2022 Keynote Speakers
Dr. Aysha Akhtar, President/CEO of the Center for Contemporary Sciences
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Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is a double Board-certified neurologist and preventive medicine/public health specialist. She is the Co-founder, President and CEO of the Center for Contemporary Sciences, which is catalyzing the replacement of unreliable animal testing with more effective human-specific research techniques. A U.S veteran, she previously served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Traumatic Brain Injury Program developing the Army’s brain injury prevention and treatment strategies for soldiers. For a decade, Aysha was a Medical Officer at the Food and Drug Administration, most recently in the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats, implementing studies on vaccine effectiveness and safety. She is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and the author of two books, Our Symphony With Animals and Animals and Public Health.
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Genesis Butler, Environmental and Animal Rights Activist and Marvel Hero
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Genesis Butler is a 15-year-old environmental and animal rights activist and one of the youngest people to ever give a TEDx talk. Inspired by her great uncle civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, Genesis’ talk "A 10 Year Old's Vision for Healing the Planet" discusses the negative impact of animal agriculture on the environment. She went vegan at the age of 6 and was featured on an episode of Marvel’s Hero Project by Disney+. She has won several recognitions and awards for her activism, including being named by BBC as one of the top 8 activists changing the world. Genesis is currently leading the Youth Climate Save movement, the first youth-led environmental organization that focuses on animal agriculture’s impact on climate change and aims to give all young voices a platform.
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Carl Safina, Ecologist, Best-Selling Author, and Founding President of The Safina Center
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Carl Safina’s lyrical non-fiction writing explores how humans are changing the living world, and what the changes mean for non-human beings and for us all. His work fuses scientific understanding, emotional connection, and a moral call to action. Carl is the author of ten books including the classic Song for the Blue Ocean, as well as New York Times Bestseller Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel. His most recent book is Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace. Safina is now the first Endowed Professor for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University and is founding president of the not-for-profit Safina Center. He lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife Patricia and their dogs and feathered friends.
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The Animal Residents of Toucan Rescue Ranch
Sloths from the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica
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We'll end off the conference with a special live virtual field trip to the Toucan Rescue Ranch (TRR) in Costa Rica. Join Stephanie Valle Cubero from TRR and Jesse Hildebrand from Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants (EBTSOYP) to meet rescued animals such as sloths, toucans, parrots, monkeys, and otters. The TRR mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Costa Rica wildlife. EBTSOYP brings science, exploration, adventure and conservation live into classrooms through virtual guest speakers and field trips with leading experts around the world.
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2022 Session Speakers
Allison Penner, Executive Director, Reimagine Agriculture
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Allison Penner is the Executive Director of Reimagine Agriculture where she works across communities to bring focus to the food system and its connection to major world issues. With emphasis on policy campaigns, building alliances and knowledge mobilization, she believes in using evidenced-based strategies to see needed changes realized in Canada and around the world.
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Amanda Garner, Teacher at Blount County Schools, PhD Student at the University of Tennessee
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Amanda Garner grew up on a farm in the foothills of East Tennessee. She spent her childhood on the banks of “cricks”, waiting to get a glimpse of a “crawdad” or “spring lizard”. It was through her experiences exploring the rich biodiversity and history of the Great Smoky Mountains that her passion for education and conservation of natural resources grew into a teaching philosophy and mission. For the last 10 years, Amanda has worked with several agencies to provide professional workshops aimed at helping teachers become comfortable utilizing their school yards and communities in their science curriculum. She is a 2020 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Linblad Expeditions. She is also currently a STEM PhD student at The University of Tennessee with a research focus on teacher professional Development.
