Mark Dunn, Pet Industry Leader
State of the U.S. Pet Industry
Mark is a transformative leader in the pet industry, with unique expertise on canine supply and demand, the importance of breeders, and the overall state of the US Pet Industry. As former Executive Vice President of the American Kennel Club (AKC), he reversed 20 years of decline, doubled AKC dog registrations and drove record revenue exceeding $100M. He has been honored as a Next Generation Leader for customer experience excellence and recognized with numerous honors for his work. He now serves on the boards of the National Animal Interest Alliance and World Pet Association Board. Mark is renowned for his expertise in business transformation, customer experience, the pet acquisition economy, breeder development, and for launching innovative initiatives like AKC’s mixed-breed program, AKC GoodDog Helpline, AKCPetRX, and AKC DNA+Health. He can connect with an audience outside in a field or in the board room and has spoken at events from Midwestern pet breeder conferences to shelter/rescue conventions to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Arnold Goldman, DVM, MPH, NAIA VP, President of the IVPA
The Impact of Consolidation in Veterinary Medicine on the Veterinarian-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR)
Dr. Goldman is the owner of Canton Animal Hospital in Canton, Connecticut and the consulting veterinarian for the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, also in Connecticut. He is president of the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association, previously served as treasurer of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and is vice president of the National Animal Interest Alliance. Dr. Goldman is a 1986 graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and a 2011 graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He’s a member of both the Boston Terrier Club of Connecticut and the Boston Terrier Club of America

Marthina Greer, DVM, JD
Rejuvenating the Breeder-Veterinarian Relationship
Dr. Greer has run the Veterinary Village Small Animal Clinic in Wisconsin since 1982, and International Canine Semen Bank-Wisconsin/Illinois since 2002. She works extensively with clients who breed and compete with their dogs. She frequently speaks on canine reproduction and published Canine Reproduction and Neonatology in 2014, a book for veterinary professionals and breeders. During the COVID lockdowns of 2020, she wrote Your Pandemic Puppy, to help guide dog owners through puppy rearing and training during those stressful times. Dr. Greer also earned a JD at Marquette University and is involved with Animal Legal Resources LLC. She has served on the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board and AVMA Judicial Council, and is also the NAIA Board Chair.

Andrew Harker, Principal at The Russell Group
Andrew grew up working for the family business Harker Painting, Inc., has a degree in Animal and Poultry Science from Virginia Tech, and came to Washington, D.C. to work for his hometown Congressman. Andrew joined The Russell Group in 2007, and has led a number of the group’s coalition efforts, including management of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, which successfully preempted Vermont’s GMO labeling law, and shepherded the federal rulemaking of a workable uniform disclosure standard. Andrew has also managed food and agriculture value chain coalitions dealing with key federal policies related to animal health and welfare standards, consumer product labeling, and international trade.

Theresa (Tess) House, DVM, MPH, CCFP, DACVPM
Allying with Breeders to Improve Animal Health and Wellbeing
Dr. Theresa (Tess) House (she/her) is an assistant director in the Division of Animal Welfare with the American Veterinary Medical Association. She received her DVM and master’s degree in public health (MPH) from the University of Minnesota, and in 2022 she became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM). She also is a certified compassion fatigue professional and has over twenty years’ experience in the veterinary field. Prior to the AVMA, she worked in small animal private practice, high volume spay/neuter clinics, shelter medicine, lab animal medicine, teaching, and in-home end-of-life care.

Angela Hughes, DVM, PhD, MS
Stewarding Health, Diversity, and Affordability for Generations to Come
Dr. Hughes is a recognized expert in veterinary genetics and a Welsh Springer Spaniel breeder who pioneered the concept of genetically aligning potential breeding dogs to evaluate genetic diversity, launching this in a first-of-its-kind test called Optimal Selection™. Dr. Hughes completed her veterinary degree, veterinary genetics residency, PhD in canine genetics, and held an associate clinical professor position at the University of California, Davis before joining Mars over 15 years ago where she has held multiple positions across their genetics and pet nutrition business units. Dr. Hughes also recently completed a Master’s degree in Communications through the University of Florida. Over her career, she has been published in multiple academic publications, contributed chapters in several textbooks, presented to a variety of veterinary and breeder audiences, and is presently working on a veterinary genetics textbook.

Elizabeth Kunzelman, Vice President of Legislative & Public Affairs, Petland
Advancements in Commercial Dog Breeding and the Retail Setting
Elizabeth Kunzelman is a seasoned legislative affairs and communications executive with extensive experience in public relations, advocacy, and strategic communications. Currently serving as Vice President of Legislative Affairs & Marketing at Petland, Inc., she leads nationwide advocacy strategies, manages communications efforts, and oversees marketing initiatives. With a background in journalism and public relations, she has held leadership roles in legislative advocacy, crisis communication, and corporate social responsibility. She is actively involved in industry organizations and has received recognition for her contributions to pet industry advocacy.

