AIAM 2008
AIAM 08 Keynote biographies
Laura Maloney
Maloney’s career has been devoted to companion and exotic animal issues. As the former Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, she earned national recognition for managing high-profile dogfighting cases, leading the LA/SPCA through the greatest animal disaster in history when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, and lobbying for the successful passage of major legislative battles.
Prior to joining the LA/SPCA, Laura served as the Assistant Director for the Central Park Zoo, Animal Programs Manager for the Philadelphia Zoo, and Education Curator for the Aquarium of the Americas.
Laura has served on the boards of the Louisiana Animal Welfare Commission, PATH (People Protecting Animals and Their Habitats), Gulf Coast Herpetology Society, Coalition for Captive Elephant Well-Being, and the National Companion Animal Advisory Group of the Humane Society of the United States.
Laura’s awards include 2006 Top 10 Female Achievers, New Orleans Magazine; 2006 Young Leadership Council Role Model; 2005 CityBusiness Woman of the Year; 2005 ASPCA Presidential Service Award; 2005 Gambit's Best Community/Environmental Activist; 2004 Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Tulane University; 2004 New Orleans Top Movers & Shakers, CityLife Magazine; 2004 Top 3 gambit Reader’s Poll Top 3 Best Community/Environmental Activists; 2003 CityBusiness Top 50 Women of the Year; 2002 New Orleans’ 30 People to Watch.
Laura has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Science Education from West Virginia University. Laura moved to Australia in late 2007 in support of her husband who is the General Curator for Zoos Victoria, Melbourne. Laura’s consultancy practice centres on leadership and organizational development, coaching teams for enhanced performance, change and crisis management, and group facilitation.
Craig A. Murray, Specialist Dog Trainer
Craig has been a Dog Trainer since the 1980’s. From the early 1990’s Craig has been determined to expand his knowledge base by gaining overseas qualifications in the following areas.
º Police & Narcotics
º Mantrailling Bloodhounds
º Search & Rescue
º Therapy & Assistance Dogs
Since 2000, Craig has been heavily involved in training students from other countries and he has a contractual agreement with the largest privately owned Asian college group as a special educator providing training overseas and in Australia to Dog Training, Grooming and Veterinary students. Since the mid 1990’s Craig has been developing world first odour detection dog methodology and specialist detection dog programs for Government and large corporations. Throughout this time he has been chief trainer for private police dog programs and Government detection dog programs. Many of these programs have had to go through Animal Ethics committees and independent Government validation trials for these dogs and programs to be proven operational. Craig also now delivers training for the Registered Training Organisation “Animal Industries Resource Centre” on two nationally accredited courses – Certificate IV in Animal Control and Regulation and Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services (Dog Training).
Deb Kelly
Deb Kelly is Manager of the Animal Welfare Unit within the Department for Environment and Heritage in South Australia. As such she is responsible to Government for the administration and implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 and the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 and Executive Officer to the Dog and Cat Management Board. Under the State Disaster Plan, she is responsible for the management of pets across the State in the event of an emergency or disaster and has been a member of the State Disaster Committee. She is also a member of the South Australian State Committee for the National Plan to Combat the Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious Substances and is responsible for co-ordinating a wildlife emergency response in the event of an oil spill.
Elke Tapley
Elke is currently employed as the Coordinator Local Laws and Traffic with Knox City Council, in Victoria and has been in this role for two years. The role covers Animal Management, Local Law compliance, School Crossing Supervision and Traffic Management. Her experience in Local Government spans over 10 years and includes the on-road roles of Municipal Laws Officer and Municipal Laws Project Officer with Nillumbik Shire Council.
Her background has been customer service focused, working in health insurance, a bank (which bank?), and running her own video library (pre-paid tv - got out at just the right time!).
Elke has an Advanced Diploma in Business Management, Diploma in Business, Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training and is completing a Diploma in Business (Human Resources). Her involvement in committees also include the Domestic Animal Management Implementation Committee (DAMIC), LGPro Statutory Services SIG, Melbourne Metropolitan Council Animal Management group (MetCAM), and she was a member of the UAM/AVA AMO Team of the Year in 2001.
Dick Murray
Dick Murray long ago came to the conclusion that people are passionate about pet ownership. While this is hardly a revelation, his experience as a veterinary practitioner and long term advocate of quality animal management suggests it (pet ownership) is in fact a truly interesting business – a business that cuts surprisingly deep into the emotional instincts of both individuals and community. Like them or dislike them, there is no mistake that individual passions about pets run high, especially so when conflict occurs. This makes dynamite for animal management staff who, when it is all said and done on a seek only the middle road of tolerance, harmony and consideration in the community. Dick believes that by using metaphors, it is perhaps possible to step away from the complexity of the foreground to see more clearly the bigger picture of what it is we try to achieve with urban animal management.
Pete Chandler
Prior to working within local government Pete was a Police Dog Handler for the Royal Australian Air Force. From 1996 he worked with the Darwin City Council (DCC) as a Regulatory Services Officer before being promoted to Animal Management Supervisor. In 2000 he left DCC to take up a position as a project officer with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, working to improve Indigenous health statistics and human resources before taking on the position as Operations Manger with the Defence Housing Authority. In mid 2004 Pete accepted the position of Regulatory Services Manager for the City of Palmerston and today leads a team of 7 Regulatory Officers. He is involved in eleven community committees in Palmerston, including Chairman of the largest Primary School in the Northern Territory. Pete is a Justice of the Peace and was awarded a 2007 Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel to the US, Canada and the UK studying Urban Animal management practices. He has three wonderful children and have been married for 20 years.