justice.
Her doctoral research explores avenues for granting labour rights to non-human animal workers and conceptualises what she calls ‘Animal Labour Law’ ©. Using racehorses as a case study, she addresses some gaps in their protection, intending to safeguard horses’ fundamental interests (through a legal right to retirement) beyond their racing careers.
She is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the open-access Journal of Animal Rights Law and Founder and Executive Director of the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE).
Dr. Martha-Elin Blomquist
Ph.D., Senior Site Manager, Juvenile Justice, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Session: Justice for All: Integrating Animal Law into Judicial Education and Courtrooms
Dr. Blomquist is the Senior Manager for the Juvenile Law Programs at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). She has more than a decade of experience in site management work with the NCJFCJ and over 35 years of experience related to child welfare, juvenile justice, and court systems. Dr. Blomquist provides trainings and technical assistance to juvenile drug treatment courts to assist them with implementing recommended practice. As the NCJFCJ’s liaison with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Dr. Blomquist works with members of the probation departments, and community-based organizations to promote therapeutic interventions, adolescent-appropriate services, and community connections for youths involved in serious delinquency.
Dr. Blomquist holds a master’s and Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California Berkeley School of Law where she specialized in juvenile and criminal justice studies and research.
Michaël Lessard
Professor, Faculty of Law, Université de Sherbrooke
Session: Overlooked Opportunities in Private Law: Low-Hanging Fruit for Legal Sentience Respect?
Michaël Lessard is a professor at the Faculty of Law of the Université de Sherbrooke. He is particularly interested in how private law deals with vulnerable or marginalised individuals, and uses critical approaches to reflect on these issues. His current work focuses on animals, sexual and domestic violence, multiple parenthood, medical aid in dying and the theoretical foundations of private law.
Michaël holds a double bachelor's degree in civil law and common law from McGill University and clerked at the Court of Appeal of Québec before pursuing a master's degree in legal theory at New York University and a doctorate in law at the University of Toronto. He has been a member of the Québec Bar since 2016. Before joining the Université de Sherbrooke as a professor in 2023, Michaël completed a research fellowship at Cambridge University's Centre for Animal Rights Law.
Michael Swistara
Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Session: Litigating for Animals in a Shifting Legal Landscape
Michael Swistara is a Staff Attorney in the Litigation Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where his work focuses on using consumer protection, environmental, administrative, and other laws to go after industrial animal agriculture. His writing has been published widely, including in the Animal Law Journal, the University of Miami Race; Social Justice Law Review, the Animal Studies Journal, and the Journal of Animal Ethics. Michael has spoken at law schools and conferences across North America and is excited to be back in Toronto for this conference.
Nives Ilic
Mobilization Manager - Animal Justice, Co-Chair of Amethyst Centre Ottawa and Vice-President of St. Mary's Home
Session: Preventing Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue in Your Animal Advocacy Work
Nives Ilic is a social justice activist with 15 years of experience in animal advocacy and over 10 years of experience working in the field of social work with people impacted by trauma, addictions and other mental health challenges.
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Prior to becoming the Mobilization Manager at Animal Justice, Nives managed two trauma and addictions programs in Ottawa’s oldest and largest shelter, serving people impacted by homelessness. Nives provided counselling and educational programming to clients while also providing coaching, mentorship and supervision to staff and students. She managed programs though the COVID-19 pandemic, housing emergency and the toxic drug supply crisis.
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Nives' animal activism includes the organization and facilitation of demonstrations in Canada and the US, bearing witness to animals going to slaughter in Toronto, and the liberation of lobsters on the East Coast. She began her career in animal rights by helping lead Canada's first intersectional animal and environmental law organization.
Dr. Paulina Siemieniec
Animal Philosopher
Session: Bridging Divides, Building Coalitions: Feminism, Philosophy, and the Future of Animal Law
Dr. Paulina Siemieniec is an animal philosopher, specializing in law, ethics, and politics. Her research interests include: theorizing the sexual and reproductive rights and health of animals; the political rights of animals; and the representation of animal agency law. She is an APPLE (Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law, and Ethics) fellow at Queen’s University. She is currently working with the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics. She will be teaching courses on Animal Ethics and the Philosophy of Animal Rights Law, and she will also be interviewing various animal law organizations on the legal aspects and practicalities regarding litigation, legislative reform, and advocacy strategies.
PJ Nyman
Corporate Campaigns Manager, Animal Justice
Session: Advancing Farmed Animal Welfare: Legal Frameworks, Policy Innovation, and Corporate Accountability
PJ Nyman is the Corporate Campaigns Manager at Animal Justice. With a decade of experience as a professional advocate for farmed animals, PJ has managed national campaigns in the U.S. and Canada, run volunteer and advocacy training programs, and developed Canada’s leading corporate benchmarking report that tracks the animal welfare performance of food companies. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, PJ earned a Master’s Degree in Social and Political Thought from York University, and taught and published in the social sciences.
