Speakers

Farmed Animal Conference: Food Justice for All 2017

Join Tony Kanal, member of the Grammy-winning band No Doubt and new supergroup DREAMCAR, for a special Q&A with The Thinking Vegan himself Gary Smith of Evolotus PR on Sunday, the 4th. Tony has been vegan for five years and his animal rights activism includes helping liberate hens with Animal Place, bearing witness at slaughterhouses, and lending his celebrity status to the campaign against Ag-Gag laws. Tony lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

Register today to meet Tony and see all the incredible speakers. Your registration includes access to all workshops for the weekend, a packed goody bag, and a chance to meet and greet with staff and some speakers Saturday night. Camping and Guest House accommodations available.

Carol J. Adams is a feminist-vegan advocate, activist, and independent scholar and the author of numerous books including The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, now in a Bloomsbury Revelations edition celebrating its 25th anniversary. It has been translated into German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Portuguese, French and Spanish. She is the co-editor of several important anthologies, including most recently Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth (with Lori Gruen). The Carol J. Adams Reader: Writings and Conversations 1995-2015 appeared in the fall of 2016. Her writings are the subject of two recent anthologies, Defiant Daughters: 21 Women of Art, Activism, Animals, and The Sexual Politics of Meat and The Art of the Animal: 14 Women Artists Explore The Sexual Politics of Meat, in which a new generation of feminists, artists, and activists respond to Adams' groundbreaking work.
Carol is also the author of books on living as a vegan, including Never Too Late to Go Vegan: The Over-50 Guide to Adopting and Thriving on a Vegan Diet (with Patti Breitman and Virginia Messina), Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian’s Survival Guide, How to Eat Like a Vegetarian Even if You Never Want to Be One. www.caroljadams.com

Dr. Linda Alvarez is Co-founder and Director of Vegan Advocacy Initiative (VAI). VAI is an animal advocacy and vegan food justice nonprofit organization that encourages the public to consider a holistic way of thinking that upholds animal rights, and recognizes that animal rights must be part of the food justice and environmental justice movements in order to create more sustainable and fair systems. VAI also organizes the annual, People of Color: Animal Rights, Advocacy and Food Justice Conference in Los Angeles.
Linda received her Ph.D. in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Claremont Graduate University. She also holds an Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angles. Her scholarly interests revolve around exploring the ways in which underrepresented and marginalized groups interact, challenge and resist dominant structures of power. As a political scientist, she works within the frameworks of comparative political behavior, political psychology, transnational migration, social movements, race and ethnic politics, food politics and the study of violence and trauma among underrepresented and marginalized populations.
Linda has been involved in animal rights advocacy and activism for 20 years, and she is dedicated to spreading awareness on issues of food (in)justice in communities of color. She is an active gardener. She is invested in veganic gardening and farming practices, and might be slightly obsessed with the amazing life systems beneath the ground, namely the interaction of soil, fungus and worms.

Dominique Barnes is the co-founder and CEO of New Wave Foods. With a Masters in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Dominique has experienced first hand the devastating impacts of commercial seafood production on the oceans. Her passion for marine conservation led her to start New Wave Foods with the mission to change the way we eat seafood. Dominique lives in Alameda with her husband, son, and two dogs. She loves SCUBA diving, whale watching, and taking her son to mommy-baby yoga.

Marji Beach is passionate about ending farmed animal suffering. She earned her Animal Science degree from UC Davis, using that knowledge to advocate on behalf of farmed animals. As Education Director at Animal Place, she has a decade of experience working with farmed animals. She developed Animal Place’s flagship rescue and adoption program Rescue Ranch, which saves animals from slaughter, with a special emphasis on hens from the egg industry. She oversees the sanctuary’s advocacy, social media, and adoption. Her photography has been featured in several books. She shares her home with rescued vegan canines Mina and Tobi, along with vegan toddler B.

