Human-Animal Interaction Conference 2017

Michael Kaufmann is the Vice President of Nature Based Programs & Sam and Myra Ross Institute at Green Chimneys. He directs all aspects of the nature-based therapeutic/educational programs and supervises The Institute dedicated to education and research on the human connection to animals and the natural world. He serves on the board of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, is an advisor to the International Center for Anthrozoology, Norway, is on the advisory council of TAT Center for Human Animal Interaction, Vienna, Austria, Advisor to The Canadian Institute of Animal-Assisted Interventions, serves on the editorial board of  People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, and is on the editorial board of the magazine GREEN CARE, Switzerland.

Nina Ekholm Fry is the Director of Equine Programs at University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection and is a faculty member in the Graduate School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. She is the coordinator of the Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work specialization within the Master of Social Work program and leads the Post-Master’s Equine-Assisted Mental Health Practitioner Certificate program. For the past 15 years, her work has included animals in human services with a focus on equine interactions in psychotherapy and counseling. Nina is a board member of the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA Inc.), past chair of the Certification Board for Equine Interaction Professionals (CBEIP) and previously served as the Chief Editor of the HETI Journal: International Research and Practice, published by the International Federation of Horses in Education and Therapy (HETI). Nina currently serves as an advisor to the State of Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services on matters related to mental health services in green environments. Nina has a background as a mental health professional specializing in trauma treatment and neurodivergence, as a riding instructor (CHA), adaptive riding instructor (PATH Intl.), and equine behavior consultant. She has a particular interest in applied ethics and social justice perspectives within human-animal interactions and is actively engaged in national and international organizations for both human and equine wellbeing.

Dr. Kevin Morris is the American Humane endowed chair and a research professor within the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. He earned his undergraduate degree in molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry from The University of Chicago. Dr. Morris spent 20 years conducting preclinical and clinical cancer research before adapting the focus of his work to improving human and animal health and welfare through scientific understanding of the human-animal bond. As executive director of the University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection, he oversees its research and education programs. Dr. Morris’ research portfolio focuses on understanding how human-animal interactions affect individual and community health and welfare within a framework of equity for both humans and other species. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs and on the Core Scientific Advisory Board for Michelson Found Animals Foundation’s Michelson Prize and Grants. The overall goal of his efforts is to raise the health and welfare of both people and other animals within the One Health framework through innovative, in-depth research and education.

Miyako Kinoshita is the Farm Education Program Manager of the Farm & Wildlife Center at Green Chimneys. She serves as the key facilitator for over 200 children with psychosocial disabilities currently in residential and day school, and facilitates and co-supervises a wide range of animal-assisted programs. She has a master’s degree in educational studies, and specializes in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted education. She looks back on over 20 years of working in direct service with children and animals as a PATH Intl. Certified Advanced Therapeutic Riding Instructor. Miyako is the former president of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) and a former board member of PATH Intl., serving as chair of the board governance committee and as board secretary. Miyako was instrumental in reintegrating equine-assisted mental health programs back into PATH Intl. She is an author of several chapters in textbooks, including Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy by Aubrey Fine.

Steve Klee, PhD joined Green Chimneys in September of 2004 and currently serves as the Associate Executive Director for Clinical & Medical Services. Prior to Green Chimneys, he was the Director of Psychology at Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Steve holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The University of Louisville. Steve’s clinical and research interests include cognitive therapy, childhood depression, ADHD in children and adults and legal/ethical issues.

As a professional counselor and therapeutic riding instructor, Barbara has included visual and performing arts, music, journaling, and equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) in the therapeutic process since 1996. Her masters’ thesis focused on the integration of the arts and animals with a concentration on equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT). Her qualitative doctoral research explored the efficacy of including horses in psychotherapy with military personnel experiencing combat trauma. As a High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc. staff member involved in the education and training of instructors, Barbara conducts lectures relating to psychosocial and behavioral issues and describes how such material relates to EAAT. Barbara is certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl) as an advanced instructor and equine specialist in mental health and learning (ESMHL). She served on the board of directors of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) for six years, presented  nationally and regionally on both expressive arts therapies and EAAT, coauthored a contributing chapter on the role of the equine in animal-assisted interactions  in Fine’s Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Foundations and guidelines for animal-assisted interventions (2015), contributed articles to both equine facilitated mental health literature (Moreau & McDaniel, 2000) and the EAAT trade , and evaluated animals for animal assisted interactions as a licensed Pet Partners Team Evaluator for Delta Society. Barbara plans to continue making therapeutic connections between the expressive arts and animals over the next 20 years!