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Annie Schultz, PhD Candidate, Loyola University Chicago
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Annie Schultz is a PhD candidate in Philosophy of Education at Loyola University Chicago. Her research focuses on the environmental humanities in education; specifically, she studies the relationship between aesthetics and environmental education. She was recently awarded a grant from the Culture and Animals Foundation to support her research. Articles of Annie's were published in recent issues of Ethics and Education, Educational Theory, and Philosophy of Education. She also recently contributed an entry to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education on Gender, Nonhuman Animals, and Education. Annie currently teaches courses in the social foundations of education at Monmouth College and Dominican University. Her most important job, though, is caring for a magical cat named Wednesday and wise old greyhound named Bruno.
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Brenna Anderst, Education & Advocacy Director, Pasado's Safe Haven
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Brenna Anderst is the Director of Education & Advocacy at Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal protection organization and sanctuary located in Washington state. In this role, Brenna leads a team who provides educational opportunities for people of all ages. These programs work to alleviate animal suffering by increasing knowledge, inspiring change, and empowering communities to take action. Brenna is also a registered Humane Education Specialist and has 15 years of experience designing and facilitating humane education programs, with a focus on animals, nature, and outdoor inclusion.
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Dr. Gabriela Tymowski-Gionet, Associate Professor, University of New Brunswick
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Dr. Gabriela Tymowski-Gionet is an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She works in the area of applied ethics as it relates to sport and physical activity, healthy living, and animals. Her current research interests focus on the involvement of interspecies sport. She lives in Fredericton with her husband and their woolly, furry, and feathered family.
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Genevieve Johner, Humane Education Facilitator, Calgary Humane Society
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Genevieve Johner started with the Humane Education department at the Calgary Humane Society in the summer of 2019 after completing her BSc. She gained valuable experience working with youth during their Summer Camps. Genevieve enjoyed working with the Humane Education Team so much that she stayed on as contract staff while she completed her BEd with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Although COVID put a stop to Humane Education programming and volunteering for a while, Genevieve returned to CHS as a full-time Humane Education & Outreach Facilitator in April of 2021. What Genevieve loves most about working in animal welfare as a Humane Educator is watching the youth she engages with grow to become animal advocates both inside of and outside of the shelter environment.
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Hanna Chartrain, Team Lead for Humane Education and Outreach, Calgary Humane Society
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Hanna Chartain is the Team Lead of Humane Education and Outreach for Calgary Humane Society. She started her education journey when volunteering for summer camps in her youth, where she realized her passion for working with children. This transpired into a lengthy career working at camps and after school programs as a camp councillor and supervisor. From there Hanna completed her Bachelors of Arts and Educations at the University of Calgary and Werklund School of Education. Hanna has taught a variety of courses from Outdoor Education, Science, Math and then spent 2 years as a Kindergarten teacher. She has brought her knowledge as an experienced teacher, summer camp leader and volunteer, and her love of animals to Humane Education starting in July 2021. She aims to inspire children and youth to get involved at Calgary Humane Society, by learning through fun and engaging learning opportunities and creating lifelong animal advocates.
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Jane Ji, CEO, Springbay Studio Ltd.
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Jane Ji is an award-winning game designer and producer. In tandem with her team, she created the award-winning educational mobile game series iBiome. As a co-founder of Springbay Studio, Jane created the iBiome series to educate children and create a generation that cares about nature and climate change. In the newest iBiome game, iBiome-Changing Ice, Jane invites children to play with ice and snow, setup their goals to reduce their eco-footprint, and use AR technologies to track their sustainable real life choices. Jane believes that environmental education should be more empowering, playful and action-based. Currently Jane is leading her team on the League for Green Leaders program, one-of-its-kind online climate action platform for children around the world to compete and reduce their carbon footprint.
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Jasmine Ferreira, PhD Candidate, York University
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Jasmine Ferreira is a Registered Social Worker and has worked in a variety of non-profit settings over the past 10+ years. Her professional experience has intersected with gender-based violence across roles in crisis intervention, residential program delivery, health care policy, youth unemployment, communications, and education. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Ottawa, an MSW from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is a Ph.D. Candidate at York University where her research focuses on nature and mental health in social work practice.
