Board Of Directors
Eireann Collins, DVM
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Division of Animal Industry
Emergency Programs Coordinator
President - NASAAEP
Dr. Eireann Collins is the Emergency Programs Coordinator for New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry. She administers the Empire State Animal Response Team, the state body supporting County Animal Response Teams and is the NYS Highly Pathogenica Avian Influenza Response IMT Operation Section Chief.
Dr. Collins is the recipient of the 2025 Joseph Ferrara Distinguished Service Award, 2024 NASAAEP Service Award, 2024 NYSAGM Teamwork Award, 2022 NYSAGM Individual Award of Excellence.
She started her career in private mixed animal practice with a focus on Production Animal Medicine, practicing in Minnesota, Texas, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York State. She has also previously worked as a Veterinary Medical Officer for USDA Food Safety Inspection Service.
Dr. Collins is a graduate of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Eric Thompson, BGS
Executive Director Animal Incident Management
Senior Director ASAR Training and Response
Past-President - NASAAEP
FEMA NAC PAW Act Subcommittee Member
Eric Thompson is a graduate of Kansas University with a B.G.S. in Environmental Science and graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center with his Police commission.
Currently Eric is working as the Executive Director for Animal Incident Management (AIM) with Bissell Pet Foundation.
Eric also serves as Senior Director for the ASAR Training and Response platform which provides animal rescue technicians and specialist training along with subject-matter-expert workshops and response. Eric continues as Past-President of the National Alliance for Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs (NASAAEP – www.thenasaaep.com).
Eric participated on the National Advisory Council subcommittee for the Planning for Animal Wellness (PAW) Act to review and update national guidelines for animals in disasters.
For more information on the Animal Incident Management (AIM) group and ASAR please see https://www.animalincidentmanagement.com and www.asartraining.com
Anna Allen, DVM MPH
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
Emergency Programs Division,
Eastern Region Emergency Programs Veterinarian
Dr. Anna Allen has been with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since 2012. She serves as a liaison between the Emergency Programs Division and 13 counties in the eastern part of North Carolina and consult with them on emergency and disaster preparedness and response for the animal and agriculture sectors. During a state-level response, she serves on the Agriculture Incident Management Team in the
Planning or Operations Sections depending on the type of incident. Dr. Allen received her DVM degree from North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. She completed a private practice equine internship in 2011.
​
In 2013, Dr. Allen participated in the USDA Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician training at Plum Island. She received a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015. Dr. Allen has also taught in the Veterinary Technology program at Miller-Motte College in Raleigh. She has served in the Planning and Operations sections as a member of the NCDA&CS Incident Management Team for Hurricanes Matthew and Florence as well as LPAI and HPAI in addition to multiple exercises involving biologic, natural disaster and nuclear scenarios. She was a key developer of NCDA & CS Special Avian Collections HPAI plans. She has served in the Planning and Operations sections as a member of the NCDA&CS Incident Management Team for Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, and Helene, as well as LPAI and HPAI in addition to multiple exercises involving biologic, natural disaster and nuclear scenarios.Dr. Allen lives in Raleigh, NC with her family and enjoys reading, yoga, journaling, watching sports, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
David Chico, VMD, MPH, DACVPM
Veterinarian 3, Division of Animal Industry,
Assistant State Veterinarian
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Dr. David Chico is responsible for oversight of 14 field-based Animal Health Technicians as well as four Supervisory Animal Health Inspectors in New York State. He developed Inspection Standard Operating Procedures for pet dealer inspections and penalty protocols. He manages approximately $20,000,000 in Companion Animal Capital Improvement Grants and $5,000,000 in Animal Population Control Fund Grants. He reviews and approves
biological requests in a timely manner. He serves as Support Division Director as needed. He provides oversight of Municipal Shelter and Dog Control Officer Inspections. He provides information to the public as needed and in response to Freedom of Information requests, including email and telephone inquiries.
