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Leadership

THE TEAM

[In alphabetical order by last name]

CARE assists in elevating Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC] communities and their pets without preference for or judgment of cultural nuances within the communities we partner with. While CARE works tirelessly to amplify BIPOC communities and organizations that seek to partner, CARE does not solely represent or reflect the individual identity of any culture or tradition. In short, CARE is representative of a diverse collective BIPOC experience.

CARE recognizes the term “Chief” [Deriving from French] has been used pejoratively toward Indigenous communities. Nevertheless, CARE uses the word in much the same way indigenous communities use it today, as a title earned by those who have shown an uncompromising willingness to lead with love, wisdom, and compassion. CARE also uses the term “Chief” because it aligns with the White Dominant Power Structure we must all navigate within. That alignment includes our desire to ensure CARE division leaders are presented on the same representative level as their counterparts outside CARE.

CARE’s vernacular, including team member titles, may not fully reflect the preference of all communities, cultures, or individuals. However, please trust that CARE continuously evaluates its language to be clear and mitigate harm.

– James Evans, CEO, Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity [CARE]

 

Community Animal CARE Advisory Committee

The Community Animal CARE (CAC) advisory board’s main role is to support the CAC division at CARE by providing valuable insights and perspectives gleaned from the committee’s expertise in the Human and Animal Well-Being field, including programs, partners, and policies. This includes providing insights to CAC leadership in an effort to help create and sustain the effectiveness of the CAC program across the country.

Ed Jamison, Chairperson, [Pictured Right]

Ed Jamison serves as CEO of Operation Kindness, a lifesaving non-profit animal welfare organization based in Texas. Under his leadership since March 2021, Ed guides the organization to administer innovative programs impacting dogs and cats across the region, including community initiatives, shelter partnerships, interstate transport, forensics for animal cruelty, and more. Ed also leads the lifesaving work at the Operation Kindness shelter, which includes a medical wing, neonatal kitten nursery, and pet food pantry, located in Carrollton, TX.

 Previously, Ed served as the Director of Dallas Animal Services (DAS). When he joined DAS in 2017, the animal situation in Dallas was the center of public scrutiny. Ed was tasked with increasing public safety by getting loose animals off the streets, while also increasing positive outcomes. The “Dallas 90” campaign was designed to help create a community where all people and animals are safe, treated with respect, and have access to the resources needed to thrive. With a dog and cat intake of over 39,000 in 2019, Dallas had the 3rd highest intake in the nation. 

With an extensive background working in the animal welfare field beginning in the early 2000s, Ed worked in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. In the position of Chief Animal Control Officer for the City of Cleveland, Jamison pushed to redefine functionality and public perception of animal control. The award-winning, trademarked CITY DOGs Cleveland Adoption and Volunteer programs continue to be flourishing programs copied throughout the country.

 

Ed Jamison

Ed is currently the President of Texas Unites for Animals, Vice President of the National Animal Care & Control Association, and Board Member for the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement and Shelter Animals Count. His main role as the Chair of the CAC Advisory Board will be to support the CAC department at CARE by providing insights from the Human and Animal well-being field to create and sustain the effectiveness of the CAC program across the country. He will be responsible for building the rest of the CAC Advisory Board and ensuring a focus on community-driven and led workforce is considered throughout the council’s discussions to ensure sustainability.

CARE Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC)

In the interest of human and animal well-being, the CARE Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC) provides thought leadership for CARE’s access to care and preventative initiatives. We recognize that to achieve our goal to cultivate the human-animal bond among Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the United States, we must devise strategies that support the design of programs that address animal well-being in communities underserved by the current systems in place.

In doing so, the advisory committee is tasked with tackling this challenge directly by providing guidance in the development and implementation of several planned CARE Community Clinics and support for the annual Dr. Jodie G Blackwell Scholarship Fund. Major initiatives aside, the advisory Committee will also provide insight and expertise across all aspects of CARE’s comprehensive well-being programming.

In addition to the clinics and scholarship fund, the advisory committee will guide future efforts to further advance CARE’s mission-driven work, which will include organizing student-led veterinary clubs, and access to preventive animal well-being programming, while also supporting the design of resource guides for communities, students, and companion pet parents.

CARE’s Veterinary Advisory Committee is an invitation-only, volunteer-based committee that will meet once a quarter. All members are required to take CARE’s Oath which prioritizes the interest of human and animal well-being.

Dr. Azalia Boyd, Chairperson, [Pictured Right]

Dr. Boyd will serve as the committee’s first chair and is a double graduate of the Historically Black College & University (HBCU), Tuskegee University. There, she received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Animal and Poultry Science. After earning her degrees, Dr. Boyd completed an emergency, surgery, and internal medicine internship, strengthening her medical skills. Once getting out into the work field, she has served as a valued associate at multiple clinics and hospitals within metro Atlanta, held leadership positions as medical director and mentor, and continues to provide high-quality veterinary care day to day. 

Dr. Boyd

Dr. Boyd has enrolled and completed courses in leadership, positive psychology, and cultural competence, all of which she uses to help her connect with the people of the pets she serves.  “Every day, I have the opportunity to touch a very small part of the world and make a difference- the importance of my position extends outside of the clinic setting but affects the lives and happiness of people, pets, and the individual relationships with each other,” says Dr. Boyd. Dr. Boyd has been a longtime supporter of CARE and shares the same mission within the field and, most importantly, outside within the community. Her unwavering compassion is evident, and we are excited to build a positive and lasting effect on the world. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS EMERITUS

COLLABORATORS

    
    

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BHM James Baldwin