2010 National Poultry and Animal Waste Management Symposium
October 26-28, 2010
Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons
Greensboro, NC
Speaker Biographical Information
General Session
Rick Koelsch, PhD, is the Assistant Dean for Extension programs at the University of Nebraska. He has been in this position for 2 years. Dr. Koelsch received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1975 at Kansas State University. He later earned his Master of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1977 at the same University. In 1992, Dr. Koelsch graduated Cornell University with his doctorate degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering with a minor in Animal Science. In 2006, Dr. Koelsch was awarded the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) Excellence in Extension Regional Award and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Presidential Citation. Currently, he is engaged in facilitation of extension action teams, impact assessment and evaluation, distance learning and internet technology application in extension at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
George Utting, JD, is the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Team Leader at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He has worked in this position for 10 years. Mr. Utting earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Biology at Fordham University in New York. Later, he received his Juris Doctor Law Degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Currently, he is responsible for the development and implementation of federal national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) regulatory programs for concentrated animal feeding operations. This includes development of the federal regulations, policy, oversight of implementation, and guidance of the national program.
Don Butler is the Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs with Murphy-Brown LLC and is the immediate past president of the National Pork Producers Council. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. Mr. Butler has served as president of the North Carolina Pork Council, and board chairman of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. He has been a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Foundation and has served on the North Carolina Agribusiness Council.
Garth Boyd, PhD, is the Senior Vice President of Agriculture for Camco. Dr. Boyd earned his Bachelor and Master degrees at the University of Georgia, and he earned his Doctorate degree at Kansas State University. Currently, Garth works with producer, agribusiness and food companies on carbon strategy and assessment, carbon life cycle analysis of products and carbon asset development.
Jude Capper, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Dairy Sciences at Washington State University. She has been in this position for one year. Dr. Capper received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with Animal Science and her Doctorate degree in Ruminant Nutrition and Behavior at Harper Adams University College in the United Kingdom. She continued her post-doctorate research at Cornell University in Ruminant Lipid Metabolism. Currently, Dr. Capper works in extension and teaches at Washington State University. She teaches dairy management and conducts a research program that focuses on modeling the environmental impact of livestock (dairy and beef) production.
Kelly Donham, DVM, DACVPM, is a Professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, and a director at Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. He has been in this position for 37 years. In 1966, Dr. Donham received his Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Iowa. Later, he earned his Master of Science degree in Environmental Medicine in 1970 from the same University. The next year, he earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University. From 1997 onward, Dr. Donham has been a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Currently, he is a Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health where he teaches and conducts research relative to the identification and mitigation of occupational health and environmental impacts of production agriculture.
Steve Hoff, PhD, is a Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering Technology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He also earned a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and a Doctorate degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Currently, Dr. Hoff conducts teaching and research in the areas of environmental climate control for animal housing, sensor development, controller development, odor mitigation and modeling, and air emission measurement and control technologies for animal production systems.
Darrin Karcher, PhD, is a Poultry Extension Specialist at Michigan State University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the The Ohio State University, a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Doctorate’s degree from Purdue University. Currently, Dr. Karcher’s extension programming includes organizing educational programs for 4-H and FFA members, backyard and small flock producers, and the Michigan poultry industry to educate them on poultry production, job potential, and management issues. His research is targeted toward the turkey and layer industry in the state focusing on nutrition, management practices, and skeletal issues.
Mark Rice is an Extension Specialist in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. He has been in this position for 20 years. In 1988, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. Mr. Rice is a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, and he was president of the North Carolina Irrigation Society from 2004 to 2005. Currently, he is an extension educator working in the areas of animal waste management and agricultural water quality and waste management.
Glenn Carpenter, PhD, is the National Leader for Animal Husbandry with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has been in this position for 6 years. Dr. Carpenter earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctorate degrees in Poultry Science from Michigan State University. Currently, he leads the policy development, technology identification, and transfer initiative as related to the animal industries in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources and Conservation Service. He provides animal industry technical knowledge to the USDA, Office of the Secretary, and to the Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment.