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Jason Fonger, Public Speaker and Triathlon Champion, Jason Fonger Education Services
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Jason Fonger is an endurance athlete and advocate of plant-based eating. He is a multiple-time triathlon champion and has been vegan since 2009. As a public speaker, he focuses on empowering young people with essential information about the links between food, health and the environment.
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Jess Pelow, Education Coordinator, Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre
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Jess Pelow (she/her) is an Ontario Certified Teacher who specializes in teaching environmental education. She has a Masters in Environmental Studies and has worked as an outdoor educator for over a decade in the Kingston and Toronto regions. She joined Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in 2019 and coordinates the education program, which aims to teach empathy and compassion for wild animals. Jess is deeply committed to creating relevant presentations and resources for educators, and is almost always engaged in professional development on topics of mindfulness, child development, natural history, and environmental justice, in order to develop the most meaningful programming. Jess currently lives and works on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee.
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Jesse Hildebrand, VP of Education, Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants
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Jesse Hildebrand is a science communicator, broadcaster, event coordinator and nature lover in chief for the BackyardBio global nature campaign. His work focuses on sharing the story of science, the greatest story ever told, with a wide audience, encouraging people to see the world in a new way. Currently, he is also the VP of Education for Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants where he has produced and hosted 1000+ free, live, interactive broadcasts connecting scientists and explorers worldwide with kids. Previously the founder of Science Literacy Week, he lives for finding ways of bringing nature, science and exploration into classrooms and communities around the world.
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Judith Goldberg, Principal, Forest Run Public School
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Judith Goldberg is an elementary school principal and life-long learner whose passion for animals has led her to host workshops by Keep It Wild, a program she hopes will inspire her students to foster compassion for wildlife and help them understand that they can make a real difference in the lives of animals. Since coming on board as principal, Judith’s leadership has brought forward a strong focus on student well-being, character-building and participation in the Roots of Empathy program. Judith holds a degree in History and Political Science from Carleton University, a B.Ed. from Ottawa University and an M.Ed. from OISE.
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Laura Chepner, Education Officer and Chair, The Vegan Society's Education Network
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Laura Chepner is the Chair of The Vegan Society's Education Network, and the UK's only Vegan-inclusive education specialist. The Vegan Society provides information and guidance on various aspects of veganism, and launched The Vegan Education Network this year. After her own vegan child experienced discrimination at school, former teacher Laura founded 'Primary Veducation' – hosting training sessions for school staff - and wrote ‘An Educator’s Guide for Vegan-Inclusive Teaching’. Laura is passionate about working with educators to explain what it means to be vegan and how to appropriately teach and treat vegan pupils.
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Dr. Laura Van Patter, Kim & Stu Lang Professor in Community & Shelter Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College
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Dr. Lauren Van Patter is the Kim & Stu Lang Professor in Community and Shelter Medicine in the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. Lauren is an interdisciplinary animal studies researcher whose background includes Environmental Sciences and Geography. She is co-editor of the volume ‘A Research Agenda for Animal Geographies’, and has published in peer-reviewed Veterinary, Animal Studies, Geography, African Studies, and Wildlife Management journals.
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Dr. Leesa Fawcett, Associate Professor, York University
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Dr. Leesa Fawcett is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change and the Director of the Graduate Program in Environmental Studies. She has worked in environment and animal studies education for decades with wonderful students. Originally trained as a marine biologist, she specializes in animal studies, decolonial environmental pedagogies and ethics, natural history, and conservation issues.
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Lilly Catrisiotis, Kindergarten Teacher, Forest Run Public School
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Lilly Catrisiotis is a Kindergarten teacher at Forest Run Public School in Ontario. The students at her school, ranging from K-Gr.8, began to investigate Kiska, a young orca who was captured off the coast of Iceland when she was only three years old (almost 40 years ago). The students have learned that she has been living alone in Marineland for 10 years. Her students have come to the realization that mammals like Kiska are often exploited for entertainment. With the guidance and knowledge of their Principal Judith Goldberg, the students at FRPS have been building a culture of respect and empathy this wonderful but lonely creature.