Hannah Beins is the Animal Care Director at Animal Place and is responsible for overseeing the care of hundreds of rescued farmed animals in residence at our Grass Valley sanctuary. She joined our staff after completing animal care internships with both an east coast sanctuary and Animal Place. Hannah shares her home with 2 dogs, Squishy and Princess, and two cats, Brian and Mila.

Emily Byrd works at The Good Food Institute, a nonprofit taking a radically different approach to end our reliance on factory farming. Emily grew up in hog country, North Carolina, sailing and swimming in one of the most endangered rivers in the United States. Consequently, she developed a keen interest in the links between animal agriculture, environmental destruction, nutritional choices, and social change. At GFI, Emily works to spread the word about how we can create a healthy, humane, and sustainable future for food by leveraging markets and food technology to take animals out of the food system.

Naomi Call is an international, teacher, author and lifestyle consultant who has worked with thousands of students in the US and UK. As a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher she specializes in working with people in chronic pain and the elderly. She is known for her positive approach that enables students to excel with their goals on and off the mat.

Marc Ching is an animal activist who has garnered much media coverage for his work with his nonprofit organization The Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation (AHWF). He founded AHWF in 2011 to rescue abused and neglected animals, and in 2015 decided to focus on saving, rehabilitating, and rehoming dogs from the Asian Dog Meat Trade. Marc is a 4th generation Japanese herbalist and macrobiologist and has a successful natural pet food and wellness company, called The PetStaurant, in Sherman Oaks, California.

Steve Erlsten does college campus outreach throughout California, Oregon, and Nevada. One of Vegan Outreach's most consistently prolific activists, Steve has handed over 700,000 booklets to students and concert-goers. A lover of the natural world, Steve was driven to action after reading about the environmental impact of hog farming. He achieved zero-net-energy consumption at his home through major renovations, but promotes a vegan diet as the most effective means of diminishing individuals' ecological impact. Steve says, "Major home improvements are a great way to improve our world, but that's a decision you can only make once. Each of us can choose to help protect animals and preserve our environment every time we sit down to eat. If you can influence others to choose plant-based foods, you can multiply that effect!" Before working full-time as a grassroots organizer, Steve used his free time to help establish two of the largest vegan and environmental festivals in the country.

Jan Galeazzi is Animal Place's Rescue Ranch Manager and oversees the care and operation of Animal Place's 60-acre large scale rescue and adoption center in Vacaville, CA. Since 2010, more than 22,000 animals have been saved through our rescue and adoption program. Jan has served in her position since April 2014, overseeing the rehabilitation and care of thousands of chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, pigeons, and pigs. She resides onsite with her partner, 2 cats, and 9 chickens.

Crystal Kozlak is the Southern California Brave the Cage Outreach Tour Coordinator at Animal Place, and raises awareness about hens used in the egg industry on a daily basis. She encourages students to step inside a human-sized battery cage to experience the confinement put upon 95% of hens used for their eggs. Primarily based in the Los Angeles area, Crystal expands the campaign by coordinating month long tours across various states, including Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Advocating on behalf of hens is extremely rewarding to her because she sees immediate change in her face-face conversations. Plus, chickens are one of her favorite farmed animals!

Keegan Kuhn is an award winning filmmaker and is the co-director of the documentaries Cowspiracy, What The Health, and Turlock. He will speak about his experience using films to advocate for animals and the planet and will share how we can all use media and storytelling to better educate and engage a greater community.

Kelcie Leach is the Adoption Coordinator for Animal Place’s Rescue & Adoption Center in Vacaville, CA. She coordinates adoption events throughout California and interviews adopters to ensure that adoptable animals find the best possible homes. Kelcie previously worked as a Veterinary Assistant and loves to help animals in any way that she can. For fun, she likes spending time with family, eating delicious vegan food, and going on hikes with her handsome dog, Whiley.

Nassim Nobari is the co-founder of Seed the Commons. As a social justice and food activist, she has worked with radical community programs in Switzerland and the US and volunteered with peasant organizations in a dozen countries. With Seed the Commons, she strives to continue to help build a food system that works for farmers, workers, and eaters, while promoting animal liberation instead of agricultural models based on animal exploitation.

