Animal Welfare Symposium Speaker Biographies

Jack Advent

Jack Advent, CAE is the Executive Director of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, a post he has held for eleven years. He previously worked for two smaller trade associations for a total of 18 years before coming to OVMA.

Advent earned his certified association executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives in 1994. He is a past president and board member of the Ohio Society of Association Executives, and the American Society of Veterinary Medical Association Executives.

Advent is a graduate of Bowling Green State University and is a resident of Westerville.

Gene Baur

Gene Baur is co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, America's leading farm animal protection organization. He holds a master's degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University and has conducted hundreds of visits to farms, stockyards, and food production facilities to document conditions. His pictures and videotape have been aired nationally and internationally, educating millions on conditions and practices at some of the facilities he has seen. Gene has testified in court and before local, state and federal legislative bodies, and has initiated groundbreaking legal enforcement and legislative action to prevent farm animal abuse. He played an important role in passing the first U.S. laws to prohibit some farming methods including the Florida ban on gestation crates, the Arizona ban on veal and gestation crates, the California ban on veal and gestation crates and battery cages, and the California ban on foie gras. His efforts have been covered by leading news organizations, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. His book, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food, was published by Simon and Schuster in March, 2008 and has appeared on the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe best seller lists.

Naomi Botheras

Mike Bumgarner

Michael A. Bumgarner is the newly appointed vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s (OFBF) new Center for Food and Animal Issues.

The Center was created in May of 2009 to engage farmers, consumers and others who have connections to animals in a public dialog over the proper role of animals in society, and to advance their shared values. As vice president of the Center, Bumgarner is responsible for its policy, communications and outreach efforts. He also oversees a subsidiary of the Center, the Animals for Life Foundation, which focuses on fund raising efforts to support the Center’s mission.

Bumgarner joined Ohio Farm Bureau after a long career with United Producers, Inc. (UPI). He was named UPI's vice president of marketing and member services in February 2005, and held several other management positions during his 19 years with the company. Prior to UPI, Bumgarner was a manager and broker with Refco, Inc. and Heinold Commodities, Inc.

He has served in leadership roles with the National Institute of Animal Agriculture, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Livestock Marketing Association, Ohio Livestock Coalition and Ohio Farm Animal Care Commission and the Five State Beef Initiative. He was a board member for Mechanicsburg Exempted Schools, and has been an adviser and volunteer with Ohio's 4-H program for 20 years. He received a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Ohio State University.

Bumgarner and his wife, Leslie, are the parents of 2 and live on their family farm in Mechanicsburg, Ohio.

Candace Croney

Harold Gonyou

After obtaining degrees from the universities of Guelph, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Dr. Gonyou has served as a professor at the University of Illinois and as Research Scientist in ethology at the Prairie Swine Centre. His research has included all major agricultural animals, but is now focused on the social behaviour of pigs and their interaction with resources within their pen. His recent projects include feeder and waterer design, group housing of sows, gestation stall design, space allowance for pigs, large groups for grow-finish pigs, and pig handling. He has served as President of the International Society for Applied Ethology, editor-in-chief for the scientific journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, and on committees for the Canadian Pork Council and National Pork Board (US). In 2009 he received the Award for Technical Innovation Enhancing Production of Safe and Affordable Food from the Canadian Society of Animal Science.

Paul Hemsworth

Paul Hamilton Hemsworth is a professor in the Melbourne School of Land and Environment at the University of Melbourne and is Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre, a joint centre of The University of Melbourne, Monash University, the Department of Primary Industries (Victoria) and The Ohio State University. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal Science, Ohio State University.

Professor Hemsworth graduated B Agr Sc (Hon) from the University of Melbourne in 1973 and PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1978. He has had an extensive research career studying the behaviour and welfare of farm and companion animals. He is particularly recognised for his research on human-animal interactions but also for his research on housing effects on animal welfare and behaviour as well as understanding the relationships between the common concepts of animal welfare and their methodologies.

He has published more than 140 peer reviewed full publications. In total he has over 300 publications, including chapters in 20 internationally distributed books on farm animal productivity and welfare and the author of one book. Since 2002, he has been Chief Investigator of major competitive research grants from a range of funding bodies that have attracted more than $2.5 million. As Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre, Professor Hemsworth is responsible for leading and coordinating the overall allocated research resources of the partner organisations in the Centre. Total research funding for the Centre over the last 5 years was about $7 million with funding from sources such as the Australian rural research and development corporations, Poultry CRC, the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Dr. Wesley Jamison

Dr. Wes Jamison is an Associate Professor of Communication at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where he teaches public relations, persuasion, political communication and communication theory. Likewise, he is completing another PhD at the University of Florida where he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in communications research, practice, and theory. His academic research involves theories of public relations as they relate to activist communications and urban-rural conflict. He also researches the delegitimization of animal use in western culture.