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Dr. Maria Helena Saari, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oulu (Finland)
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Dr. Maria Helena Saari is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Academy of Finland funded research project ‘CitiRats: From Citizen Science to Non-Anthropocentric Education’ (2021-2024) at the University of Oulu and currently Co-Leader of the Envisioning Sustainability Research Hub of the Biodiverse Anthropocenes Research Program. She coordinates and teaches undergraduate courses on environmental education and multispecies childhood studies. Maria holds a PhD in educational sciences and her doctoral thesis “Animals as stakeholders in education: towards an educational reform for interspecies sustainability” was published in December 2021. She is Chair of the Finnish Critical Animal Studies Network (CASFinland).
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Mark Simmons, Co-Lead, Veg Climate Network
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Mark Simmons is an animal lover, a proud vegan and a dedicated climate activist. He is an active member of several environmental organizations, fighting for meaningful climate action at the national, provincial and local levels. He also serves as a Board member for the Toronto Vegetarian Association. Most of Mark’s career has been spent in the public and not-for-profit sectors, with a focus on health and wellness. He has worked for over 10 years in the Ontario Ministry of Health, where he has guided the planning, development and delivery of high-profile provincial strategies, policies and programs. Mark previously worked as a business analyst and project manager for a boutique consulting firm, where he led the planning and delivery of several major health care initiatives in Canada and The Bahamas. He has also worked as a business analyst and project manager for a not-for-profit injury prevention organization, and volunteered with an HIV/AIDS advocacy and support NGO in Ghana, West Africa.
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Maru Vigo, IB Spanish Instructor - World Language Department Head, Animalia Latina
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Maru Vigo has been an animal rights advocate since 1980. She started her activism in Lima, Peru where she served as Executive President of AnimaNaturalis. Maru moved to Arizona in 1987 and has been actively working on a variety of issues that include public speaking, media presentations, statewide initiatives, training of activists and collaboration with PETA, FARM, A Well-Fed World, and Grey2K USA, among others. She was the recipient of the PETA's Nancy Alexander Award in 2017. Maru is a Humane Society of the United States’ Certified Humane Education Specialist and was the recipient of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Teacher of the Year Award in 1998 and the Humane Education Award in 1999. Creating humane educational materials in English and Spanish has been an important part of her career as an educator. She holds a B.A. in Modern Languages and an M.A. in Education.
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Melvin Chan, PhD Candidate, York University
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Melvin Chan is a PhD student in environmental studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, working under the supervision of Dr. Leesa Fawcett. His research focuses on how humans can learn with animals in mutual and interdependent relationships. He also explores what anti-racist and anti-colonial perspectives on human-animal relations has to offer critical animal pedagogies.
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Mickey Kudia, Chicago Program Manager, HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers)
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Mickey Kudia holds a Master of Education in Humane Education from Valparaiso University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Communication and Education from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a humane educator for HEART, Mickey travels to schools throughout Chicago educating young people about animal protection, human rights, and environmental ethics. He has presented workshops on humane education and service learning at conferences across the United States.
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Dr. Nadine Dolby, Professor of Education, Purdue University
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Dr. Nadine Dolby is a Professor of Curriculum Studies at Purdue University, USA. She has published widely in the areas of humane education, animal welfare, and animal rights. Her new book is Learning Animals: Curriculum Pedagogy, and Becoming a Veterinarian (CRC Press/Routledge, 2022).
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Nicole Green, Director, Animalearn
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Nicole Green is the Director of Animalearn, a science education program of the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) located in Pennsylvania. She has worked at AAVS over 20 years, helping to enlighten the public about the harmful use of animals in science education and the numerous innovative non-animal methods that can be used to replace them. As a vegan for 30 years, Nicole is a dedicated and passionate advocate for animal protection. Nicole currently serves as an Advisor for the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE). Nicole has an MA in Education & Innovation, with an emphasis in humane education.
