THLN 7th Annual Animal Advocacy Conference Speakers
Harvey Kronberg
Jack Erskine
Shelby Bobosky
Katie Jarl
Nancy Blaney
Jeff Crilley
Ryan Clinton
Tracy Colvin
Kathy Davis
Sherry Ferguson
Skip Trimble
Elizabeth Choate
Jerry Finch
Vickie Spears
Carolyn Schnurr
Monica Ailey
Jan Herzog
Stacy Smith
Representative Kenneth Sheets
Kenneth Sheets has served on the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, and Local Consent and Calendars Committee. Sheets was named "Champion for Free Enterprise" by the Texas Association of Business, Freshman of the Year in 2011 by the Hispanic Republican Conference, and was on the Texas Association of Realtors Legislative Honor Roll in 2013.
Harvey Kronberg
Harvey Kronberg has been the Editor of Quorum Report, the Newsletter of Political Texas, since 1989. The Quorum Report is a non-partisan online publication covering state politics and government from an insider's perspective. Kronberg has been quoted in such diverse publications as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Congressional Quarterly, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and Christian Science Monitor. In the February 2005 issue of Texas Monthly magazine, he was declared one of the 25 most powerful individuals in Texas politics.
Jack Erskine
Mr. Erskine is an Administrative Partner at K&L whose practice consists primarily of legislative representation and administrative law. Mr. Erskine joined the firm in 1994 after seventeen years of service with Amoco Corporation as senior government affairs representative, where he was ultimately responsible for all legislative and political activities for the parent corporation and subsidiaries, including those involving exploration and production, refining and marketing, chemicals, pipeline, research and development, marine transport and waste disposal for Texas and New Mexico.
Shelby Bobosky
Ms. Bobosky attended the University of Kentucky for her undergraduate degree, earning a double major in History and Spanish in 1996. She then attended the University of Tulsa Law School and spent a year as a visiting law student at Northwestern University School of Law graduating in 1999. Ms. Bobosky has been VP and Board Member with THLN since 2011.
Katie Jarl
As the Texas State Director for The HSUS, Katie helps animals by working to pass animal welfare legislation, coordinating disaster and rescue response for animals in need, and engaging animal advocates to promote animal protection in the state of Texas. Previously, Jarl worked at the HSUS’s headquarters in the public relations department, working closely with the animal fighting campaign. Katie was born and raised in Houston, Texas and received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Nancy Blaney
Nancy Blaney has worked on behalf of animals for more than 25 years and is currently a Senior Policy Advisor with the Animal Welfare Institute. Her “portfolio” has included many issues, including enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, legislation affecting companion animals and animals used in research, and the relationship between animal cruelty and other forms of violence and the need to improve the prosecution of animal-related crimes.
Jeff Crilley
Former Emmy Award winning TV reporter Jeff Crilley has made hundreds of national news appearances including CNN, CNN Headline News, FOX News, The Discovery Channel, Good Morning America and The CBS Early Show. Jeff has been recognized by his peers with dozens of national and regional awards including the Emmy, the National Headliners Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Thurgood Marshall Award and in 2004 was named by the Texas Associated Press, "The Best TV Reporter in the state.”
Ryan Clinton
Ryan Clinton is a shareholder at the law firm Davis, Gerald & Cremer, P.C., where he leads the firm's appellate practice and Austin, Texas office. His charitable work has been recognized by Best Friends Animal Society and the No Kill Advocacy Center, and has been featured in periodicals including the Christian Science Monitor, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the American Dog Magazine.
Tracy Colvin
Dr. Colvin enjoys working with a wide variety of species including dogs, cats, horses, goats, and exotics. She received a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Animal Science in 1992, then a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1998, all from Texas A&M University. She serves on the Executive Board for the TVMA, and currently serves as immediate past President of the Humane Society of Uvalde, a local organization dedicated to rescuing and providing a source of healthy dogs and cats for adoption in Uvalde.
Kathy Davis
Kathy Davis was appointed Director of Animal Care Services for the City of San Antonio in August 2012. She has more than 20 years experience in municipal government and non-profit management. She received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Executive Director of The Heigl Foundation in Los Angeles. She also served The City of Los Angeles as Assistant and Interim General Manager of Animal Services as well as Director of Code Compliance, which included Animal Services in both Dallas, TX and South Bend, Indiana.
