Matthew Prescott
The Humane Society of the United States
For nearly a decade and a half, Matt Prescott has helped lead the charge to improve animals’ station in society, particularly within the global food supply. His work has resulted in sweeping improvements at major meat companies Tyson Foods, Cargill and Smithfield Foods as well as leading food retailers like Burger King, Costco, Target and dozens more. He’s also helped bring to light animal abuse in the public sphere, through garnering international press coverage on animal protection issues by CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, TIME magazine, and countless other media outlets. On twitter at @MatthewPrescott.
Dr. Jesse Harper
Veterinarian
Dr. Jesse Harper was raised in the mountains outside Boulder, Colorado. Here he was exposed to a wide variety of wildlife, house pets and livestock. At an early age, he discovered his sincere compassion for all living creatures and recognized a distinct need for animal rights advocation. Dr. Harper has since committed his life to the ethical treatment of animals, strengthening the human-animal bond, maximizing animal health and the relief of any and all suffering. He was awarded his bachelor’s degree in zoology with a minor in chemistry from Metropolitan State College of Denver and earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2012. Dr. Harper also earned a B.A. in photography from the Colorado Institute of Art.
During his personal time, Dr. Harper enjoys photography, the outdoors and spending his life with his rescue dog, Captain Kevlar.
Jon Dunn
Best Friends Animal Society
As the Senior Manager of Policy for Best Friends, Jon Dunn is responsible for the creation and management of the vast amount of policies and positions for the organization. He also handles a variety of communications related tasks including editorial writing and working closely with the Best Friends legislative team.
Jon is very passionate about other issues facing animals as well, and is a cofounder of Vegan Grand Rapids – a local restaurant guide and vegan advocacy group in West Michigan where he calls home. He most recently created a campaign that aims to have Grand Rapids join more than 40 other U.S. communities that have banned the use of wild animals in entertainment. Both Jon and his partner Kolene are cat people and currently share their home with two cats; Vinnie and Carl. On Twitter at @jon_dunn.
Elena Johnson
Vegan Advocate and Chef
Elena Johnson is a management and education professional with nearly 20 years of experience in customer and donor relations. For the past 8 years, she has worked in the nonprofit sector representing national animal protection organizations. She has addressed hundreds as a guest speaker at national and statewide conferences and via an online training program which she designed and launched. She has also worked directly with policy makers to advise and assist in the development of animal care programs. Elena currently works in farmed animal advocacy where she combines her efforts to help animals with a passion for food and cuisine. She educates the public about the many benefits of choosing vegetarian foods through recipe publications, live cooking demonstrations, and by organizing the DC VegFest, attended by more than 10,000 people annually. On Twitter at @ElenaEJohnson.