​
Dr. David Chico has been a NASAAEP board member since 2008 and has served various roles within the organization including President, Vice President, Past President and he is currently the Treasurer. He strongly believes in the mission and the goals of NASAAEP which is why he has remained on the board for so long. He has actively participated in many committees including the Summit Planning Committee for most of the past Summits. As Treasurer, he is responsible of ensuring sufficient cash reserves for the Summit as well as ensuring that the organization has appropriate funding to maintain operations. He also writes the USDA Cooperative Agreement for Summit Funding each time. He established both the mail service and banking and continues to provide these functions. He values the work he has done on behalf of NASAAEP and is proud of the accomplishments the organization has made over the past 14 years.
Kathy Jorgenson, DVM MPH DACVPM
Coordinator of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps
Kathy Jorgensen graduated from North Dakota State University in 1991 with a B.S. in microbiology, and from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. In 2011, she completed a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota. Masters of Public Health, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Legal Studies.
​
Dr. Jorgensen achieved Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2011.
She is the coordinator of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps. She has been active in agricultural disaster preparedness and response and the state’s Radiologic Emergency Preparedness Program. She is a certified FEMA trainer for four radiologic and nuclear hazards courses, and is ProBoard certified at the Hazardous Materials, Operations Level. She is a current member of the National Animal Decon Working Group.
She served as a Planning Section Chief and a Disease Reporting Officer in the Minnesota Board of Animal Health incident management team. She and her husband run a beef farm in central Minnesota, and she enjoys spending time with their Border Collie, Alice, 4 cats, and numerous chickens.
Venessa Sims
Director of Emergency Management and Assistant Food and Feed Rapid Response Team (GA RRT) Program Manager for the Georgia Department of Agriculture
Venessa supports emergency management and homeland security duties for the food and agriculture sector in Georgia. She serves on the AVMA CDEI Committee. She served as Unified Commander for the 2020 Final Four and Super Bowl LIII Food Defense Branch and as a representative of the Super Bowl LIII Logistics Committee. Venessa serves on the FDA FSMA Intentional Adulteration Workgroup as a state representative, serves as the
Georgia representative for the Southern Animal and Agriculture Disaster Response Alliance (SAADRA), and served as the Board President for the National Alliance of State Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs (NASAAEP). She is a member of the Heritage Emergency Response Alliance (HERA) and the CDEI committee. Venessa also serves as a liaison as the Emergency Support Function (ESF) 11 Coordinator for the state of Georgia and coordinates response activities at the State Operations Center (SOC) for ESF 11 during activations, ESF 11 planning and exercise support activities, and ESF 11 recovery endeavors. Venessa chairs the Georgia Animal Coordination Group during disasters. She was a member of the Georgia Agriculture Recovery Task Force for Hurricane Michael, the worst agriculture disaster in Georgia history.
​
She is the Training & Exercise Coordinator for the Department where she works collaboratively with local, state, federal and private sector partners to plan, train and implement exercises related to food and agriculture and public health. She currently is serving on the VISTA FORGE-ATL Unified Command and Planning Committee for animal decontamination operations. She has served as Exercise Director, Planner, Player, Evaluator, Actor, After Action Report and Improvement Plan Point of Contact for Super Bowl LIII, Final Four 2020, Georgia Public Library Service, Cobb County Libraries, HERA, metro-Atlanta UASI, DOD, GEMA, FDA, CDC, Biowatch, food and agriculture, water, radiological, public health, and laboratory exercises. Ms. Sims regularly presents at local, state and national events on an array of topics related to food and agriculture planning, response and recovery initiatives.
Jimmy Tickle, DVM
Veterinarian and Livestock Emergency Management Expert at the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD)
Dr. Tickel’s (a summa cum laude ‘87 grad from NC State College of Veterinary Medicine) background includes mixed private practice, a career at North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Adjunct at NC College of Vet Medicine, Consultant, and now Senior Lead Scientist in Risk Management at Texas A & M’s Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases.