Sarah has been engaged in wildlife conservation, conservation education and humane education for nearly 20 years. Currently, she is Director of Conservation Education at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China and a Research Scholar with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, USA. She is also an instructor for the Humane Society University where she teaches Humane Education and Animal Protection and the Environment. Her work focuses on developing and evaluating education programs to facilitate the human-animal bond to promote animal welfare, healthy child development, and wildlife and nature preservation. She has worked in China for over a decade to build capacity of conservation education professionals working for zoological institutions and NGOs. She lives and works part of each year in Colorado, USA and in Sichuan Province, China.

Licensed psychologist Molly DePrekel utilizes the unique relationship people have with animals and nature to assist her in facilitating growth and transformation with individuals in their therapeutic work. Her areas of expertise comprise trauma informed therapy using EMDR and Sensory Motor Psychotherapy and training professionals to become proficient practitioners using animal assisted therapy. Molly combines the latest techniques in the neurobiology of trauma with animal assisted therapy in the treatment of trauma within educational settings and out-patient mental health programs to create unique holistic client treatment. Molly is in private practice at the Midwest Center for Trauma and Emotional Healing and Hold Your Horses. She is an EPONA Qwest approved instructor, has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota and is the co-chair of the Certification Board for Equine Interaction Professionals. http://cbeip.org Molly has taught and facilitated global workshops and trainings, among her favorites, working with tribal members on Williams Lake, Canada and the Rotta Love Rescue Organization. She is engaged in animal assisted therapy research, has published numerous articles, including two chapters, Equine-facilitated Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Trauma” and “Animal Assisted Group Interventions for the Treatment of Trauma” for the book Harnessing the Power of Equine Assisted Counseling Adding Animal Assisted Therapy to Your Practice. Molly has participated in the PROUTY STRETCH projects and currently seeks to publish her children’s book for at risk youth, incorporating animal assisted therapy. You can often find Molly with her beloved therapy partners, Whisper, a Morgan horse and her canine apprentice, Willow, who is training to become a Pet Partner®.

Maureen Doherty is the farm program manager at Green Chimneys Farm & Wildlife Center where she is responsible for all of Green Chimneys’ animals and farm facilities. Previously, Maureen served as livestock manager at Green Chimneys and was responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all farm animals that take part in the animal-assisted education/therapy programs. Maureen is an experienced program facilitator specializing in pairing students with special needs with nature-based programs in a safe and therapeutic environment. She also coordinates Green Chimneys’ non-traditional 4-H program and has participated in many public farm programs, humane education conferences and major farm fundraising efforts. Most recently, Maureen established the Green Chimneys Dog Interaction Program which incorporates shelter dogs into every department on campus. Maureen is a member of the Putnam County Youth Advisory Board, a Putnam County Livestock chairperson and chairs several committees on campus.

Erica Elvove is the program coordinator of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection. Erica specialized in Animal-Assisted Social Work and Leadership for Community and Organizational Practice while earning her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, where she is now an adjunct faculty member focusing on human-animal interactions and the promotion of social justice through a human-animal-environmental connection lens. Erica has coordinated, developed and taught in the Animals and Human Health Certificate program since 2008, providing innovative educational opportunities in the human-animal interaction field for practitioners around the globe. She has also created animal-assisted educational programming for youth living in public housing, coordinated large-scale volunteer operations for a premier therapeutic riding center, developed and implemented a miniature horse visitation program and specializes in program development and event planning engaging streamlined administration and leadership development.

April Fiorenza is the farm science and nature teacher at Green Chimneys’ Clearpool Campus. By partnering with animals, April teaches hands-on lessons to enhance the school science curriculum. She has a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in elementary education from Pace University.  She worked at The Nature of Things nature center in Westchester presenting educational programs for elementary and middle schools before joining Green Chimneys in May of 2012.

Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB is an Ethologist and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who has consulted with pet owners for over twenty years about serious behavioral problems, specializing in canine aggression. McConnell taught "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships" in the Department of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for twenty five-years. Dr. McConnell is the author of eleven books on training and behavioral problems, as well as the critically acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (translated into 14 languages), For the Love of a Dog about comparative emotions in people and dogs, and Tales of Two Species. Patricia lives with her working Border Collies Willie and Maggie, her King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Tootsie, who does AAI at the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, WI, and a very spoiled flock of sheep. For more information, go to www.patriciamcconnell.com or visit her blog, at www.theotherendoftheleash.com.