Thomas A. Leach, Esq, Leach Policy Management, President
Patchwork Peril: Legislative Overreach & The Future of America’s Pets
Tom Leach is the President of Leach Policy Management, a New Jersey-based government affairs and association management firm based. Tom has more than 25 years of experience addressing a wide range of policy matters, though he focuses on addressing legal and legislative issues that are important to animal owners. These issues include breeding, pet sales, agriculture, and animal research. Tom serves as the executive director of the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research, the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research, and the New Jersey Coalition of Responsible Pet Stores. Tom received a BA in Political Science from the College of New Jersey and a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Sandy Moore, CEO of the Pet Advocacy Network
Ruffling Feathers, Raising Voices,
Sandy Moore is an experienced leader in the pet and aquaculture industries with a career devoted to ethical animal trade, sustainability, and advocacy. She has held leadership roles across multiple industry associations, guided organizations through transformative growth and innovation, and was honored as Florida’s 2024 Woman of the Year in Agriculture.

Raina Moss, AKC breeder, Mentor, and Breed Preservation Advocate
Delivering a Positive Message about Purebreds and Breeders
Raina’s passion for Clumber Spaniels began at age 12 as a first-generation dog breeder competing in the Washington State Dog-4H program and AKC Juniors. Now 28, she has produced over 100 Clumbers, including nearly 70 Champions and her dogs consistently earn Top Breed rankings and wins. Raina serves the breed as Juniors Coordinator and Public Education Chair for the Clumber Spaniel Club of America, on the board of the Clumber Spaniel Health Foundation, as a founding member of the Pacific Northwest Clumber Spaniel Fanciers, and as an AKC Breeder of Merit. With a degree in Marketing and Communications, she uses her Rainsway platforms (@rainswayclumbers) to promote responsible dog ownership, education, and breed preservation, and is passionate about mentoring new breeders and the next generation of dog enthusiasts.

Art Parola, attorney for USARK
From Catching Critters to Creating Law: A Calling to Wildlife Conservation in the Pet Industry
Art spent much of his childhood covered in mud and creek water, chasing every critter that crawled, slithered, or swam with a butterfly net, and trying to identify them with his collection of field guides. This led him to a career focused on animal welfare, sustainable development, and conservation – particularly through sustainable use policy initiatives. Art is now an attorney for the United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK), Legislative and Policy Advisor for Project Piaba, and an Advisory Board member for NAIA. Art’s childhood love for animals and nature has not abated, though he now carries a camera instead of a net. His writing and photographs have appeared in numerous online articles, as well as in print publications in multiple countries around the world.

Elizabeth A. Schuette, President and CEO of The ARK Import Export Center, LLC
Trends in Pet Imports
Elizabeth oversees daily operations, strategic and financial planning, and marketing for JFK International Airport’s animal health, reception and quarantine center, The ARK at JFK. The ARK provides necessary, safe, and humane animal care services to airlines and their ground handling of all animals arriving or departing from JFK. Elizabeth is an active contributor to animal shipping trade organizations as well as organizations concerned with public health and animal care. She serves on the Board of Directors of ATA and of SPCA International, a rescue group that provides U.S. military personnel with financial and logistical support to move their pets.

Kelly Sloan, Owner, Sloan & Associates Public Affairs
Telling Your Story: Effective Advocacy for the Animal Industry
Kelly is a Denver-based columnist and public affairs consultant. He writes a weekly column for Colorado Politics and previously wrote regular columns for the Rocky Mountain Voice and Washington Examiner. He has also been a guest commentator on local, regional, national, and overseas radio and television. He is a registered lobbyist in the state of Colorado, and has represented a variety of interests, including aviation, agriculture, energy, local government, and business at the state legislature and in Washington, D.C. His firm, Sloan & Associates Public Affairs, provides government relations, communications, public and media relations, and PAC management for clients at the local, state, federal, and international levels. He has extensive experience in developing messaging and generating targeted communications and earned media for clients in pursuit of a variety of issues. Sloan was born and raised in Calgary Alberta, Canada where he graduated from Mount Royal University with a degree in Criminology.

Patti Strand, NAIA President & Co-Founder
Planning Our Own Future: Saving Animals and the Human-Animal Bond
Patti and her husband Rod have been Dalmatian enthusiasts for over 50 years, breeding and showing some of the top dogs in the history of their breed. Patti’s advocacy for animals and the human-animal bond started in the late 1980’s and continues to this day. In 1992 she and Rod co-authored the first book in the US exposing the extremism of the animal rights movement: The Hijacking of the Humane Movement: Animal Extremism. Patti was honored as Dogdom’s Woman of the Year in 1993 for her legislative achievements and received AKC’s Visionary and Lifetime Achievement Awards 25 years later. Today, Patti is recognized as an expert on contemporary animal issues, and her recommendations on public policy and the animal welfare vs. animal rights debate appear in major media nationwide.