While with the NCDA & CS, Dr. Tickel served in special projects such as the Shackleford Horse Foundation Project, NC Elk Restoration Project, and as a member of Public Health Regional Surveillance Team. He assisted in developing the Emergency Programs Division and served in numerous disaster and disease events in NC and other
He and his team developed the Secure Zoo Strategy, a business continuity platform to assist the Exotic Animal Industry in FAD outbreaks. As an Adjunct Professor, Dr Tickel co-developed a Veterinary Credentialed Responder course, training over 1000 students and practitioners in disaster and disease preparedness. His work with IIAD has included developing a prototype of a novel digital game-based FAD learning system, served as a technical expert in revision of the GEMP and facilitated exercises involving INTERPOL, WOAH, and FAO in bioterrorism. He has worked with 25 nations in preparedness activities involving Transboundary diseases, One Health, and Agrocrime. Dr. Tickel’s latest authorship includes WOAH’s Preparedness Module for Expert Veterinarians.
​
In 2022, Dr. Jimmy Tickel received the Global Animal Welfare Award by the from the World Veterinarian Association (WVA) and Ceva Santé Animale (CEVA) for his disaster preparedness and response contributions and efforts in North America.
states acting as IC or OSC. As a consultant, he led national business continuity workshops for FADs, worked as a national trainer leading State Animal Response Workshops in 23 states and had the pleasure of training responders in 45 states, eventually leading to the development of NASAAEP.
Lawrence Garcia, MS DVM
Medical Director at University of Florida Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service Team Clinical Associate Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Garcia, MS, DVM, serves as the Medical Director for the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service (UF VETS) Team. His career has been strongly focused on animal disaster preparedness, planning, and response across local, state, and national levels.
His disaster work began during his tenure in a large, open-admission municipal animal shelter in South Florida. In this role, he participated in multiple emergency response trainings and drills and played an active part in developing and updating county emergency management (ESF‑17) plans, protocols, and procedures. He served both at the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for ESF‑17 as well as the shelter itself, providing operational oversight and guidance to shelter and field teams during emergency activations. As Medical Director for the UF VETS Team, Dr. Garcia plays a central role in statewide animal disaster response. He has led two state-requested field hospital deployments following Hurricanes Irma and Ian, overseeing medical operations.
​
His responsibilities include developing medical protocols and procedures, managing medical equipment and pharmaceutical caches, and providing leadership and training to ensure the team’s operational readiness.
​
Dr. Garcia also contributes extensively to disaster education. He supports and instructs in UF VETS Team Awareness- and Operations-level Animal Technical Rescue courses for veterinary students, veterinarians, and first responders. His collaborative work spans the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida State Agricultural Response Team, and the Florida Veterinary Medical Association, where he participates in large-scale disaster drills, planning initiatives, and deployment operations.
​
He has been a member of NASAAEP since 2019 and has served on its Executive Board since 2021. He has also served on the Florida Veterinary Medical Association Disaster Committee since 2019 and works closely with leadership in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences on disaster planning, preparedness, and response initiatives.
LeiAnna Moorhead
Emergency Coordinating Officer for ESF 17 and Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART) Emergency Coordinating Officer for Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Animal Industry; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
LeiAnna Moorhead is dedicated to strengthening all-hazard disaster capabilities through partnerships to support an effective and coordinated incident response for the animal and agricultural sectors in the state of Florida. LeiAnna serves as the Emergency Coordinating Officer (ECO) for state Emergency Support Function 17 (Animals and Agriculture) and the Alternate ECO for the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). She is also the administrator for the Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART), a multiagency coordination group that supports Emergency Support Function 17 with preparedness and response for the animal and agricultural sectors in the state of Florida. Before joining FDACS, LeiAnna worked in health care administration for over nine years and became an emergency medica technician, until she pursued a new career in emergency management. She served as a disaster relief volunteer with the American Red Cross and went on to receive her degree in international affairs with concentrations in emergency management and human rights from the Florida State University.
