Jasmin M. Robinson is The Association's Director of DEI Initiatives. She is also the CEO and Founder of I.D.E.A.L. Education, LLC., and a consultant with MSM Global Consulting. She has over 10 years of experience leading efforts to foster and maintain inclusive work environments that welcome, embrace, empower, and celebrate people. She is actively pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Indiana State University.

Maria Morukian, the president of MSM Global Consulting, has twenty years of experience as a facilitator, coach and consultant on leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion, and intercultural competence. Maria hosts a podcast on critical DEI issues called Culture Stew. She is author of the book, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Trainers: Fostering DEI in the Workplace and co-author of ATD’s Handbook for Training and Talent Development.

Dr. Christina Avila has twenty-three years of experience in the animal welfare field, including veterinary, shelter, and animal control settings as an officer and supervisor. She is the Animal Control Supervisor for the City of Perris Animal Control in California. Dr. Avila recently received a doctorate in business administration from Walden University. Her dissertation was on strategies to retain newly hired veterinarians. 

As Humane Canada’s Director, National Programs Kathy works tirelessly to improve the welfare of all animals in Canda. She has dedicated over 30 years to animal welfare in the province of Ontario and Canada. Her background includes working in the not-for-profit and municipal government sectors and leading open-admission animal shelters for municipalities, SPCAs, and humane societies in Ontario.

Kathy is a strong proponent of collaboration across the industry.  She has been a strong member of Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Task Force and the Programming Committee for Humane Canada’s Summit for Animals (formerly the National Animal Welfare Conference). She currently sits on the National Violence Link Coalition and is a member of its steering committee. Kathy has also been named an International Ambassador for the Human Animal Support Services project and sits as a Director on the Board, as well as a member of the Advisory Council for One Health Partners.

AnnaPayton is the Administrator of Will County Animal Protection Services and anadjunct professor at Aurora University in the Human Animal Studies department. Anna has been in the animal welfare field for over 20 years and served onmultiple animal welfare committees, coalitions, and boards, including theBoard of Directors for the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE),the former president of the Illinois Animal Welfare Federation (IAWF), and iscurrently on the Board of Directors for The Association for Animal WelfareAdvancement.