Rachelle Hansen
Board Chair, Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary
Session: Law, Enforcement, and Advocacy: Exposing Ontario’s Failures to Protect Animals and the Environment
Rachelle Hansen has been involved with primates from 2000 initially with the The Fauna Foundation and then, since 2007, Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary. In 2014, she took on the role of Board Chair. Along with Daina Liepa, the Executive Director, she is involved in the day to day running of the sanctuary and is a weekly volunteer for the past 17 years. Professionally, Rachelle works at a large law firm in Learning and Development.
Rajesh K. Reddy
Animal Law Program Director, Center for Animal Law Studies, Lewis & Clark Law School
Session: Animal Symbols and Scapegoats: The Politics of Representation and Protection
Raj directs the Animal Law Program at the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), as well as oversees Lewis & Clark’s animal law curriculum, its Animal Law LLM and MSL degree programs, and its Global Animal Law programs. In his role as an Assistant Professor, Raj teaches International Animal Law, Animal Legal Philosophy, and an Emerging Topics in Animal Law course dedicated to insect advocacy, among others.
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Since joining CALS, Raj has stood at the vanguard of international animal law and animal legal personhood developments. He is a co-drafter of the Convention on Animal Protection for Public Health, Animal Well-Being, and the Environment, a proposed treaty that seeks to elevate animal welfare and prevent pandemics. He also sits on the boards of Minding Animals International and the International Coalition for Animal Protection.
Riana Topan
Program Director, Humane World for Animals Canada
Session: TBC
Riana Topan is program director, farmed animal protection, with Humane World for Animals Canada (formerly called Humane Society International/Canada), which together with its affiliates is one of the largest animal protection organizations in the world. Riana works to protect farmed animals by advocating for higher-welfare practices, policies and regulations. She also oversees Humane World’s Forward Food program, helping institutions and businesses across Canada to increase their offerings of plant-based options that are better for animals, the environment and human health.
Judge Rosa Figarola
Judge
Session: How to Get Involved While in Law School and as a Junior Lawyer
Rosa Figarola is a retired Circuit Court Judge from Miami, Florida. Judge Figarola graduated from the University of Miami in 1982 and joined the Office of the Public Defender where she served as a trial and appellate lawyer. In 2001 she was appointed to the County Court Bench. As a county court judge, she served in the Criminal and Domestic Violence Divisions. In 2011, Figarola was appointed to the Circuit Court Bench where she served in the Dependency, Family, Unified Family, and Probate Divisions.
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During her tenure as a judge, she served on the Miami Dade County Domestic Violence Oversight Board; was an adjunct family law professor and trial advocacy coach at St. Thomas School of Law; and was a faculty member for the National Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ curriculum on Enhancing Judicial Skills and other issues addressing interpersonal violence. She participated in a multi-national Caribbean Dialogue on the Rule of Law and Gender-Based Violence at the Florida International University in 2012 and conducted a presentation on trauma informed courts in San Juan, Puerto Rico for family and juvenile court judges in 2016. She has also conducted several presentations on the interrelationship between interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, as well as issues surrounding cultural responsiveness for judges and child welfare workers.
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Judge Figarola is presently a member of the Steering Committee for the National Link Coalition and serves on the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judge’s judicial advisory on animal cruelty. She serves as a Senior Judge in Miami-Dade County and continues to participate in educational programs related to the interrelationship between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence.
Sadie Jacobs
Research Advocacy Coordinator, Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine
Session: Strategic Advocacy for Animals: Tools, Tactics, and Transparency
Sadie Jacobs, LLM, JD, is a Research Advocacy Coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a U.S. based organization dedicated to advancing human-relevant research and testing methods. Her work focuses on advocating for alternatives to animal testing and promoting scientific innovation that prioritizes human health. Ms. Jacobs holds an Animal Law LLM (magna cum laude) from Lewis & Clark Law School, a JD from Vermont Law School, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder. With a background in animal law and advocacy, she works to bridge the gap between legal frameworks and ethical research practices.
Dr. Sal Renshaw
Professor & Department Chair, Nipissing University
Session: Teaching Change: Humane Education, Youth Empowerment, and the Role of Emotion in Animal Advocacy
Sal Renshaw (PhD) is a professor in the Department of Gender Equality and Social Justice at Nipissing University. Over the last ten years she has focused her teaching and course development in the areas of interdisciplinary and critical animal studies including: Animal Rites, Religion, Justice and Animals, Sanctuary and Salvation, Virtual Animals and Pets. She is the author of The Subject of Love: Hélène Cixous and the Feminine Divine (2009). Her most recent research focuses on critical animal studies and the ethics of interdisciplinary pedagogy. She is the author of the article “The Homoerotics of Trophy Hunting” in The Routledge Companion to Gender and Animals (Chloë Taylor Ed).