For NASAAEP, LeiAnna currently serves on the Best Practices Working Group for Planning and Resource Management, is a state voting member, and presented at the 2019 and 2022 NASAAEP Summits. Since 2016, LeiAnna has served in incident command-level positions for major hurricanes affecting Florida’s animal and agriculture sectors including Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Michael, Dorian, and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, LeiAnna had the unique opportunity to organize COVID-19 testing sites with local and state officials for Florida’s migrant farm workers who are essential in protecting the state’s food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector. She leads animal disease response, training, and exercises including the recent tabletop and functional exercise series entitled, Foreign Animal Disease Southern Agriculture Functional Exercise (FAD SAFE), a multi-state exercise between 11 states that involved over 125 Florida stakeholders and industry members. To develop effective strategies for the emergency sheltering of persons with pets during disaster, LeiAnna led the development of the Florida Pet-Friendly Sheltering Online Training, the first training of its kind to be offered in Florida and receive state and federal-recognized certification. LeiAnna’s current emergency preparedness initiatives for the state of Florida include large-scale animal carcass management readiness and engaging the Florida Veterinary Corps to build veterinary leadership in disaster response.
Dwayne Uhlig
Agriculture Emergency Management - ESF 11 (Agriculture and Natural Resources) - State of Arizona
Dwayne C. Uhlig brings over 30 years of leadership and service to his role at the Arizona Department of Agriculture, which he joined in January 2020 following a distinguished military career in the United States Army. As Emergency Preparedness Planner IV, he is responsible for Emergency Support Function (ESF) 11—Agriculture and Natural Resources—leading statewide efforts to safeguard Arizona’s farms, ranches, food systems, livestock, and natural resource infrastructure before, during, and after disasters.
A native of Wickenburg, Arizona, Dwayne holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and a Master’s Degree in Emergency and Disaster Management with a concentration in Homeland Security.
​
He is a graduate of FEMA’s National Emergency Management Basic and Advanced Academies, and was selected to attend the Executive Academy—completing the Emergency Management Professional Program. Dwayne also holds accreditations as an Type III All-Hazards Incident Commander, Operations Sections Chief, and Liaison Officer.
​
Dwayne works closely with producers, resource managers, tribal nations, and emergency response agencies to ensure continuity and resilience across Arizona’s diverse agricultural landscape. His efforts focus on disease outbreak planning, drought mitigation, wildfire response coordination, food and water security, and protecting the health of both domesticated and wild animal populations.
​
Nationally, Dwayne serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs (NASAAEP), the Western Alliance of States for or Agriculture Resilience (WASAR), and the Multistate Partnership for Security in Agriculture (MSP). He is known for his strategic thinking and collaborative leadership, advancing policies and practices that strengthen agricultural emergency preparedness and protect natural resources. Outside of work, Dwayne values simplicity and enjoys the peace and quiet of a life well-lived.
Ashley Patterson, DVM MPH
California Veterinary Emergency Team
Dr. Ashley Patterson is the Associate Director of Operations for the UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET). She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University and her Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota in 2019.
Prior to veterinary school, Ashley earned a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Administration and Planning and worked as an emergency management and planning consultant for Witt O’Brien’s starting in 2010. Following graduation from veterinary school, Ashley worked as an emergency veterinarian in a variety of hospitals and volunteered as a disaster responder. She brings a unique combination of veterinary medicine and emergency management background and is focused on enhancing the veterinary preparedness and response capabilities for the State of California.
Lais Costa, Med Vet, MS, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP
Extension Veterinarian and Assistant Professor, UC Davis Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Lais Costa is an Assistant Professor in Veterinary Medicine Extension, Department of Population Health and Reproduction at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California - Davis. She leads the Rural Community Disaster Preparedness Program as a Specialist at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Dr. Costa is a Diplomate by the American College of Internal Medicine in Large Animal and Diplomate by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Equine Practice. She has worked as educator and clinician for 20 years in equine and large animal medicine at veterinary schools and veterinary teaching hospitals at Louisiana State University, University of Georgia, Tufts University, Mississippi State University and University of California Davis.
​
She was the Coordinator for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Emergency Response Team (UCD-VERT) Medical Reserve Corps from 2018 to 2022, leading the veterinary responses to the 2018 Camp fire, the 2019 Kincade fire, the 2020 LNU Lightening Complex and North Complex fires, the 2021 Dixie and Caldor fires and 2022 Mosquito fire. She served as Field Veterinarian for the California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET) in 2022 and 2023. She was a responder for the Equine Branch for the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
​​
She holds a Master of Science in equine infectious diseases from the Maxwell Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky, and a PhD in Respiratory Pathobiology from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University.