Keynote Speaker - Mark Black

Resilience Expert, Speaker, Consultant, Coach

Resurgo Training Solutions, Inc.

In 2005, Mark Black became the only man in history to complete a marathon with someone else's heart and lungs.
He has worked with more than 150,000 people and spoken to more than 500 audiences; written and contributed to several books including: Live Life from the Heart and Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul.

His clients include Mercedes-Benz, Exxon Mobil, Amway, Sun Life, professional associations and all levels of government.
A husband and father of three, Mark was born with a life-threatening heart defect, and underwent open-heart surgery on his first day of life, and was not expected to live a long life.

Mark had battled his condition and its limitations for twenty-two years when his doctors informed him that time had run out. His heart was failing badly and without a rare heart and double-lung transplant, he would not survive another year.
In October 2001, Mark moved thousands of kilometers from home and was put on the transplant waiting list where he spent almost a with time running out. By the grace of God, a donor was found and Mark received a second chance at life and has not wasted a moment since because he knows exactly how precious time is.

Mark's transplant is a treatment, not a cure.

He continues to take medication to prevent rejection of the organs. The average lifespan of someone with his transplant is 5-10 years. It's been 16 years since Mark's transplant. He is in his 40s. It is very unlikely Mark will live to see his 50's. This is what makes his message so powerful. He lives the strategies and principles he teaches and is filled with passion and purpose for his work precisely because he doesn't know how much more time he'll be afforded to do it.

John Beckius

Executive Director, Air Cargo Division

Transportation Security Administration

John Beckius started his Federal Government career when he joined the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Special Agent in 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana. During his time with the FAA, John conducted regulatory inspections and investigations of airports, air carriers, freight forwarders, and hazardous materials shippers. Also during his tenure with the FAA, John was chosen as a team member for the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into the fire on board Federal Express flight #1406 in 1996.

Subsequently, in 2001, John was hired as an Investigator In Charge with the NTSB and relocated to Washington D.C. While with the NTSB, John led hazardous materials accident investigation teams for the aviation, maritime, highway, and rail sectors. In 2002, John returned to aviation security when he joined the newly established Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as an Air Cargo Branch Manager in the Aviation Regulatory Inspection Division. John held multiple leadership positions within various TSA Headquarters air cargo offices until 2008 when he moved back to Indianapolis as the Assistant Federal Security Director for Inspections. Among John’s accomplishments while in Indianapolis was the establishment of the first Passenger Screening Canine program at a domestic airport. In 2015, John returned to Washington D.C when he was selected as the TSA Senior Liaison to the Department of State and worked in the State’s Counter Terrorism Bureau for two years. Prior to his selection as the Executive Director of the Air Cargo Division, John spent 18 months as the Branch Manager for Policy Analysis in the TSA Office of Policy, Plans, and Engagement.

Nelva J. Bryant, DVM, MPH

Consulting Veterinarian | Cargo Operations

Delta Air Lines

Dr. Bryant is an Expert in Animal Welfare & Safety during Air Travel and a Distinguished Practitioner Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (Veterinary Medicine). She serves as Delta’s industry-first staff veterinarian and helps to ensure the safety of pets during air travel. Her role at Delta allows her to focus on the air travel of pets, gain insight into the air transportation process, and to determine ways to ensure pets arrive at their destinations safely.

During 2019 and early 2020, she presented her observations at major veterinary conferences, including AVMA, VMX, and WVC, to educate fellow veterinarians. Presently, she also serves on GVL’s Expert Council and provides expertise on companion animal air transportation.

She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and completed a veterinary pathology residency at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and has over 20 years of veterinary clinical practice experience as a small animal practitioner and relief veterinarian. She also earned a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Iowa’s MPH for Practicing Veterinarians Program. A retiree of the US Public Health Service, where she served for 20 years.

Dr. Bryant completed the final 12 years of her active duty career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before joining Delta, she served as Quarantine Veterinary Medical Officer and Dog Importation Regulations Subject Matter Expert in the Quarantine Border and Health Services Branch (QBHSB) of the CDC.

Julie Divita

Sr. Analyst - Specialty Products

American AIRLINES

With over 30 years of experience in customer service, inflight, and cargo, Julie is well versed in all aspects of the airline Industry. Safety, service, and customer experience are the focus of the team at American when transporting all animals. As a pet owner herself, Julie is a strong advocate for the IPATA members with respect for all they do.

Val Hadley

Specialized Product Manager

IAG Cargo, (British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Level)

Val has managed all aspects of Live Animal Transportation, alongside other Specialty products in the business. She has extensive aviation experience with an entire career spent in various aspects of the field, predominantly passenger groups for several airlines around the world, which has enabled her to live in 5 different countries where she has had very interesting travels.

She is always looking for ways to improve business and Customer Experience and is always welcoming of suggestions on how to better help customers.

Diana Larranaga

Head of Governance, for the Americas

IATA, the International Air Transport Association

Diana has extensive experience in the airline industry in the areas of distribution, transformation, change management, process compliance and quality improvement to achieve ISO9001 certifications.

She has trained in the areas of Finance and Business Management, and her experience in the industry also includes Key Account Management as well as Risk Management, delivering regional and global business strategies for the passenger and air cargo distribution channels.

