The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Learning Center
2026 Leadership Summit: Shaping Solutions for Pet-Inclusive Housing
Includes a Live Web Event on 07/29/2026 at 4:00 PM (EDT)
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Register
- Animal Welfare Professional Member - Free!
- Student Member - Free!
- Industry Partner Member - Free!
Earlier this year, The Association’s President & CEO Jim Tedford asked members to participate in a survey on the impacts of the lack of pet-inclusive housing on your shelters and communities. He brought your findings to the Spring Policy Forum hosted by the Human Animal Research Institute (HABRI) in Washington, DC, in early May, and we’ll be taking our next steps on this urgent issue together as a field at The Leadership Summit.
The online event on July 29 will open with a panel of experts to ground the conversation in the foundational research, the current policy landscape, and the on-the-ground experience of organizations like yours that are already doing this work. We will then move into small, facilitated leadership discussions to direct the field's next steps on pet-inclusive housing.
Whether you are already at the top of your game and actively serving the field by sharing your expertise, or ready to enhance the skills and knowledge you need to grow, the leaders who show up to this conversation are the ones who will help shape what animal welfare does next. We are truly looking forward to our work together.
By the end of this Summit, you will have:
1. Assessed how pet-inclusive housing challenges are affecting your organization's intake, capacity, and community impact
2. Applied insights from peer organizations to inform your own strategic response to housing-related relinquishment
3. Identified concrete next steps that your organization can take to advance pet-inclusive housing in your community
4. Contributed your ground-level expertise to field-wide advocacy and policy conversations on pet-inclusive housing
5. Collaborated on a collective response to this issue as a field, and helped to create the strategies we’ll take to tackle pet-inclusive housing on a national level
Come Prepared to Share and Strategize
Prior to The Summit, you’ll have exclusive access to a recorded presentation of The Association’s survey findings and a concise summary of key data. Both are designed to allow participants to integrate and then move past the data in order to focus fully on our crucial work.
Panelists:
Jim Tedford, President and CEO, Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (moderator)
Katie Jarl, Vice President of Government Relations, Animal Policy Group
Steve Feldman, President, Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)
Jamie Blackburn, MPA, Housing Policy Specialist, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)
Jim Tedford, CAWA (Moderator)
President & CEO, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement
Jim Tedford accepted his dream job when he joined The Association as President & CEO in June of 2015. But Jim is no stranger to the organization. He has been a member for more than 30 years and served as our Board Chairman some twenty years ago. Jim has been actively engaged in the animal welfare movement for more than 40 years, having served as CEO for animal sheltering organizations in New York, Louisiana and Tennessee. He served as a regional director for The Humane Society of the United States and then spent six years providing direct response marketing services to animal welfare organizations. Jim presents frequently at national and regional conferences on various animal welfare issues, organizational development and not-for-profit management.
Jamie Blackburn
Housing Policy Specialist
MSPCA-Angell
Jamie Blackburn is the Housing Policy Specialist at MSPCA-Angell, where she leads the organization's work to develop and implement strategies for expanding pet-inclusive housing in Massachusetts. She holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from Rutgers University and brings more than 15 years of nonprofit experience specializing in health and housing policy at the state and federal levels. Jamie has also volunteered as a foster home for local rescue organizations, helping place more than 50 dogs in permanent homes.
Steven Feldman
President
Human-Animal Bond Research Institute
Steve Feldman is the President of the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), where he works to advance the science demonstrating the positive roles pets and animals play in the health of individuals, families, and communities. An experienced public affairs advocate, Steve has worked across wildlife conservation, animal welfare, healthcare, and education. Prior to joining HABRI, he served as Senior Vice President for External Affairs at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, worked at leading public affairs firm Powell Tate, and served as a staff member in the United States Senate.
Katie Jarl
VP of Government Relations
Animal Policy Group
Katie Jarl is the Vice President of Government Relations at Animal Policy Group. For two decades, she has combined her love of animals with her experience working with government at the local, state, and federal levels. After spending 15 years in nonprofit animal welfare, Katie is excited to bring the pet industry and animal welfare together to advance meaningful solutions for animal shelters and rescues across the country.
