Amid the workshops, trade show sessions, and networking at this year’s Animal Care Expo in May, 13 people got together to do something new: The conference in Dallas, Texas, marked the first meeting of the revamped Companion Animal Advisory Council (CAAC).

The Humane Society of the United States instituted its advisory council (then called the National Companion Animal Advisory Group) in 1996. The 2007-2009 council includes the following 13 local animal welfare leaders, who will offer ideas and recommendations to the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.

James Bias, CAWA, President, SPCA of Texas, Dallas, Texas
Animals handled yearly: 24,000
Human population served: 5,300,000
Bias, who has worked in animal care and control for 27 years, became president of the SPCA of Texas in 2004. That year, he also earned his Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) title through the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators, of which he is a board member. Bias previously ran the Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County and worked for The HSUS’s Southwest Regional Office.

Martha Boden , CEO, Humane Society of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
Animals handled yearly: 9,000
Human population served: 1,525,000
The head of the Humane Society of Indianapolis since 2002, Boden has raised the placement rate of shelter animals from 50 to 62 percent and ensured that all are sterilized before adoption. Previously, she volunteered at the Animal Humane Society in Minneapolis and at rescue organizations while working as a computer consultant in the healthcare industry.

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