Sangita Iyer
Founder, Voices for Asian Elephants, Author & Wildlife Filmmaker
Session: The Power(s) of Animals’ Stories: A Multi-Media Roundtable
Sangita Iyer is the Founder of Voices for Asian Elephants, author of the Amazon bestseller, Gods in Shackles - What Elephants Can Teach Us About Empathy, Resilience, and Freedom, National Geographic Explorer, multiple award-winning wildlife filmmaker, broadcast journalist, and biologist. Sangita’s most recent 26-part short docu-series, Asian Elephants 101, world premiered on multiple National Geographic channels. She is also the director and producer of the globally acclaimed epic documentary, "Gods in Shackles", nominated at the United Nations General Assembly, and garnered 13 international film festival awards. Sangita received the "Nari Shakthi Puraskar" - Women Power Award - the highest award for women making a difference in India from the country's President for the courage she displayed in exposing the plight of captive elephants who are being exploited for profit behind the veil of culture and religion.
Sayara Thurston
Senior Policy Advisor, Farmed Animals, SPCA Montreal
Session: TBC
Based in Montreal, Sayara Thurston has worked as a campaigner and communications lead with animal and environmental protection organizations for fifteen years, including at Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society International), We Animals, and Oceana Canada. She has been part of successful corporate campaigns to end the use of intensive confinement systems such as battery cages and gestation crates in corporate supply chains, and legislative campaigns to ban the trade of shark fins in Canada. Originally from Australia, Sayara holds a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney. She is currently the Senior Policy Advisor for Farmed Animals at the Montreal SPCA.
Sophie Gaillard
Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs, Montreal SPCA
Session: Shifting the Status Quo: Legal Tools for Reimagining Animals in Society
One of the first and leading animal protection lawyers in Quebec and Canada, Sophie Gaillard has worked at the Montreal SPCA since 2013. Sophie oversees the organization’s efforts to advance animal law and strengthen animal protection legislation and public policy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. She also acts as head legal counsel, government relations expert and spokesperson for the SPCA. Sophie notably spearheaded the campaigns that led to the banning of cat declawing in Quebec, the authorization of dogs in the Montreal metro and the adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Quebec recognizing animals as sentient beings. Sophie was head of the SPCA’s Investigations Division from 2018 to 2020 and served as Interim Executive Director of the organization from 2022 to 2023. She is a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law, where she has taught animal law.
Suzanne Zaccour
Director of Legal Affairs, National Association of Women and the Law
Session: Bridging Divides, Building Coalitions: Feminism, Philosophy, and the Future of Animal Law
Suzanne is the Director of legal affairs for the National Association of Women and the Law, a not-for-profit organization that works to advance the rights of all women in Canada through feminist law reform. Suzanne completed a doctorate in law at Oxford University, focusing on sexual violence. She is a researcher, writer and public speaker interested in ending violence against women and against animals. She is the author of various books; her most recent, Pourquoi les féministes ne mangent pas les animaux (Why Feminists Don’t Eat Animals), explores the relationships between violence against women and violence against animals.
Tayler Zavitz
Instructor and Critical Animal Studies Scholar
Session: From Little Red Barns to Prison Bars: The War on Animal Advocacy in Canada and Beyond
Tayler Zavitz is a PhD candidate and sessional instructor in the Sociology department at the University of Victoria. Her current research, conducted through a critical animal studies lens, focuses on the repression of animal activism in Canada, the expanding criminalization of dissent, and what this means for the future of activism in Canada. She also holds a Masters degree in Critical Sociology, with a focus in Critical Animal Studies, from Brock University.
Will Potter
Investigative Journalist
Session: From Little Red Barns to Prison Bars: The War on Animal Advocacy in Canada and Beyond
Will Potter is an award-winning investigative journalist and TED Senior Fellow who exposes political repression and the erosion of civil liberties. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and Rolling Stone, and has helped overturn prosecutions and challenge ag-gag censorship laws. He has been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress, the Australian Parliament, and the Council of Europe, advocating for protest rights and press freedom. His landmark book, Green Is the New Red, revealed how governments and corporations have labeled nonviolent activists as “terrorists.” Counter Terrorism Unit surveillance documents described it as “compelling and well-written.” His new book, Little Red Barns, is the result of a 10-year investigation into factory farms and rising fascism, and was recently named one of Publishers Weekly’s most anticipated releases.