Board of Directors and Officers
Barry Kipperman, DVM, DACVIM, MSc, DACAW
Board Member (Chair)
Dr. Kipperman is a veterinary specialist in animal welfare. He received a master’s degree in animal welfare, ethics and law from the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Kipperman teaches veterinary ethics at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and animal welfare and ethics for the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. He serves on the Consumer and Animal Advocacy Committee of the Dairy Cattle Welfare Council and the Animal Welfare Committee of the California Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Kipperman is the co-editor of the book Ethics in Veterinary Practice: Balancing Conflicting Interests. Dr. Kipperman has published more than 20 papers in numerous journals. His research interests include the influence of economics on animal welfare and veterinarian well-being, and the ethical dilemmas and moral stress faced by veterinarians. ​ From 1997 to 2000 he was a staff internist and founder of a 24-hour referral/emergency practice in the San Francisco Bay area.
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James Reynolds, DVM, MPVM, DACAW
Board Member
Dr. Reynolds is currently a Professor of Large Animal Medicine & Welfare at Western University, College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, CA. He graduated from UC Davis in 1982 and was in private dairy and beef practice in California for 14 years. He was the Chief of Clinical Services for Production Medicine at University of California, Davis for 12 years. Dr. Reynolds has served as chair of the Animal Welfare Committees of both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. He received the AVMA Animal Welfare Award for 2007. Dr. Reynolds is currently a member of the California Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Committee. He was a founding board member of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO). Dr. Reynolds is a member of the scientific committee for Validus, a food production certification program, and conducts welfare assessments and audits for its Animal Welfare Review program.
Indu Mani, DVM, ScD, MSc, MSc
Board Member
Dr. Mani serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at Brief Media, a leading veterinary company that develops practical peer-reviewed educational content and point-of-care tools for veterinary professionals worldwide. She is the president of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Mani is a member (Hon.) of the Website Advisory Board of the One Health Initiative. She is a fellowship alumna at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics. Dr. Mani graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1995, completed an internship in small animal medicine, surgery, and critical care at the University of Minnesota in 1996, and received her Doctor of Science degree in virology from Harvard University in 2002. She received her Master of Science in Animal Welfare and Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2024 and her Master of Science in Bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute at the Albany Medical College in 2024. Â She is a practicing associate veterinarian at VCA Brookline Animal Hospital. Her professional interests include all aspects of internal medicine.
Jeffrey Hill, MSc
Board Member
​Jeff Hill currently leads Livestock Welfare Strategies LLC (LWS), an international consulting agency driven by the principle of optimizing the animal’s quality of life by encouraging positive experiences while minimizing stress and eliminating distress. He has dedicated his life to the growth and advancement of the agricultural industry. Mr. Hill's educational background extends across multiple disciplines, including production agriculture, animal behavior, meat science, and agricultural engineering. This, combined with his industry experience, provides a unique insight and an unmatched ability to bring integrated, holistic approaches to the livestock and meat industries. Mr. Hill has utilized his integrated approach successfully within production agriculture, the meat-processing industry, government affairs, research organizations, and regulatory services. ​ The services he provides through Livestock Welfare Strategies LLC include: - Develop innovative and technical solutions for agriculture and agri-food industries. - Spearhead commercial research and product development programs. - Support animal welfare programming for agriculture and agri-food industries. - Provide planning, system development, and coordinated responses to livestock emergencies.
Abigale Zoltick, DVM, MSc, DACAW
Board Member
Dr. Zoltick is a postdoctoral animal welfare researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she earned her Master of Science in Animal Welfare and Behavior and completed a residency in animal welfare. Prior to receiving her DVM from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Zoltick spent eight years living and working on biodynamic, organic, and conventional farms in Scotland and the United States, caring for cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. She has experience teaching farm workers, veterinary students, and undergraduate and graduate students in classroom, clinical, and farm settings. Dr. Zoltick currently conducts research on the welfare and behavior of dairy cows and pigs. Dr. Zoltick is particularly interested in pain detection and mitigation in farmed animals, alternative approaches to cow-calf separation, gentle animal handling and movement, and how an animal’s behavioral ecology can inform farm housing and management practices to facilitate the expression of natural behaviors. She lives in Pennsylvania with a rescue farm cat and a retired research beagle and cares for horses on the weekends. She also enjoys fiction writing, believing that by trying to see the world through the eyes of another, we develop compassion and empathy.
