Program

Saturday Keynote

Neal Barnard, M.D. F.A.C.C

• Author of more than 70 scientific publications and 15 books, including Power Foods for the Brain; Breaking the Food Seduction; Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes; and editor of A Nutrition Guide for Clinicians
• Founder and President of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• President of the Barnard Medical Center

Sunday Keynote

Michele Simon, JD, MPH

Join the Plant-based Foods Revolution - Gone are the days of boring vegan foods found only in health food stores. We are in the midst of a major upheaval in the plant-based foods industry, driven by innovation and shifting consumer tastes. To meet the booming demand for plant-based foods, we need to build a powerful political movement. Come learn about the growth of the plant-based foods industry, the policy opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and how you can support this exciting effort.

Michele Simon has 20 years of experience in food and beverage law and policy. She is executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, a trade group representing the nation's leading plant-based foods companies. She also offers legal advice to food companies on federal regulatory compliance for labeling and marketing, among other services. In addition to her law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Michele has a master’s degree in public health from Yale University.

Called to Rescue

Screening Saturday at 11am, Sunday at 2pm. Called to Rescue is a documentary film that showcases the incredible work being done on animal sanctuaries for the fortunate farm animals who have been saved from the modern animal agriculture production machine. Sanctuaries depend on volunteers, donations and tireless work of staff to save and shelter as many animals as possible. Our film provides an inside look into life on a sanctuary, the dedication needed to maintain a safe haven for these animals...and of course, the incredible stories of how these animals are saving lives. Every animal we've met during our travel has a name and a story. Their journeys range from the remarkable, to the heartbreaking, but all end within a safe haven. We are grateful for the undercover film work that has been done in CAFO's, often brutally awakening viewers to a look at what "life" used to be like for many of the animals that we've met during filming. Our film focuses on the stories that unfold afterward, and the remarkable humans who dedicate their lives to saving a life. While the first chapters of these stories are often heartbreaking, the spirit of these incredibly strong animals is nothing short of inspiring. Our intention is to re-awaken our innate knowledge that animals are sentient beings, with families and a desire to live out their natural life free from suffering.

Vegan: Everyday Stories

Screening Saturday at 2pm and 5pm; Sunday at 11am and 5pm. Vegan: Everyday Stories is a feature-length documentary that explores the lives of four remarkably different people who share a common thread - they're all vegan. The movie traces the personal journeys of an ultramarathon runner who has overcome addiction to compete in one hundred mile races, a cattle rancher's wife who creates the first cattle ranch turned farmed animal sanctuary in Texas, a food truck owner cooking up knee-buckling plant-based foods, and an 8-year-old girl who convinces her family of six to go vegan. There are a number of great movies focusing on why to go vegan or featuring people new to veganism, but this movie spotlights how everyday people and their families, each pursuing their own careers, hobbies, and passions live their lives while following a vegan lifestyle. The movie follows ultrarunner Yassine Diboun as he journeys miles into the wilderness, running from a past that deeply affected his family and nearly cost him his life; and Renee King-Sonnen, who fell in love with the farmed animals on her husband's ranch and was determined to do whatever she could to create a sanctuary; and Jerri Hastey owner of food truck Seed On The Go who wishes to share delicious eye-catching food with the masses; and young Genesis Butler who at the tender age of 3 asked her mom where her chicken nuggets came from and now she's on a quest to protect all animals in the world. The movie is not only about vegan folks living their everyday lives, it is being created and funded by the community! The movie is a project of Northwest VEG, a 501c(3) charity, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Aaron Adams

Aaron came to Portland about ten years ago, following his brother, who was just starting a family here. After working for over a decade in restaurants in Seattle, Guam, Miami, and New York, Aaron opened his first restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, called Spontane. It was an exciting project, but Aaron, longing for his west coast home, left for Portland just a couple of years later. Upon arrival, Aaron "went vegan" and quickly quit cooking, not seeing a career without animal products possible. After a stint as a machinist, he went back to cooking, eventually opening Portobello with partner Dinae Horne. Six years later, Aaron left Portobello and took some time to hone his skills and stage at some other kitchens, all the while planning to open an intimate chef counter restaurant. The result was Farm Spirit. Since its opening in 2015, the restaurant has been recognized as one of the top 101 restaurants in Portland by The Oregonian and the Best Farm to Table Restaurant in Portland by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

Jonathan Balcombe

Jonathan Balcombe was born in England, raised in New Zealand and Canada, and has lived in the United States since 1987. He has three biology degrees, including a PhD in ethology (the study of animal behavior) from the University of Tennessee, where he studied communication in bats. He has published over 50 scientific papers on animal behavior and animal protection. Formerly Department Chair for Animal Studies with the Humane Society University, and Senior Research Scientist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Jonathan is currently Director of Animal Sentience with the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy, in Washington, DC.