Sandra McCune, PhD, is Scientific Leader for Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition (part of Mars, Inc.) in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Her background is in veterinary nursing and ethology, and she has studied a range of topics in cat and dog behavior and welfare for many years, including aspects of temperament, social behavior, feeding behavior, cognition, and age-related changes in behavior. Her doctoral study focused on the assessment of individual variation in the temperament of cats and its impact on their welfare when confined. She has extensive experience studying HAI from both animal and human perspectives in collaborations with HAI researchers from the USA, U.K., Austria, Germany, Australia and Brazil. Dr. McCune was instrumental in the stablishment of the Mars – NICHD public-private partnership on child development and HAI, in planning the workshops sponsored by that partnership, and in editing three volumes on HAI under the partnership: How Animals Affect Us (McCardle, McCune, Griffin, & Maholmes, 2011; APA), Animals in Our Lives (McCardle, McCune, Griffin, Esposito, & Freund, 2011; Brookes Publishing) and The Social Neuroscience of Human-Animal Interaction (Freund, McCune, Esposito, Gee & McCardle 2016; APA). She continues to play a leadership role in the partnership. Sandra shares her home with her family including two cats. She currently has a vacancy for a dog…

Jerry Newell has been with Green Chimneys School for over 15 years, both as a teacher and an administrator for grades K-12, and has led numerous workshops for parents, educators and professionals on behavior management, communication, curriculum and technology. As an educator, Jerry has worked to stretch beyond the four classroom walls to include the outdoors, the community and experiential learning. He has been highly successful in engaging students’ minds through diverse activities such as reading to animals, pond studies, map skills, and vocational programming. As Director of Education at Green Chimneys’ Clearpool Campus, Jerry works closely with the outdoor education staff to incorporate nature and the outdoors into the Green Chimneys School curriculum, and support hands-on experiences to enhance student learning. Trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), Jerry is knowledgeable in a variety of behavior management techniques to support children and teachers in behavioral issues for typical and special needs students. He is certified as an elementary school teacher, a K-12, and a school building leader special education teacher, and holds multiple degrees including a B.S. in Elementary Education from the State University of New York at Cortland; an M.S. in Special Education from Mercy College; and an endorsement prep program in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University.

Marguerite (Maggie) O’Haire, PhD is an assistant professor of Human-Animal Interaction in Center for the Human-Animal Bond within the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. She is a board member for the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) and the Pet Partners Human-Animal Bond Advisory Board. She is a Fulbright Scholar who received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop and evaluate a classroom-based, animal-assisted intervention program for children with autism spectrum disorder and their typically-developing peers. She is currently leading funded research to evaluate the effects of service dogs for veterans with PTSD. In addition to her peer-reviewed publications, her research has been highlighted in over 250 media stories around the globe, including in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, U.S. News and World Report, and NPR. More information on her research group and publications can be found at www.humananimalinteraction.org.

Samuel B. Ross Jr., PhD is the founder of Green Chimneys, a non-profit organization that restores possibilities and creates futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges. Under Dr. Ross’s leadership, Green Chimneys received international recognition and acclaim for the utilization of animal-assisted activities/assisted therapy, equestrian therapy and horticultural therapy in addition to many exciting and innovative programs for children and adults. He has served on the board of Paul Newman’s The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, is an advisor to The Double H-Hole in the Woods Ranch in New York and helped start The Jordan River Village, a year-round camp in Israel.

Philip Tedeschi is an Animal-Assisted Social Work and Experiential Therapy Specialist and co-founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW). He is the Executive Director of IHAC and coordinates GSSWs Animal-Assisted Social Work certificate program for Master of Social Work (MSW) students, as well as the Animals and Human Health online professional development certificate program. He also teaches MSW courses in forensic social work and experiential therapy approaches, with emphasis on conservation and environmental social work in areas such as East Africa and the inclusion of animals in therapeutic settings. A certified Master Therapeutic Riding Instructor, former course director and instructor with Outward Bound, wilderness medical technician, he has many years of experience in non-traditional therapeutic approaches with children, adults and families, as well as in interpersonal violence including, assessment and intervention with animal abuse, attachment, trauma disordered and sexually abusive youth and adults.

Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), which offers online graduate degrees in comprehensive Humane Education linking human rights, environmental preservation and animal protection. IHE also offers solutionary-focused programs and workshops for teachers, students, parents, and change agents, as well as an award-winning free resource center. Zoe has given six TEDx talks including her acclaimed TEDx, “The World Becomes What You Teach.” She is the author of seven books including The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries (2016); Nautilus silver medal winner Most Good, Least Harm (2009), Moonbeam gold medal winner Claude and Medea (2007), and Above All, Be Kind (2003). Zoe is the recipient of the Unity College Women in Environmental Leadership award and was a subject of the Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series. She holds master’s degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Valparaiso University. Find her and IHE on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at ZoeWeil and HumaneEducation.