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Nital Jethalal, Co-Lead, Veg Climate Network
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Nital Jethalal is a plant-based economist and policy analyst whose principal research area lies in investigating the impacts of population shifts to plant-based foods. He first discovered the importance of the connections between health, the environment and food after working as a strategic policy analyst at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 15 years ago. Nital has since been interested in how to better design transition programs for producers who will inevitably need to adjust or exit the agricultural sector. It was Nital’s eight-year old niece, Kareena, who organically inspired the development of the Veg Climate Network, after she successfully petitioned her 300 schoolmates to have their school adopt a Meatless Monday. Nital has a M.Sc. in International Economics and sits on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Vegetarian Association and Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank. He has a deep interest in food justice and equity and public health.
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Dr. Pam Osenkowski, Science Advisor, National Anti-Vivisection Society
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Dr. Pam Osenkowski is a Science Advisor for the National Anti-Vivisection Society and the International Foundation for Ethical Research. Pam earned her B.S. in Biology at the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at Wayne State University. She conducted her postdoctoral studies in Alzheimer’s disease at Harvard Medical School and later obtained a faculty position at Michigan State University-College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Biology Department at Loyola University Chicago, where her teaching efforts are focused in the areas of genetics and cellular biology.
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Saeid Vafa, MES Student at York University and Teacher in the Durham District School Board
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Saeid Vafa is currently finishing his Masters of Environmental Studies degree at York University. His research focuses on Eco-pedagogy, total liberation, and responsible planetary citizens. In addition, he is interested in learning educational methods that address the intersection of justice for human and non-human animals. He is also a supply teacher in the Durham District School.
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Sarien Slabbert, Education Coordinator, P.E.A.C.E. Humane
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Sarien Slabbert is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian charity People Ensuring Animal Care Exists (P.E.A.C.E.), and the Education Coordinator for their P.E.A.C.E. Humane program. She previously worked as a veterinary assistant, has a background in event planning and customer service, and completed the Certified Humane Educator Program through the Academy of Prosocial Learning in 2021. Sarien also volunteers for the Canadian Society for Humane Science and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. She's been vegan for the last 15 years and lives with her partner and children in British Columbia, Canada.
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Stephanie Valle Cubero, Environmental Education Coordinator, Toucan Rescue Ranch
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Stephanie Valle Cubero is the Environmental Education Coordinator and a guide at Toucan Rescue Ranch. She studied Tropical Biology at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) and she is working on a Lic. degree on Natural Resource Management at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED). Stephanie has worked as a naturalist guide since 2010 and has also worked for the Organisation of Tropical Studies (OTS) as a teaching assistant for field courses on Tropical Biology for undergraduate students from the USA. Even before studying biology, Stephanie volunteered for NGOs that fight for wildlife in Costa Rica, like UESPRA and PRETOMA, she has been an activist for several conservation campaigns and always felt passionate about wildlife conservation. She is currently doing her thesis on Environmental Education, and she hopes to have a long-lasting impact on the local communities’ view and relationship with wildlife.
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Valerie Trew, Director of the University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre, and Faculty for Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber
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Valerie Trew is the Director at the University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. As a Registered Early Childhood Educator with a Master of Arts in Leadership, she also teaches in the Bachelor of Applied Science program at the University of Guelph and Guelph-Humber applying a lens of social and environmental justice to studies in policy, administration, and leadership. Valerie views teaching - from early learning to post-secondary - as a political act and does so with a view to provoke radical social transformation towards a post-colonial world. Valerie has spent 20 years working in children’s services through child welfare, postsecondary education, regional government, early intervention, and early learning and child care. Valerie holds a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition and is currently completing a PhD in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto.
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