Gwendolen Reyes-Illg, DVM, MA
President
Dr. Reyes-Illg is a practicing veterinarian in Oregon. Since entering the profession in 2008, she has worked with a range of species in diverse clinical settings, including veterinary hospitals, shelters, sanctuaries, and wildlife rehabilitation centers. She is currently the veterinary consultant for the farmed animal program at the Animal Welfare Institute, where she works to ensure that sound ethical practices and the latest research in animal welfare science inform animal agricultural policy. Dr. Reyes-Illg is an alumna of the University of Florida, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in zoology and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. In 2017, she completed a master's degree in philosophy at Colorado State University, focusing on animal and veterinary ethics. As an undergraduate, Dr. Reyes-Illg developed an environmental enrichment program for nursery and grower-finisher pigs at the University of Florida's Swine Unit. In veterinary school, she established the Willed Body Program for Large Animals to provide ethically sourced cadavers for the veterinary school’s Large Animal Anatomy course. She also launched Helping Alachua’s Animals Requiring Treatments and Surgery, a program that helps animals in shelters and rescues access needed surgeries while providing students with nonterminal surgical training opportunities. Dr. Reyes-Illg has volunteered extensively with nonprofit animal welfare organizations throughout her career. She served for several years on the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) Board of Directors. From 2008 through 2013, she regularly traveled to Cameroon to provide pro bono veterinary care to chimpanzees and other species in accredited sanctuaries.
Debra Teachout, DVM, MVSc
Secretary​
Dr. Teachout owns an editing business focused on veterinary manuscripts and animal journalism. Previously, she worked as a veterinary clinical pathologist, a small animal practitioner, and an urban wildlife veterinarian. She authored a journal column on ethics and animal welfare in wildlife rehabilitation. Dr. Teachout is the HumaneVMA Illinois State Co-Representative. Dr. Teachout earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and a Master of Veterinary Science degree in Veterinary Clinical Pathology from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan. Dr. Teachout completed the Professional Sequence in Editing from UC Berkeley Extension and started a second career in editing and writing after retiring from small animal practice in March 2020. ​ From 2008 through 2017, Dr. Teachout provided detailed written expert veterinary opinions concerning the welfare of farm animals seen in videos as part of forensic animal cruelty investigations. She subsequently wrote a textbook chapter on videography and its use in animal cruelty investigations (in Veterinary Forensics: Investigation, Evidence, Collection, and Expert Testimony). ​ She lives near Chicago on a small hobby farm with her husband, cat, and rabbit.
Heather Mitchell, MSc, MSc
Treasurer
Heather Mitchell is an animal welfare scientist with graduate degrees in Animal Welfare and Behavior (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine) and Animal Health and Ethology (Unity College). She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology. Heather has over 15 years of experience in veterinary medicine as a veterinary nurse specializing in anesthesia and clinical team leadership. Her expertise and interests span food systems, alternative proteins, rearing practices, and poultry welfare. Heather’s culinary education from Bauman College, focused on holistic nutrition and conscious food systems, has shaped two decades of her work with local farmers, bridging the gap between sustainable practices, public education, and higher-welfare animal care. She also currently serves as a consultant to the Animal Welfare Institute. ​Heather volunteers as a Local Leader with Farm Action, supporting small and mid-sized producers, and serves on her County Animal Rescue Team. She has completed training through the University of Missouri’s National Animal Cruelty Investigations School. Heather is dedicated to cultivating mission-driven partnerships that integrate science, ethics, and compassion to generate lasting support for farm animal welfare initiatives. She lives in the high country of Colorado with her partner, Todd, and their border terrier, Margot.
Interested in joining our team?
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We are looking for someone who is passionate about our mission,
has experience with fundraising/grant writing, and would like to assist our efforts on a volunteer basis.
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If interested, please email info@vafaw.org.