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| For many people, pets are considered family. |
A Note from Pets America CEO Elaine Acker…
Emergency managers know from experience that the number one
reason people refuse to evacuate during a disaster is that pets are part of the family, and they are unwilling to abandon
their family in a disaster. I watched the stories from Hurricane Katrina, horrified that no one had yet established a system
that would allow people evacuate with their pets. And, even when victims of Hurricane Rita were allowed to bring their pets
with them, there was no system in place to house and care for those pets.
Pets America celebrated its second anniversary in
December 2007, and I took a few moments to reflect on the awesome progress the organization has made in a very short time.
In 2007 alone, Pets America:
- Wrote and published anew Pet First Aid & Disaster Response Guide that
teaches pet owners to care for their pets in emergencies,
- Created and
distributed 3,000 pet-preparedness workbooks at a major Homeland Security Conference.
- Presented options for pet-friendly evacuations and sheltering (keeping people and pets together) at the Hurricane
Conference in Galveston
- Facilitated the Shelter Hub disaster exercise at the
Texas State Animal Resource Team Summit in Houston,
- Trained 12 new Pet First
Aid & Disaster response instructors at the Southwest Veterinary Symposium in Fort Worth,
- Trained 140+ individuals in pet first aid workshops,
- Provided more
than 200 sets of pet oxygen masks to emergency responders nationwide, including California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Wisconsin,
Ohio, New York, Kansas, Florida, and Texas.
And in 2008, we'll be ready to further expand the programs nationally through a partnership
with the Emergency Care and Safety Institute.
I am committed to helping save the whole family during a disaster
-- people and pets. I'm also committed to helping keep pets safe by training pet owners in pet first aid.
We'll reach our goals with the support of thousands of individuals who care about pets as much
as we do. Donations in any amount help implement critical programs, and we deeply appreciate your support! Sincerely yours, Elaine Acker
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| Elaine tends to "Possum" during training in handling large animals. |
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
G. Elaine Acker, President & CEO, Pets America Board ChairElaine Acker founded Pets America in the fall of 2005 to ensure that the hard lessons
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita led to positive changes for pets and their families affected by disasters. Through Pet First
Aid & Disaster Response Workshops she teaches pet owners how to deal with life-threatening emergencies as well as how
to create effective disaster plans to protect the whole family, including pets. She also works with governmental agencies
to provide animal rescue equipment for first-responders and helps ensure that pets are included in community disaster plans.
Elaine works to achieve Pets America's mission through partnerships among individuals, foundations, universities, animal
welfare organizations, and state, local, and federal government groups to fund and implement critical disaster preparedness
initiatives. She holds a Master’s degree, and has 16 years of broad-based management experience. An avid outdoors woman,
she has nearly two decades of experience as an outdoor writer, and as an instructor, editor, and producer of educational and
public relations/marketing materials. She also holds numerous certificates in National Incident Management Systems and Disaster
Preparedness. She shares her home with Mina, a feisty "Texas Terrier" and kitties Freddie and Lamont.
Susan Culp, DVM, Past Chair, TVMA
Disaster Preparedness CommitteeSusan is a graduate of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary
Medicine, is past president of the Texas Academy of Veterinary Practice. She serves as Disaster Preparedness Coordinator for
the TVMA, creating a network of veterinarians willing to serve their counties and/or cities in animal health emergencies.
She has training in National Incident Management Systems from the Emergency Management Institute, and in Disaster Preparedness
from FEMA, and served in a primary role during responses to the 2005 hurricanes that affected the Texas and Louisiana Gulf
Coast regions. Susan formerly owned the Hiway 620 Animal Hospital, and she and her husband Heath have an extended family of three dogs, four cats, and one vocal parrot.
Nicole Daspit, Director of Development and Outreach, Austin Groups for the Elderly Nicole has a decade of experience in development directs
all fundraising efforts for Austin Groups for the Elderly, which offers much-needed programs for caregivers and the elderly
and their families. Nicole is also a former Board Member of EarthShare of Texas, promoting workplace giving. As a military
child, she moved extensively, and has lived through earthquakes in Japan, hurricanes in Hawaii, and massive snowstorms on
the East Coast of the U.S. She understands and appreciates the need to be prepared in a disaster. She shares her home with
Olive and Dill, two tabby kitties with a taste for adventure!