Sherri Kirk

Director

Inspire

Sherri is an award-winning communication professional with more than two decades of academic medicine and healthcare industry experience, Sherri provides skillful counsel to numerous Inspire clients in areas of strategic communications, public relations, media relations, and crisis communications.

Sherri also serves as an advisor and mentor to the Inspire team.

Prior to joining Inspire, Sherri led the University of Cincinnati Health’s corporate media relations strategy and advanced the academic health system’s national and regional reputation working with consumer, business and trade media, and served as primary contact and spokesperson for all media activity. Respected for her trademark skill in articulating the benefits of innovative treatments and technology available to UC Health patients, she promoted many research and clinical care disciplines including otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat), transplant, and various surgical programs.

In addition, Sherri represented The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for 15 years in a variety of escalating public affairs and media relations roles. She promoted and elevated the nationally ranked institution’s national, regional and local reputation, including women’s health, transplantation, ENT and personalized health care programs, and Ohio State’s College of Medicine and Nisonger Center.

Sherri contributed to articles and stories consistently published in national magazines and news agencies and aired among broadcast/digital channels, including CNN, Fox News, Women’s Health, U.S. News & World Report, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and numerous other top-tier media outlets. Sherri is certified in crisis communications, digital media, women’s leadership and branding.

As an undergrad at The Ohio State University, Sherri served as a news-reporting intern and writer for local ABC and Fox affiliates and received a bachelor’s degree in communications with a specialization in public relations.
Sherri is a doting mother of three amazing children – Jacob, Noah and Katey.

Dr. Cara Williams

Veterinary Medical Officer in the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Dr. Williams earned a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and a Certificate in Global Health in 2013 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Dr. Williams practiced livestock, exotic, and companion animal medicine on farms and in clinics for four years prior to joining the federal government in 2017 as a Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Dr. Williams joined CDC in July 2020 with a focus on regulatory compliance in the importation of animals that pose a human public health risk. Dr. Williams serves as one of the Dog Subject Matter Experts for CDC’s dog importation program. Her professional interests include zoonotic diseases, foreign animal diseases, and disparities in health outcomes for humans and their animals attributable to institutionalized systems of oppression.

Les Oakes

Sevenoaks Animal Logistics

Dr. Gerry Pahl

PetExportVet

Dr. Pahl graduated from the University of Sydney in 1986 and has since worked as a Veterinary surgeon in Australia and the United Kingdom and has has lived has lived and worked in Hong Kong since 1997.

After more than a decade of providing Hong Kong Pet relocation companies with professional veterinary services as an integral part of pet relocation, the time came for Dr. Pahl’s own family pet to temporarily relocate to Australia. Naturally, he handled the relocation of his pet Dalmatian “Speckles” personally and with minimal impact on his family’s beloved pet. Very soon friends and then acquaintances of friends began to use his services for pet relocation to and from Hong Kong, and buoyed by the wonderful feedback, Dr. Pahl began PetExportVet in 2010 and began offering pet relocation services.

He was elected to the IPATA Board of Directors as a Director at Large (2015- 2018) and currently holds the position of IPATA President elect and chair of the IPATA R&D taskforce which is actively committed to study and research into the safe and humane travel of animals by air.

He looks forward to continuing to work with IPATA in a time of great global disruption and uncertainty and is acutely aware of the need to be supportive of our president as the next few years are a crucial time for the association requiring expert navigation as the difficult economic climate is affecting members' operations on so many levels.

Having owned and operated businesses in Hong Kong & Australia for more than three decades, he recognizes that good strategies are just a part of good leadership and without commitment to robust communication, not only to the board but the whole IPATA community we will not place our association where we are recognized and supported by airlines, other industry partners and each other.

As a veterinarian he has a strong commitment to animal welfare and well-being, and prides himself on having excellent communication skills with the pet owners he has worked with since his very first rural veterinary job.

Susie Pritchard

Incoming Assistant Director Animal Health

City of London

Susie worked in Rob Quest’s team at Heathrow Animal Reception Centre from 2009 to 2018. After a period working for a national animal welfare charity as Head of Operations, she returned to the City of London as Incoming Assistant Director Animal Health and Welfare, replacing Rob Quest as he retired; delighted to be back at Heathrow.

Doug Ward

Founder

Ship Your Pets/Alaska Pet Movers

Doug Ward is the founder of ShipYourPets/Alaska Pet Movers! As a University of Colorado Alumni and travel aficionado, he started transporting pets over nine years ago. This line of work has become his true passion and has enabled him to travel to over 40+ countries helping clients relocate their pets.

One of his favorite moves in the last few years was escorting a client and her Husky from Orlando, FL to Kathmandu, Nepal. After successfully relocating them to their new home, he was lucky enough to complete the Everest Base Camp Trek over the course of 12 days.

Being the owner of a small business, he personally provides a variety of services from driving dogs 60+ hours to/from Alaska, escorting pets on long-haul flights, providing in-cabin transport to anywhere imaginable, helping with AVI cargo, providing logistical support, and even moving exotic animals to exotic places!

At ShipYourPets/Alaska Pet Movers his motto is "Transportation for Any Breed, Anywhere!" and he strives to help all pet owners get their loved ones home!

Jan Horton Spence

International Speaker, Trainer, and Consultant

Jan Spence and Associates