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.

Mrs. Krier Massey brings more than 15 years of policy and legal experience to VAFAW. She previously served as a staff member in the United States Senate and has worked for more than a decade with members of Congress on public health policies. In addition to her Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Health, she has a Master of Science in Animal Welfare and Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Her passion for farm animal welfare and advocacy stems from having her own livestock and a desire to improve the lives of animals on industrial farms. Mrs. Krier Massey is the founder of a government relations consulting firm and has worked with a range of clients on local, state, and federal issues. She has extensive experience drafting legislation and policy statements, developing advocacy campaigns, and leading diverse grassroots volunteers in the advancement of targeted legislative initiatives. ​ She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and a menagerie of animals.

Dr. Zoltick is an Animal Welfare Resident at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she recently earned her Master of Science in Animal Welfare and Behavior. She graduated from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. Prior to veterinary school, 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 students in classroom, clinical, and farm settings. Dr. Zoltick currently conducts research on welfare and behavior in 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. She also enjoys fiction writing, believing that by trying to see the world through the eyes of another, we develop compassion and empathy.

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.

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.