Amended American History

James is a multi-awarding winning creative strategist with 25+ years of experience working with a diverse group of brands, both non profit, and for profit, including Timberland, Disney, NAACP, Baltimore Health Department, Kennedy Krieger Institute, CVS and Safe Streets. James and his team have initiated several programs, including the ground breaking Gulf Spay/Neuter Campaign and HSUS’ Pets for Life, which helped reshape animal welfare, advocating for more diversity and inclusion throughout the field. Other notable projects are HSUS’ Adopters Welcome, Outdoor Cats and Stop Puppy Mills, as well as clients like Best Friends Animal Society, Maddie’s Fund, and SPCA of Texas. James is currently the founder and CEO of CARE, Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity, a non-profit that is using research, community wisdom and storytelling to inspire inclusivity in animal welfare and create BIPOC run equitable organizations and programs.

Akisha, a recognized leader in the field of animal welfare law and policy, is currently the Chief of Policy for the Environmental Justice Division of CARE.  She brings over a decade of leadership experience at a variety of regional, national and international nonprofits in the area of animal law and policy.  Active in the broader social justice movement, she is a contributor to a number of organizations, including the Black Appalachian Coalition (BLAC) and her local NAACP, for which she chairs the environmental justice, and economic development committees. She is also the past diversity Vice Chair for the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee and is a recent recipient of the Prince and Cora Mack Humanitarian Award. 

Akisha received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was recognized as a Law Center Scholar and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University where she graduated with distinction.  She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two rabbits. 

Mueni is a Kenyan American scholar advocate with years of experience in racial justice, social activism and evaluative research. She graduated from Huston-Tillotson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and earned a Master of Social Work from Texas State University.  She has a consistent history of membership and participation in professional academic associations and service organizations. A published writer, she is also a proud TEDx speaker committed to filling the gaps of current Western training and approaches that avoid issues of racial diversity and ethnic cultural differences. She prioritizes Black and other historically marginalized group liberation in all her professional and community contributions. Her focus on accountability can be seen in her efforts to acknowledge systemic and institutional oppression by centering these populations. Her work amplifies historically oppressed communities and promotes authentic multicultural dialogue.