Michael Guerra, Capital Campaign Director, ZACH Theatre
Director
of Marketing, Hilgers Bell & Richards
Treasurer Michael is the Capital
Campaign Director for ZACH Theatre and the Director of Marketing for Hilgers Bell & Richards. He formerly managed all
external relations for Austin’s third largest nonprofit, the Capital Area Food Bank. He has a professional background
in fundraising, and also spent nearly twenty years in full-time pastoral ministry at the congregational and regional level.
He serves as an adjunct faculty member at St. Edward’s University, teaching social ethics and non-profit management.
Holding advanced degrees in both theology and strategic planning, Michael also serves as a consultant to various nonprofit
organizations regionally and nationally. In January 2008 he was awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals'
Fundraiser of the Year Award. He serves on the board of Zachary Scott Theater, and on Advisory Councils for Greenlights for
NonProfit Success and for St. Edward’s University’s New College program. Deb Zoran, DVM, Associate Professor, Chief of Small Animal Internal Medicine,
Texas A&M Dr.
Zoran is an associate professor and chief of small animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical
Sciences at Texas A&M University.She is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Following graduation, she entered private clinical practice in the Phoenix, Arizona area until returning in 1987 to Iowa State
University for her small animal internal medicine residency. She completed a Master’s degree and became a Diplomate
of the ACVIM – Small Animal Internal Medicine during her time there. In 1992, she moved to Texas A&M University
to undertake a PhD in Nutrition, and since that time, Dr. Zoran has been a member of the clinical faculty in the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching, and research
activities in small animal gastroenterology, nutrition, and feline medicine.
Deb Zoran, DVM, Associate Professor, Chief of Small Animal Internal Medicine,
Texas A&M Dr.
Zoran is an associate professor and chief of small animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical
Sciences at Texas A&M University.She is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Following graduation, she entered private clinical practice in the Phoenix, Arizona area until returning in 1987 to Iowa State
University for her small animal internal medicine residency. She completed a Master’s degree and became a Diplomate
of the ACVIM – Small Animal Internal Medicine during her time there. In 1992, she moved to Texas A&M University
to undertake a PhD in Nutrition, and since that time, Dr. Zoran has been a member of the clinical faculty in the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching, and research
activities in small animal gastroenterology, nutrition, and feline medicine.
Deb Zoran, DVM, Associate Professor, Chief of Small Animal Internal Medicine,
Texas A&M Dr.
Zoran is an associate professor and chief of small animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical
Sciences at Texas A&M University.She is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Following graduation, she entered private clinical practice in the Phoenix, Arizona area until returning in 1987 to Iowa State
University for her small animal internal medicine residency. She completed a Master’s degree and became a Diplomate
of the ACVIM – Small Animal Internal Medicine during her time there. In 1992, she moved to Texas A&M University
to undertake a PhD in Nutrition, and since that time, Dr. Zoran has been a member of the clinical faculty in the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching, and research
activities in small animal gastroenterology, nutrition, and feline medicine.
Deb Zoran, DVM, Associate Professor, Chief of Small Animal Internal Medicine,
Texas A&M Dr.
Zoran is an associate professor and chief of small animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical
Sciences at Texas A&M University.She is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Following graduation, she entered private clinical practice in the Phoenix, Arizona area until returning in 1987 to Iowa State
University for her small animal internal medicine residency. She completed a Master’s degree and became a Diplomate
of the ACVIM – Small Animal Internal Medicine during her time there. In 1992, she moved to Texas A&M University
to undertake a PhD in Nutrition, and since that time, Dr. Zoran has been a member of the clinical faculty in the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching, and research
activities in small animal gastroenterology, nutrition, and feline medicine.
ADVISORY COUNCIL Susan Adair, University of Texas External Relations and Past Chair, American Red Cross
of Central Texas Susan is currently the coordinator of external relations in the development office of The University of
Texas. She is also a graduate of Leadership Austin, and is past Chair of the American Red Cross of Central Texas. She will
be able to advise on ways Pets America and the Red Cross can best coordinate efforts to serve both people and pets.
Griffin
Davis, Vice President
of Marketing, Market Hardware Griffin
Davis is the Vice President of Marketing for Market Hardware, a Web marketing firm. Griffin has served as an officer in several
successful Austin start-ups including Balcones Resources and 13 Colonies Software. He previously worked on Capitol Hill for
United States Senator Alan K. Simpson. Griffin is a founding board member and current Chairman of the Town Lake Trail Foundation.
He has an MBA from UT Austin with a concentration in Marketing and a BA with honors in history from the University of Virginia.
He enjoys politics, running, travel, fishing, scuba diving, and playing with his three dogs.