Prior to moving to Florida, Wes served for over a decade as professor of political and social science at universities in the U.S. and Europe, where he taught agriculture politics, agricultural history and American national government. He has also served during that time as a board member of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and as director of the Agricultural Stewardship Center.

Wes received his first PhD from Oregon State University where his dissertation examined agricultural opponents and opposition to agriculture, specifically focusing on the animal rights movement and its threat to animal agriculture. As part of his consulting business he currently conducts research in the U.S. and Europe on agricultural politics (especially related to the animal/human interaction), as well as urban-rural issues. He also consults with companies in Europe, India and the U.S. on agricultural issues, and has also published extensively on agricultural politics. His area of consulting expertise involves urban-rural agricultural conflicts, animal welfare, animal rights and agricultural politics.

He is a native Floridian, has four children and enjoys sailing and all outdoor activities.

Julie Maschhoff

Julie Maschhoff, vice president of public relations, grew up on a diversified grain, hog, and dairy farm near Okawville, Illinois. After receiving an Associates of Science degree from Kaskaskia College, she attended the University of Illinois, College of Agriculture, graduating with honors in 1985 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Agricultural Science. She joined the Maschhoff family business in 1989 and has held a variety of posts as the company has grown. She is a graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program and has been recognized as one of 10 Outstanding Young People in Illinois by the Illinois Jaycees in 1992. As an active member of the Illinois Pork Producers Association and National Pork Producers Council, she has served on numerous pork industry committees on the state and national level. Julie is co-chair of the Clinton County D.A.R.E. program and is also an ardent supporter of the Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation. She has traveled around the country as a speaker on agricultural issues including animal health and welfare, family business planning, environmental responsibility, and food safety.

As a co-owner of The Maschhoffs, she has contributed to the growth of the family business as it has become one the leading pork production companies in North America. Today, The Maschhoffs represents a unique socially-responsible business model, networking with more than 300 family farmers in the Midwest to produce enough pork to feed eight million consumers around the world. Together with their network of Production Partners, The Maschhoffs generate more than $1.5 billion of economic activity in rural communities across Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama. Additional information may be found on the company web site.

Julie and her husband Ken reside with their four children on the family farm near Carlyle, Illinois.

Steve Moeller

Dr. Moeller is an Associate Professor within the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University where he holds an extension, teaching and research appointment and serves as the State Swine Extension Specialist. Dr. Moeller, in collaboration with fellow educators, is responsible for developing and conducting outreach programming related to production, animal well-being, quality assurance, mortality composting, and other industry issues as the arise. Dr. Moeller teaches courses in animal genetics, swine production, animal-human interactions, and animal issues within the Department of Animal Sciences. Dr. Moeller, in collaboration with Dr. Zerby and other faculty, co-advises between 4 and 6 graduate students at any given time, with research projects focused on understanding functional and palatability characteristics of meat products, identification of genetic and environmental factors influencing variation in pork quality, and assessing models for understanding and improving food animal care and well-being in the swine industry. He works closely with the National Pork Board and industry officials to identify, develop and implement education programs and to assess and review relevant industry research priorities.

Ruth Newberry

Dr. Janice Swanson

Dr. Janice Swanson received her PhD in Applied Animal Ethology from the University of Maryland and her masters and baccalaureate degrees in animal science from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Swanson's professional employment includes five years with the United States Department of Agriculture as a Technical Information Specialist in the Animal Welfare Information Center. In April of 1992, Dr. Swanson joined the faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University. During her years at Kansas State, Dr. Swanson taught courses in domestic animal behavior and welfare, advanced techniques in animal behavior, and contemporary issues. Dr. Swanson was a member of the graduate faculty and the director of the department's international program until accepting the position as interim department head in August 2004. In July 2007 Dr. Swanson assumed the responsibility of the Director of Animal Welfare at Michigan State University. As Director, Dr. Swanson coordinates outreach, teaching and research in the area of farm animal behavior and welfare with a focus on social responsibility in the food system. She holds faculty appointments in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences within the College of Veterinary Medicine.

In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr. Swanson provides scientific service on numerous national animal welfare advisory committees and councils including the Food Marketing Institute and the National Council of Chain Restaurants, McDonald's, the United Egg Producers, the National Pork Producers Council, Burger King, Darden Restaurants, Bob Evans and Humane Farm Animal Care. In addition she currently serves on the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) Committee on Animal Care, Co-Chairs the FASS Guide Revision Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Animal Science. She is currently the Senior Vice President of the International Society for Applied Ethology, and a diplomate in the College of Applied Animal Behavioral Sciences of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

Gary Varner

Terry Wehrkamp