August 13, 2020 by Julie Levy, Kristen Hassen-Auerbach, Heather Kennedy and Nick Lippincott

Audience: Executive Leadership, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Supporting kittens and their families starts before they show up on your intake counter. Find out what field officers, volunteers and fosters are doing to give kittens the best chance of survival while streamlining operations and expanding safety nets outside shelter walls.

Join us on Thursday, August 13 at 12n Pacific / 3pm Eastern for a 60-minute presentation and plenty of time for Q&A with Million Cat Challenge co-founder Dr. Julie Levy.

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Maddie's Fund® has applied for advanced approval of Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credit.

Bio photo of Dr. Julie Levy, smiling in a blue shirt in an indoor setting

About Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP
Fran Marino Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine, Maddies® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida

Dr. Julie Levy is the Fran Marino Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida, where she focuses on the health and welfare of animals in shelters, feline infectious diseases, and humane alternatives for cat population control. She founded Operation Catnip, a nonprofit university-based community cat trap-neuter-return program that has spayed, neutered, and vaccinated more than 65,000 cats in Gainesville since 1998. In 2008, she joined Dr. Cynda Crawford to found Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, an educational and discovery initiative with a global impact on the care of homeless animals. In 2014, she joined Dr. Kate Hurley to launch the Million Cat Challenge, a shelter-based campaign to save millions of cats in shelters across North America.


About Kristen Hassen-Auerbach
Director of Animal Services, Pima Animal Care Center

Kristen is the Director at Pima Animal Care Center, an open-admissions shelter in Tucson, Arizona that saves 92% of the 19,000 pets who enter each year. Kristen sits on the Board of Directors of the National Animal Care and Control Association and is on the Executive Committee for American Pets Alive! and the Human Animal Support Services project. Previously, Kristen served as the Deputy Director of Austin Animal Center and the Assistant Director at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Fairfax, Virginia.


About Heather Kennedy, DVM
Director of Feline Operations, KC Pet Project

Dr. Kennedy graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Philosophy from Wellesley College, has an M.B.A. from Mississippi State University, and is proud to have served as a Supply Corps officer in the United States Navy (Reserve Component). Dr. Kennedy was mentored by noted FIP researcher Dr. Niels Pedersen, and she now provides consults to other veterinarians on the diagnosis of the disease. She managed the Alley Cat Allies emergent shelter after Hurricane Katrina, was instrumental in helping Santa Barbara County become no-kill through TNR (Trap Neuter Return) and RTF (Return To Field) and managed a feral cat spay/neuter clinic in Yolo County where she mentored veterinary students on the humane medical care of feral cats. In 2017, after 4 years in feline-only private practice, Dr. Kennedy decided to focus on the welfare of shelter cats by working first at Field Haven Feline Center in Lincoln, California, and now at KC Pet Project.


About Nick Lippincott

Special Programs and Training Programs Coordinator, Orange County Animal Services (Orlando, Florida) Board member, National Animal Care & Control Association.

Nick has worked as a Field Enforcement Officer and also worked in Washington, DC as a Humane Law Enforcement Officer and Bite Investigator. Nick develops programs aimed at increasing collaboration between agencies as well lifesaving and diversion programs.