Patti Nyman is Animal Place’s Intern, Volunteer, and Campaigns Manager. She holds a Master’s degree in Social and Political Thought from York University in Toronto and has taught undergraduate courses in the social sciences. A former Animal Place intern herself, Patti oversees our internship and volunteer programs, as well as Animal Place’s Food for Thought campaign, which works with nonprofits to help them adopt animal-friendly menu policies for their events. She also enjoys playing guitar, eating carbs, and spending time with rabbit companion, Binksopolis.

Toni Okamoto is the founder of Plant Based on a Budget—one of the fastest growing vegan food blogs, reaching over 5.4 million views in its 5 years of existence. Her blog has been featured in Reader's Digest, US News and World Report, and is a regular guest on the television show Studio40 Live. She is the co-author of The Friendly Vegan Cookbook, and her online videos have been seen by millions.

Liz Ross is Co-founder and Director of Vegan Advocacy Initiative, (formerly Coalition of Vegan Activists of Color). VAI is an animal advocacy and vegan food justice organization that encourages the public to consider a holistic way of thinking that upholds animal rights. They recognize that animal rights must be part of the food justice and environmental justice movements in order to create more sustainable and fair systems. Liz is co-creator of the People of Color: Animal Rights, Advocacy and Food Justice Conference, which takes place in Los Angeles and organized through Vegan Advocacy Initiative. She has been involved in animal rights activism and vegan outreach for over 6 years.
A former police officer, Liz also raises awareness about the history and problem of mass-incarceration through presentations, and volunteering for organizations that are working to counter its negative impact. She facilitates discussion groups on Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, which focuses on the history of racial bias in the criminal justice system and the so-called, “War on Drugs.”
She enjoys gardening, and is passionate about learning agro-ecological gardening and farming practices, and alternative food systems, from an ethical vegan’s perspective.

Lindsay Rubin is the Operations Manager and Chief Chihuahua Whisperer at v-dog. As an animal rights activist and vegan, she is passionate about helping v-dog pave the way for healthy, plant-based dog food around the world. When not at v-dog HQ, she can be found at the beach in San Francisco with her pups, at the studio dancing ballet, or eating vegan mac n' cheese.

Picture of Allison Rivers Samson smiling

Passionate about living a delicious life in all realms, Allison Rivers Samson, the Maven of Mmmm…, shares the joys of eating well, living well, and being well, along with the soul-nurturing recipes to get there. A vegan chef, author, and wellness coach, she empowers people to value self-care, love their bodies, and to joyfully recreate themselves in the kitchen and in life. She will be speaking on the importance of self-care: So much of what we do is focused on energy moving outward to help others. This is an important part of advocacy, and yet to be sustainable ambassadors for compassion, it’s crucial that we first fill our own cups so that we may give from a source of strength. I’ll share the top five tools and practices I use on a regular basis.

Ryan Shapiro is a longtime animal rights activist. Some highlights of Ryan’s animal activist career include co-founding the New York City Animal Defense League in 1996, organizing a takeover of the President of NYU’s office in 1997 to successfully shut down a primate research lab, co-coordinating a successful campaign to ban cetacean captivity on the island of Maui in 2000, sabotaging the Makah whale hunt in Washington State that same year, and openly rescuing ducks from foie gras factory farms in New York in 2002 and 2003. Ryan is also now a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a Research Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Ryan is an historian of national security, the policing of dissent, and governmental transparency. Ryan is widely known as a leading expert on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Ryan’s newly-founded 501(c)(3) organization, Property of the People, including that organization’s project Operation 45, fights to force transparency on the Trump administration.

Kim Sturla is the Executive Director of Animal Place and co-founded the sanctuary in 1989. She has been a central figure in the animal rights movement for 30 plus years. Sturla wrote the first law in the country that protects pre-university students unwilling to participate in animal dissections. For more than a decade, she served as director of the Peninsula Humane Society. Kim is the resident Pig Whisperer, able to communicate beautifully with even the wiliest of pigs! She shares her home and life with dogs Ralph, Marty, & Poppyseed.