Eric Gonder, DVM, PhD, is a Veterinarian with the Goldsboro Milling Company. He has been in this position for 24 years. Dr. Gonder holds a Master of Science degree, a Doctorate degree, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, he is responsible for hatchery and breeder quality assurance, salmonella and condemnations reduction programs, poultry and egg customer technical support, field investigations, animal welfare, and veterinary support representing Maxwell Foods interest in Butterball, LLC. He is also directly responsible for veterinary services for Powell Milling, an independent contractor in Arkansas providing turkeys to Butterball, LLC.
James L. McNaughton, PhD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of AHPharma, Inc. He has held this position for 24 years. In 1970, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering, and in 1972 he received his Master of Science degree in Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry. Dr. McNaughton earned his Doctorate degree in Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry with minors in Physiology and Microbiology in 1975 from Mississippi State University. He currently is the chief scientific officer conducting independent contract research and product development for the animal production industry through AHPharma, Inc.
Animal Production Session
Chris Hopkins, PhD, is a Research Associate with the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Later, he received his Master of Forestry degree and his Master of Business Administration degree from Yale University in Connecticut. Dr. Hopkins earned his Master of Science degree in Economics and his Doctorate degree in Candidate Forest Economics at North Carolina State University. Currently, he is the developer and operator of the Torrefaction and Biochar facilities at the Lake Wheeler field laboratory, researching the in-field drying of woody biomass and slow pyrolysis of biomass residues and wastes.
Chris Ohl, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Currently, his research interests reside in the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, the pharmacoepidemiology of antimicrobial use and the relationship between the two. Current active projects include the investigation of potential human colonization and infection due to drug resistant bacteria of animal origin in Eastern North Carolina, the establishment of a network of university and community hospitals to share information and ideas on antimicrobial resistance and drug usage, regional drug surveillance for antimicrobial resistance and physician and patient education programs to promote prudent antimicrobial use.
Kelly Zering, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist with North Carolina State University and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He has been in this position for 26 years. Dr. Zering obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of science degrees in Agricultural Economics at the University of Manitoba in Canada. He later earned his Doctorate degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of California, Davis in 1984. Currently, his extension and research responsibilities are for economics of swine production and marketing, including manure management and related policy.
C. Mike Williams, PhD, is Coordinator of Animal Waste Management Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. He directs the North Carolina State University Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center and serves as the Undergraduate Teaching Coordinator in the Department of Poultry Science. His research experience includes biotechnology applications for value-added processing of animal production agriculture co-products. He serves on numerous stakeholder committees regarding rule making, policy, social, and technical issues related to the environment and concentrated animal feeding operations.
William Boyd is a Leader of the National Manure Management Technology Development Team with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has held this position for 7 years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1979 from the University of Tennessee. Currently, he evaluates innovative manure management technologies to determine their applicability for United States Department of Agriculture programs.
Matias Vanotti, PhD, is a Research Scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). He has held this position for 15 years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. Dr. Vanotti later received his Master of Science and Doctorate degrees in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, his research has focused on advanced treatment processes for manure including liquid-solid separation, nitrification and denitrification, phosphorous removal, anammox, and development of environmentally superior technology for livestock waste.
Brian Paulsen is a Manager of Environmental Affairs with the company Premium Standard Farms. He has held this position for 8 years. Mr. Paulsen obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University and his Master’s degree from Western Kentucky University. Currently, he is responsible for all environmental issues at Premium Standard Farms in Missouri.
Poultry Production Session
Lee Southern, PhD, is a Doyle Chambers Professor of Animal Science at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center with primary responsibility for nutrition of swine and poultry and an emphasis on amino acids and minerals. He has held this position for 28 years. Dr. Southern obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science from North Carolina State University in 1977 and 1979, respectively. He later received his Doctorate degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Nutrition at the University of Illinois in 1983.