Sherry Ferguson
Sherry Ferguson’s passionfor animals led her tovolunteer at the HoustonHumane Society (HHS) in 1982. She has served as a board member and president and currently is the Executive Director. Throughout her tenure as Executive Director, the HHS became the first shelter in Houston to open a low cost spay/neuter clinic open to the general public, to spay/neuter and microchip every adopted animal before it went home, and the first in the state of Texas to hire law enforcement as Animal Cruelty Investigators.
Robert "Skip" Trimble
Robert “Skip” Trimble is a Dallas,Texas native. He graduated with an economics degree and a law degree from SMU. Skip currently serves as THLN Treasurer and Legislative Co-Chair, and helped spearhead THLN’s efforts to create animal-friendly license plates to provide fund low cost spay/neuter programs; to pass statewide regulation of the ownership of exotic animals; to pass legislation making animal cruelty a felony and to prohibit the use of carbon monoxide gas to euthanize dogs and cats in Texas animal shelters.
Elizabeth Choate
Elizabeth Choate – Director of Government Relations/General Counsel for the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. Elizabeth Ms. Choate serves as the Director of Government Relations/General Counsel for the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) and her responsibilities include addressing the legal questions of the membership covering a diverse range of issues, including but not limited to practice, ethics and employment law.
Jerry Finch
Jerry Finch is President of Habitat for Horses, Inc., an equine sanctuary in Hitchcock, Texas. Jerry has participated as a first responder in countless emergency situations, including Hurricanes Katrina and Ike. As a Level 3 Equine Investigator, Jerry has taught hundreds of law enforcement officers and citizens how to conduct cruelty investigations. Jerry actively advocates for legislation protecting equines from abuse, neglect, inhumane transport, and slaughter for human consumption.
Vickie Spears
Vickie is the Director of the Doris Day Equine Center at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas. At Doris Day Equine Center, horses and other equines are given a second chance when Vickie and the DDEC staff re-hab, train and re-home abandoned and abused animals. After a 23-year career in the information technology industry, and an equal number of years volunteering with animal welfare organizations on a local and national level, she was finally able to turn her passion into her job as DDEC’s Director.
Carolyn Schnurr
Carolyn Schnurr oversees development and management of humane federal legislation with a focus on equine issues. She works with members of Congress and legislative staff to ensure their support for the ASPCA’s legislative priorities. She developed her legal expertise in equine issues at a California wild horse sanctuary, where she focused on the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, and at the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, where she provided legal assistance in horse cruelty situations.
Monica Ailey
Monica's passion for emergency response and investigations started in 2005 when she spent several weeks in New Orleans rescuing displaced animals after Hurricane Katrina. Monica obtained her National Animal Cruelty certifications through the University of Missouri Colombia Law Enforcement Training Institute and is certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a Texas Animal Control Officer. Monica's work has been featured in several magazines such as 360West, Fort Worth, Texas Magazine and American Dog Magazine.
Jan Herzog
Jan Herzog is president of the Wichita Falls Chapter of THLN. Her animal protection work began in the late 1970s at the animal shelter in Vernon, Texas, where she helped found the Humane Society of Wilbarger County. Jan is the Wichita Falls coordinator of the Love On Wheels transport program, a transport-to-rescue program of the Humane Society of Flower Mound. Jan holds a Master’s degree in reading education, and is currently in her 19th year as a bilingual teacher with the Wichita Falls ISD. Jan’s family includes her husband Don, three children and one grandson, and rescued pets.
Stacy Smith
Stacy Smith is the Vice President of Animal Advocacy for the Humane Society of Flower Mound. Like so many in the animal welfare world, she began by fostering dogs for the Animal Rescue League of Denton County in 1992 and was immediately hooked…and appalled at the number of desirable animals in local shelters. In 2013 she realized a decade-long dream of creating Love on Wheels, a relocation program to send dogs from Texas to New York.
Cheryl Martinez
Cheryl Martinez has been in animal welfare most of her life. Her mother worked at animal control so she always loved and rescued animals. She is Founder and President of PAAC - People Assisting Animal Control, and has been with THLN for since 2009. Cheryl serves as the President of the THLN South Texas Chapter because passing animal protection laws make such a difference for animals all over the state. Cheryl is a self-described a workaholic and enjoys being busy. She and her husband Randy have 5 dogs, 3 cats, 3 horses and a donkey.