Humanion Films Advisory Board

"Saving America's Horses" Board of Directors

Dr Dodman is also a world renown board certified veterinary behaviorist and anesthesiologist. Nicholas Dodman received his veterinary education in Scotland and at the age of 26, he became the youngest veterinary faculty member in Britain. He is currently a professor at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and founder of their Animal Behavior Clinic. He is the author of four best selling books in addition to veterinary textbooks and more than 100 articles and contributions to scientific books and journals. He holds 10 US Patents related to animal behavior. Dr. Dodman appears regularly on shows such as 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Dateline, Oprah, World News with Peter Jennings, Discovery Channel, NOVA, Animal Planet, Fox TV, the BBC and CBC, CNN’s Headline News, Inside Edition, MSNBC, NOVA, NPR’s “Fresh Air” and A&E. He is a founding member of the Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) and a member of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Dodman has testified before Congress and has given extensive interviews with reference to the passage of legislation to prevent the inhumane transport and slaughter of horses.	Laura Allen is Founder and executive director of Animal Law Coalition, a 501c(4) non-profit that provides animal legal news and resources to attorneys, government officials, teachers, students, animal welfare advocates and the public to encourage them to join the fight against animal cruelty. Animal Law Coalition also drafts and lobbies for legislation and gets involved in litigation to promote animal welfare. Laura Allen was formerly an attorney with Best Friends Animal Society. She has been a trial and appellate attorney for more than 20 years, practicing in several state and federal courts. She is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, several professional associations, and advisor to animal welfare organizations. Ms. Allen has lobbied for the passage of legislation to ban horse slaughter in the United States and has drafted state resolutions to support that effort.
Paula Bacon is the former Mayor of Kaufman, TX where one of the nation's last horse slaughter plants operated until 2007. Mayor Bacon was instrumental in drawing attention to the plant's numerous environmental violations and its negative impact upon the community, leading to the unanimous decision by the City's judicial board to close the plant. She has traveled to Washington, D.C. numerous times to lobby for passage of a federal ban on horse slaughter in the U.S.	Dr. Nena Winand, DVM, PhD, is also a senior research associate in the department of Molecular Medicine, Cornell University. An equine veterinarian, equestrian and horse owner, Dr. Winand is also a founding member of Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW). Through VEW, Nena and other veterinarians aim to educate politicians and laymen about equine welfare, issues relating to horse slaughter. VEW strongly advocates for proper treatment of horses, providing information on humane options for those who can no longer care for their horses.
John Holland, President of Equine Welfare Alliance, is an acclaimed researcher and widely published author on the subject of equine welfare and horse slaughter, and was formerly the senior analyst for American's Against Horse Slaughter. His white paper A Study of the Relationship Between Horse Slaughter and Reported Cases of Abuse and Neglect, released in January 2006 is the only definitive study of its kind to date. Mr. Holland received the national “Heart and Soul” award in 2005 from United Animal Nations for his work to rescue horses and to stop horse slaughter.	Shelley Abrams, is also the founder of "Horses Helping Horses", Co-Founder of Americans Against Horse Slaughter and owner of Smarty's Gift Stable. Shelley was instrumental in initiating a retirement program at Philadelphia Park Race Track resulting in Turning For Home. She is also a Board Member of Animal Fairy Charities and Animal Advocate Television.
Craig Down is a wildlife ecologist who has extensively studied both the wild horses of the West and the endangered mountain tapirs of the northern Andes. He has given speeches and written many articles, including encyclopedic, and several books. His works are both popular and scientific, in English, Spanish and translated to German. Several of these concern wild horses, their ecological contribution, their North American evolutionary roots, their great natural and social value and their survival plight. He is a member of the World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission and has written the Action Plan for the mountain tapir (1997). One of his books, entitled Wild Horses: Living Symbols of Freedom (1977), examines these magnificent animals from a variety of perspectives, stressing their need to live both freely and naturally in appropriate habitats of sufficient size for long-term viability. He frequently emphasizes how much we owe the horse and by this he means the sharing of freedom on the land here in this world we share as home.	Debra Lopez is an Associate Producer for the award winning film Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed. Debra Lopez is known for her extensive background in animal advocacy and rescue work. She is the Executive Director of Animal Fairies Charities, Producer and Host of Animal Advocate TV and President of Caveman Productions. Lopez, though Animal Fairy Charities created the first ever Musical Horse Aid in 2008 which brought attention and much needed funds that helped support horse rescues around the country. Inspired by her love for thoroughbreds and most recently by the late great Barbaro, Lopez co founded Americans Against Horse Slaughter, a non funded national grass roots organization in effort to help end the slaughter of American horses. Ms Lopez is also a popular singer/ songwriter and a (WAMI) Nominee for Songwriter/ Producer of the Year. She continues her campaign in quest of raising public awareness for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act with a song she recently wrote called “Racing For Time”.
Veterinarian, Animal Welfare Advocate, Environmentalist, Researcher, Author and Lecturer, Lester Friedlander, DVM began his career as a farm veterinarian. Prior to working for the USDA, Dr. Friedlander worked as a horse racing veterinarian under the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. Dr. Friedlander then worked for over ten years as a Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service. Dr. Friedlander was asked to leave the USDA after blowing the whistle on the lack of enforcement and humane regulations inside the slaughter plants. As highly regarded speaker Dr. Friedlander has since continued his work independently striving to enlighten and educate the public. He is recognized in the Who's Who in Veterinary Science and Medicine, and for his work on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Federal Veterinarians in Washington DC and he has received numerous awards including USDA Certificates of Merit and Commendation and USDA Veterinary Trainer of the Year.	Sinikka Crosland, Executive Director for the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition and President and Co-founder of B.C.-based TRACS (The Responsible Animal Care Society). Sinikka left her long established and successful career as a registered nurse to fulfill her lifelong mission to help save animals at risk. She been there in the trenches aiding various horse crisis and through her rescue facility, TRACS, she has rescued hundreds of displaced PMU horses including the purchase of a 10-horse herd from a BC feedlot during the 2003 BC wildfires, and she successfully found new homes for all of them.