As founder of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) in 1979, California attorney Joyce Tischler has helped create and shape the emerging field of animal law. Joyce litigated some of ALDF's earliest cases, including a 1981 lawsuit that halted the U.S. Navy's plan to kill 5,000 feral burros, and a 1988 challenge to the U.S. Patent Office's rule allowing the patenting of genetically altered animals. Joyce has lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad, teaches an introduction to animal law course, developed the first-ever farmed animal law and policy class, and has co-authored "Animal Law—New Perspectives on Teaching Traditional Law: A Context and Practice Casebook," by Kathy Hessler, Joyce Tischler, Pamela Hart, Sonia S. Waisman. Forthcoming from Carolina Academic Press in July 2017.

Barb Troyer is the Wildlife, Environmental, & Northwest Regional Coordinator for Animal Place's Food for Thought Campaign. She also passionately advocates for animals, people, and the earth as the owner of A Broken Angel Sustainable Catering & Food Cart; as producer and co-host of All Things Vegan Radio; as Co-Executive Director of VegNet Bend; and through her work with a nonprofit that teaches nonviolent communication skills. Barb earned an M.A. in Humane Education and is working on a book project exploring the compelling transformation stories of animal activists. She has shared her home with many rescued cats and dogs and is currently ruled by four cats and an unruly Sheepdog/Muppet mix.

Liz Walch is the Great Lakes Regional Coordinator for Animal Place's Food for Thought Campaign. Liz grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but has lived in Chicago for the past ten years, where she received her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and started volunteering at an animal shelter. With her passion for animal advocacy and education, Liz went on to earn a certificate in Animal Studies from Humane Society University and her M.A. in Humane Education from Valparaiso University. During graduate school, Liz began a humane education internship in the Chicago Public School system with H.E.A.R.T. (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers). After her internship, Liz has continued on as a humane educator for H.E.A.R.T. in Chicago, teaching in the public schools and writing curriculum for H.E.A.R.T.'s public resources. Liz also combines her love of working with both kids and farmed animals by working as a summer camp counselor at Heartland Farm Sanctuary in Wisconsin.

Lindsay Wolf is a former undercover investigator who has gone behind the closed doors of factory farms, pet stores, vivisection labs, and other industries to expose animal abuse. She is currently the vice president of investigations for Mercy For Animals, an international animal protection organization that is dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies.

Deborah “Bee" Uytiepo is the owner of Beelight, a wholistic wellness practice. She is the founder and principal facilitator of Healing is Giving. Healing is Giving hosts community events and vegan retreats, hosted by vegans.
She has studied and practiced meditation since she was 13 years old. She has taught meditation as a volunteer throughout Southern and Northern California for well over 10 years. In Bee's wellness practice, she offers wholistic options for chronic pain relief, optimal fertility, pelvic health and sexual reproductive health. Bee offers uncommon specialized therapies like Mercier Therapy, Neuromuscular Reprogramming and The Path to Forgiveness to support comprehensive whole person healing.
Bee has been fascinated by body-mind healing arts throughout her whole life. Bee studied performing arts, interpersonal relations, voice, dance and movement which led her to the study of healing arts and meditation all over the world. Bee originally opened her wellness practice in San Rafael, CA. She continues to offer compassionate self-care services primarily in Mill Valley, Berkeley, San Francisco and events throughout Northern California. www.healingisgivng.com

Tamearra Dyson, Executive Chef and Owner of Souley Vegan has been cooking her vegan southern style cuisine since the age of 18. Being a vegan herself since the age of 17, Tamearra decided to convert the Cuisine of her Louisiana Creole roots into Vegan Soul Food! Nationally and Internationally recognized, Souley Vegan was voted one the Top Ten Soul Food Restaurants in the Country by USA TODAY.