Steve Auman, PhD, is the Director of Business Development for PotashCorp. He has worked over 37 years in the phosphate industry. Dr. Auman received a Doctorate degree in Nutrition at North Carolina State University. Currently, he serves on the Feed Regulatory Committee of the American Feed Industry Association and serves as the alternate Industry Liaison on the Feed Manufacturing Committee of the American Association of Feed Control Officials. He is a member of the Executive Board of the International Feed Industry Federation, a non-government organization affiliated with the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Cathy Klein, is Vice-President of Co-Product Sales at Perdue AgriBusiness. Ms. Klein has been with Perdue for 24 years in the commodity business and related co-products. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at Immaculata College and a Master of Business Administration from Salisbury University. Currently, she is in charge of profit and loss for three business units within Perdue AgriBusiness: Perdue AgriRecycle (organic fertilizer), Venture Milling (protein blending) and Perdue Fats and Proteins (rendering).
Tom Way, PhD, has been working as an Agricultural Engineer with the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in the Agricultural Research Service sector of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) in Auburn, Alabama since 1992. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Nebraska. He has conducted research on equipment for manure application, on soil compaction and traction, and on planters for conservation systems.
Daren Harmel, PhD, is an Agricultural Engineer with the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service. He has held this position for 11 years. In 1997, Dr. Harmel earned his Doctorate degree in Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. One of his major research topics is agricultural land use impacts on water quality and hydrology.
Michael Jenkins, PhD, is a Research Microbiologist with the Agricultural Research Service sector of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS). He has held this position for 10 years. Dr. Jenkins obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California, Berkeley. Later, he earned his Master of Science and Doctorate degrees at Oregon State University. Currently, he is the lead scientist focused on survival and transport dynamics of manure pathogens such as Salmonela, E. Coli, and Cryptosporidium spp. in agricultural landscapes.
Richard Reynnells, PhD, is a National Program Leader, Animal Production Systems, with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the United States Department of Agriculture. He has held this position for 25 years. Dr. Reynnells earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctorate degrees from Michigan State University. Currently, he is primarily responsible for animal welfare with a previous major emphasis on environmental protection and biosecurity.
Gordon Cleveland is the Radiological Program Analyst for the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services and the National Center for Animal Health Emergency Management. He has held this position for 3 years. Mr. Cleveland received his Bachelor of the Arts degree in Anthropology at the University of Colorado, and was Research Associate at the University of Hawaii’s Animal Science Department before coming to USDA. Currently he is researching radiological carcass disposal, radiological surveillance and decontamination of pets, service animals, livestock and poultry.
Paul Lemieux, PhD, is the Acting Associate Division Director with the Decontamination and Consequence Management Division in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development’s National Homeland Security Research Center. He has been with the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development for 22 years. Dr. Lemieux received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Seattle University and his Doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah. Currently, he is working on issues related to the disposal of residues resulting from cleanup after chemical, biological, or radiological attacks and after agricultural emergency responses.
Morgan Farnell, PhD, is an Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, and Extension Program Leader at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service through the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M University. Currently he is interested in live production and health, pre-harvest food safety, improving gut health, and disease response.
Dave Mooney is the President of rem Engineering, Inc. He has held this position for 15 years. Mr. Mooney received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1992 from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Currently, he is in charge of sales and marketing as well as assisting with the design of power production systems, with an emphasis on cogeneration and renewable power generation.
Rob Bullock is a Regional Sales Manager with White River Fertilizer Supply. He has held this position for one year. Mr. Bullock holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Political Science, and he holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Business Finance. Currently, he is the head of the sales and transportation departments for White River Fertilizer.
Marvin Childers, JD, is the President of The Poultry Federation in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. He has held this position for three and one-half years. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in accounting in 1983 at the University of Mississippi. Mr. Childers later obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1986 at the University Of Mississippi School Of Law. Currently he is President and Government Relations Director for The Poultry Federation, a tri-state federation covering Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
Executive Committee
Edgar Oviedo, North Carolina State, Chair
Theresia Lavergne, Louisiana State University, Co-Chair
Casey Ritz, University of Georgia, Past Chair
For a complete listing of chairs, co-chairs and committee members, please click here.