Nancy Stanley is an Associate Producer for Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed and also on the Board of Directors of Wild for Life Foundation. She is also recognizied as an Animal Therapy pioneer. Ms Stanley was the Founder, National Media and Public Relations Director of Tender Loving Zoo, a nonprofit organization that introduced “Animal Therapy” to severely handicapped children and to convalescent hospitals for the elderly. Nancy authored and published “Pillow With a Heartbeat”, the heartwarming tale about a little dog, Truffles, who finds his big purpose. This book’s mission is to continue Truffles’ journey, bringing children of all nations together with Truffles as their “Pied Piper”, particularly children who are battling life-threatening diseases. Nancy Stanley formerly worked and cared for a variety of animals as a Veterinary Assistant as well as at the Los Angeles Zoo caring for baby gorillas.	Jo Anne Normile, principal of Normile Racehorse Protection Consulting, advises legislators, legal firms, filmmakers, rescues, individuals and organizations on all aspects of racing pertaining to the welfare of the Thoroughbred racehorse and the integrity of racing. A former breeder and owner of racehorses as well as an elected member of two of racing’s most influential boards, Normile knows the industry from the inside. In addition to her consulting work, she founded two successful horse rescue organizations: CANTER, the first organization to take Thoroughbreds right from the track to safe havens which now has chapters across the country; and Saving Baby Equine Charity for which she currently serves as president. Normile is collaborating with New York Times best-selling writer Lawrence Lindner on a memoir about her racing experiences entitled Saving Baby.
Dr. Lisa Jacobson, is also an equine veterinarian, owner of Big Sky Equine Veterinary Services, President of Montana Horse Sanctuary. Having been actively involved in the equine world for the last 40 years, Dr. Jacobson’s life has always revolved around horses. Her passion for horses was evident as a very young child, and she never outgrew that love for the horse. As a young girl, she started with riding lessons, then on to training, then teaching, then healing by becoming an equine veterinarian and most recently completing the training to become a veterinarian chiropractor. As an equine veterinarian, she has been lucky enough to work on some of the country’s most valuable equids as well as the treasured backyard pony. Her opposition to “the horse slaughter system” became known as she vocally opposed legislation that unfortunately became law in the state of Montana in 2009.	Susan Wagner is the executive director of Equine Advocates/ Safe Home Equine Rescue & Sanctuary, a rescue facility and haven for horses in Chatham, New York. Susan was a horse lover from a very young age and became involved in the horse industry in 1973, when working with Thoroughbreds on the New York Racing circuit and in Maryland. She worked in several different capacities from hands-on work with the horses, to PR, to hosting and producing radio talk shows about racing. Shortly after leaving the racing industry in 1988, Wagner rescued her first horse from slaughter and worked undercover. Through her work at Equine Advocates, Susan has received many prestigious awards in recognition for her commitment to promoting the humane and responsible treatment of horses including a special Congressional Citation by Congressman Scott Murphy of New York’s 20th District.
Joy Aten has had horses as part of her family for 20 years, but her love for them has been life-long. In addition to her personal experience in competitive equine events, Joy was an avid Thoroughbred horseracing fan. Shortly after the creation of CANTER in 1997, she became a board member of the Thoroughbred racehorse rescue and placement program. In the shedrows, Joy became aware of the dark side of racing and of what happens too often to the noble creature that is the very heart of the racing industry. After nine years of service to CANTER-Michigan, working with the owners and trainers, rehabilitating and retraining the off-the-track Thoroughbreds, Joy resigned but continues to work towards bringing an end to the suffering and death of America’s racing Thoroughbreds.	Julie Caramante, Horses and their welfare have been a huge part of Julie Caramante's life since childhood. As a certified cruelty investigator, Julie has saved literally thousands of horses from abuse, neglect and disaster. Her specific knowledge of animal cruelty laws and proper equine husbandry, as well as her ability to quickly pull together disparate elements for unique situational problem solving, have made her an invaluable asset in the field and among lawmakers. Caramante serves as a board member of the Greater Houston Horse Council and is also on the board of an animal cruelty investigations organization. Her investigative research has led to the exposure of endemic problems within the horse industry and made Julie's name familiar to equine advocates all over the world.
Valerie James-Patton: Since joining the fight against horse slaughter in 2003, she has performed extensive research and has written widely on the subject of horse slaughter. Valerie's report, “Deleting the Fiction”, definitively exposed and documented a trail of gross disinformation and deceit in major publications. During another investigation of the Sheldon Wildlife Sanctuary Ms. Patton was able to help expose that their supposed "mass adopters" had close ties to the horse slaughter industry.	Ellen-Cathryn Nash: Ellen-Cathryn Nash is also the founder and CEO of the Manes and Tails Organization. Elle is also a legal philosopher. Elle has been rescuing, rehabilitating, re-training and re-homing horses since 1995. Ellen also works undercover investigating equine slaughter in New Jersey where these practices continue to date.