August 7, 2024 —

The committee’s recommendations help ensure that American Humane Certified™ producers and processors are being audited according to science and evidence-based animal welfare standards.

Washington, D.C. — American Humane, the United States’ first national humane organization and the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare practices, announced six new members of the farm program’s Scientific Advisory Committee.

“We are thrilled to include these leading experts on our Scientific Advisory Committee, as they bring years of experience and knowledge to help ensure that our American Humane Certified™ standards remain updated and focused on emerging science, technology, and best practices.” said Haley Grimes, Director, Farm Program Operations, American Humane.

The following leaders are new members of the Scientific Advisory Committee.

• Don Hoenig received his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In a veterinary career spanning over four decades, Dr. Hoenig has worked in mixed animal practice, spent time as a USDA Veterinary Medical Officer, was the State Veterinarian and State Public Health Veterinarian in Maine for 17 years, served as an AVMA Congressional Fellow in Sen. Susan Collins’ Washington, DC office, and taught at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. From 2014 until March 2020, he was the Senior Veterinarian Advisor for the American Humane Farm Program. He has served on several AVMA Committees and Councils for more than 25 years.
• Raymond Anthony received his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Millikin University and a PhD in Philosophy from Purdue University. He has held posts at Iowa State University and the University of British Columbia. Anthony is currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alaska-Anchorage where he teaches philosophy and ethics courses and leads a research program on science-ethics communication, One Health, and emergency ethics. Raymond’s work focuses on the intersection of agriculture, food, the environment, public health, and veterinary ethics. Anthony specializes in the Philosophy of Technology. His career has centered on developing spaces for engaged philosophical and ethical discourses to flourish, with particular focus on advancing community engagement and resilience.
• Gregory Archer received his B.S. in Animal and Poultry Science from Virginia Tech and then completed his M.S. and Ph.D. at Texas A&M University. He then worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of California-Davis from 2005-2012. Since 2012, he has been working as an Assistant/Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on animal welfare and management of broilers, layers, ducks, and turkeys. Dr. Archer has been expanding his program into commercial duck production to help fill the gaps in management knowledge to better assist duck producers.
• Maja Makagon earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Psychology from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis. Her previous roles include a faculty position in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University, and post-doctoral appointments in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University. Dr. Makagon is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis. She directs a poultry behavior and welfare research group, which studies the ways in which poultry perceive and interact with their environments, and the implications these interactions have on poultry management, well-being, and productivity. She is the lead instructor for Animal Welfare Science and Ethics of Animal Use.
• Shawna Weimer received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Iowa State University. After working in compliance and procurement in the commercial swine industry, Weimer completed her Ph.D. in Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas and post-doctoral training at Purdue University. In 2019, she joined the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor and Poultry Extension Specialist. In 2021, Weimer joined the University of Arkansas as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing in the Department of Poultry Science. Her research and outreach activities are rooted in collaborations with academic researchers, animal welfare organizations and poultry industry stakeholders aimed at developing training programs, conducting applied research, and serving on scientific advisory boards.
• Carissa Odland is a veterinarian and the Manager of Sustainability for Wholestone Farms. Prior to joining Wholestone Farms in 2021, Odland practiced as a swine veterinarian for 12 years and served as the Director of Animal Welfare for a swine management company. Carissa is a graduate from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Carissa also works with PAACO, assisting with their swine welfare training program.

The American Humane Certified™ program enforces rigorous, science and evidence-based, comprehensive criteria for animal welfare, reviewed by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee comprised of world-renowned leaders in the fields of animal science, animal behavior, and animal ethics. These criteria are verified through independent, third-party audits and help provide verifiable assurance that products carrying the American Humane Certified™ label have met rigorous, science and evidence-based animal welfare standards and that the animals in the program were humanely raised.

For more information about our Scientific Advisory Committee, and to learn more about the American Humane Certified™ program, please visit americanhumane.org/humane-heartland.