Rebecca E. Acker, Safety Inspector, Texas Eastman Becky has 10 years
safety experience in a broad spectrum of emergency response. Her training includes fire suppression, basic EMT, HazMat, and
swift water rescue. Her team uses the National Incident Management System model. Becky also serves as an Emergency Response
Team trainer and her experience is beneficial in establishing Pets America response systems, designing volunteer training
modules, implementing training programs, and conducting response drills. Becky lives with two shiny schnauzers,Tuscon and
Treavor, and countless country cats.
Randy Dickson, Managing Consultant, Critical Interaction Associates Randy has served as a responder and trainer in the field of crisis intervention and trauma mitigation
for more than 15 years. He is a graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, a Board Certified
Expert in Traumatic Stress, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. In his current
role, Randy travels throughout the United States providing training and consultation to emergency services professionals in
the concepts of critical incident response and management, crisis intervention and peer support, trauma mitigation and victim
assistance. In addition to his prior experience with the Crisis Response Unit of the Austin Police Department
and the Victim Services Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Randy has served nationally as a volunteer responder
in the aftermath of large-scale disasters. Randy, his wife Leisa (also an emergency management
professional) and 14-year-old son reside near Austin with their two Border Collies, Duke and Duchess. Duchess and Randy are
registered as a Pet Partners® team with the Delta Society, and Randy is currently involved in the development of K9 Interaction
Teams™, a non-profit organization
that will utilize animals and their handlers in efforts to mitigate the traumatic impact of crime, critical incidents and
disasters.
Lydia Saldaña, Director of Communications, Texas Parks and Wildlife Lydia has more than 20 years experience in the communications field in state government and as a broadcast journalist. As
Director of Communications for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lydia is responsible for all facets of agency communications,
marketing, media relations, education, and outreach. She is an ex-officio member of the Texas Travel Industry Association
Board of Directors and currently serves on the national Board of Directors for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.
She is an active member and former board member of the Association for Conservation Information and is a member of the Austin
chapter of the National Association of Government Communicators. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the Conservation
History Association of Texas. Lydia will bring her extensive communications experience to her Advisory role with Pets America,
ensuring that the organization conveys an integrated marketing message in all its public relations, development, and media
messages. She often vacationa with her cats.
Denise Meikel, Deputy CEO, American Youthworks American Youthworks (AYW) is an Austin-area nonprofit serving at-risk youth. Denise first served as the
organization’s Development Officer from 1990-2000. She left to become the Director of Development, Marketing,
and Communications for Bat Conservation International where she also became an accomplished “bat wrangler.”
In 2003, she returned to AYW, joining the executive staff. Denise has been on the Board of Directors of the Balcones
Council Camp Fire USA, which serves five Texas counties, for four years and is currently Vice President. A graduate
of The University of Texas, Denise will support Pets America with her considerable development and marketing saavy.
Randy, his wife Leisa (also an emergency management professional)
and 14-year-old son reside near Austin with their two Border Collies, Duke and Duchess. Duchess and Randy are registered as
a Pet Partners® team with the Delta Society, and Randy is currently involved in the development of K9 Interaction Teams™, a non-profit organization that will utilize
animals and their handlers in efforts to mitigate the traumatic impact of crime, critical incidents and disasters.
Lydia Saldaña, Director of Communications,
Texas Parks and Wildlife Lydia has more than 20 years experience in the communications
field in state government and as a broadcast journalist. As Director of Communications for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,
Lydia is responsible for all facets of agency communications, marketing, media relations, education, and outreach. She is
an ex-officio member of the Texas Travel Industry Association Board of Directors and currently serves on the national Board
of Directors for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. She is an active member and former board member of the Association
for Conservation Information and is a member of the Austin chapter of the National Association of Government Communicators.
She also serves on the Advisory Council for the Conservation History Association of Texas. Lydia will bring her extensive
communications experience to her Advisory role with Pets America, ensuring that the organization conveys an integrated marketing
message in all its public relations, development, and media messages. She often vacationa with her cats.
Denise Meikel, Deputy CEO, American Youthworks American Youthworks (AYW) is an
Austin-area nonprofit serving at-risk youth. Denise first served as the organization’s Development Officer from 1990-2000.
She left to become the Director of Development, Marketing, and Communications for Bat Conservation International where
she also became an accomplished “bat wrangler.” In 2003, she returned to AYW, joining the executive
staff. Denise has been on the Board of Directors of the Balcones Council Camp Fire USA, which serves five Texas counties,
for four years and is currently Vice President. A graduate of The University of Texas, Denise will support Pets
America with her considerable development and marketing saavy.
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