Matt Ball

For over two decades, Matt has been a globally-recognized authority on animal advocacy, factory farming, vegetarian diets, and applied ethics. Matt is currently Director of Engagement and Outreach for Farm Sanctuary. Previously, he was Senior Advisor for VegFund. He co-founded Vegan Outreach in 1993 and led the organization for more than 20 years.

Can Our Choices Make a Difference? - Every day, we face a deluge of demands on our time, attention, and donations. In this talk and Q&A, we will look beyond the headlines and high-profile stories. We will dig into what goes on behind the scenes, and consider what actually connects to our day-to-day choices. In this way, we can accomplish two things: 1. Discover what is generally not seen or considered, and 2. Tease out where our choices can realistically make a difference. The talk and Q&A is intended to provide insights to everyone, from the person who has never questioned the standard American diet to long-time activists.

Neal Barnard, MD

As president of the Physicians Committee, Dr. Barnard leads programs advocating for preventive medicine, good nutrition, and higher ethical standards in research. He has hosted three PBS television programs on nutrition and health and is frequently called on by news programs to discuss issues related to nutrition and research.

Beverly Lynn Bennett

Beverly Lynn Bennett is an experienced vegan chef and baker, writer, and animal advocate who is passionate about showing the world how easy, delicious, and healthful it is to live and eat as a vegan. A certified food-service operations manager, she earned her culinary arts degree in 1988 and gained much practical experience in the years that followed, working in and managing vegan and vegetarian restaurants and natural foods stores. Vegan since the early 1990s, Beverly is the author of Vegan Bites: Recipes for Singles, Chia: Using the Ancient Superfood, Kale: The Nutritional Powerhouse, Spiralize!: Transform Vegetables and Fruits from Ordinary to Extraordinary, Almond Flour: The High-Protein, Gluten-Free Choice for Baking and Cooking, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking, and others. Her work has appeared in many national and international print publications, on public television and DVD, and all over the web. She has hosted The Vegan Chef website at veganchef.com since 1999, and lives in the very vegan-friendly city of Eugene, Oregon.

Spiralizing: The Fun and Easy Way to Turn Produce into Pasta: Demoing Raw Pad Thai and Psychedelic Salad on Saturday.

Vegan Cookies Made with Almond Flour: Demoing Chocolate Chip Cookies and Gingersnap Cookies on Sunday.

Katie Cantrell

Katie is the founder and executive director of the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC). After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2009, she founded FFAC and has since given over 150 presentations about factory farming at venues such as Stanford, Yale, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Her presentations have been used as a resource by food justice activists across the country.

Why Veg: The Surprising Power of Our Food Choices - From social justice to climate change to health care costs, our food choices have huge impacts. Learn about the effects of factory farming, and why our diet is one of the single most effective ways that we can help the world. This presentation is a must-see for people who care about food, for people who care about people, and for people who like seeing cute animal pictures.

The Biggest Impact: How to Advocate to All Types of People - The founder of the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition will share her experiences reaching out to environmental, social justice, and religious groups. By strategically framing the issue of factory farming, we can reach broader audiences and build a powerful coalition.

Chef AJ

Chef AJ has been devoted to a plant-based diet for almost 40 years. She is the host of the television series Healthy Living with CHEF AJ which airs on Foody TV. With her comedy background, she has made appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and more. A chef, culinary instructor and professional speaker, she is author of the popular book Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight, which chronicles her journey from a junk-food vegan faced with a diagnosis of pre-cancerous polyps, to learning how to create foods that nourish and heal the body. Based in Los Angeles, Chef AJ teaches how to create meals to transform health, how to deal with cravings and food addiction and addresses the emotional side of eating. She is the creator of The Ultimate Weight Loss Program, was the Executive Pastry Chef at Sante La Brea Restaurant in Los Angeles, creator of Healthy Taste of LA and the YouTube cooking show The Chef and the Dietitian. Chef AJ holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University and is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

John and Kit Collins

In high school John read Henry David Thoreau’s story of planting extra rows of plants in his garden for the animals to eat. While other farmers chose to shoot the deer and rabbits that invaded their gardens, Thoreau chose compassion over cruelty. Several years later in 1970 watching a fish he had caught dying in the boat forced John to confront the reality of killing an animal and turned him into a vegetarian (and later vegan).

As a child, Kit cared for goats, sheep, horses, rabbits, chickens and a cow on her parents' farm. Witnessing the slaughter of numerous farm animals made her question the necessity of killing and eating her animal friends. Years later when her older brother returned from Vietnam as a vegetarian, he vowed never to participate in the killing of anything, human or animal. Impressed, Kit went vegetarian in 1976 and vegan in 2000. Today, Kit runs Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary with her husband John in addition to working in Portland during the week.

Tina Crow

For as long as I remember I have felt a deep connection with, and love for, animals. I grew up in a small town surrounded by animals from cats and dogs to horses and sheep. In the early 80's by chance I picked the magazine “Animal Agenda” and made the monumental discovery that I wasn't alone in my compassion for animals. This pivotal moment also introduced me to the horrors of factory farming making me a vegetarian at 13years old. My college years in San Francisco were spent volunteering at The Fund For Animals and attending every protest possible. This is when I first learned of veganism and have been vegan for 30 years. I always knew I wanted to spend my life helping animals and after surviving stage three colorectal cancer I realized I better get started the important things. So in 2011 my husband John and I founded Green Acres Farm Sanctuary with the mission to create compassion through rescue, education and service. It is rewarding to know my husband and I along with hundreds of volunteers have helped over 500 animals and counting at Green Acres Farm Sanctuary. I invite all of you to join us.

Alan Goldhamer DC

Founder and Director for the past 30 years of the TrueNorth Health Center, a multi-discipline health care facility offering both in-patient and outpatient treatment with doctors of medicine, chiropractic, osteopathy, naturopathy and psychology. Co-author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Undermines Health and Happiness. Principal investigator in two studies on the impacts of medically-supervised water-only fasting on hypertension.

Brooke Goldner MD

Board-certified physician in psychiatry and neurology, specializing in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma. Internationally-recognized expert in healing with plant-based nutrition. Author of Goodbye Lupus: How a Medical Doctor Healed Herself Naturally with Supermarket Foods.

Kathy Hessler, JD, LLM

Kathy Hessler has been teaching Animal Law courses since 2001 and is a clinical professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School. She co-authored the amicus brief submitted in the U.S. v. Stevens case, on behalf of 45 law professors who teach animal law. She also co-authored Animal Law in a Nutshell and has written numerous other law review and other articles and she is co-authoring a new book on animal law. Kathy lectures widely on animal law and animal law education issues in the U.S. and internationally.

Kathy will first address the legal definition of animals as property and what that means for them. Kathy will then consider the legal challenges to ag gag legislation meant to silence activists who speak on behalf of animals. Finally, she will present a quick overview of aquaculture issues and raise concerns about the use and lack of legal protection for aquatic species.

Julieanna Hever

From her private practice in Los Angeles, Julieanna counsels clients throughout the world with various nutritional and/or medical concerns. She has authored articles published in prominent journals, magazines, blogs, and newsletters. Julieanna served as a consultant for the Forks Over Knives documentary and some of her recipes are included in both Forks Over Knives books. Julieanna received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and Masters of Science in Nutrition at California State University, Northridge, where she also completed her Dietetic Internship. She has taught as part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Program, worked as a clinical dietitian at Century City Doctors Hospital, and has consulted for numerous businesses. See more at: plantbaseddietitian.com.

Ellen Jaffe Jones

Ellen Jaffe Jones is the prolific author of "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," "Kitchen Divided," "Paleo Vegan," and just released "Vegan Fitness for Mortals." Ellen won the National Press Club Award for consumer reporting and is a former major market 2X Emmy-winning investigative reporter. She's been a media consultant for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and other vegan doctors and dietitians. She currently co-hosts the Vegan Mythbusters Radio show, and in her age group, has placed in 105 5K or longer running races, was 7th in the US in the 1500 meters, 10th in the 400 meters, and 1st in Florida in the 50,100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters and has run 2 marathons and 9 half marathons, rare for someone with her sprint times. She is a certified personal trainer and running coach. She also won PETA's Sexiest Vegan Over 50 Award and 1 of 5 PETA's Inspirational Women Who Stand Up for Animals Every Day. vegcoach.com

Gwen and Peter Jakubisin

Gwen and Peter Jakubisin are the current on-site farm managers of Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary in Scio Oregon. They have been involved with the sanctuary for three years in a volunteer and board capacity and have been managing the sanctuary since September 2015, where they provide care to over 180 rescued farm animals.

Milton Mills

Practicing internist at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia and at urgent care and free clinics in Washington, D.C.. Co-author of he Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's (PCRM) report on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and former Associate Director of Preventive Medicine with PCRM. Race & Nutrition Specialist and board adviser for A Well Fed World. Milton Mills, MD has specialized in internal medicine, HIV disease, and the relationship between nutrition and chronic diseases. He is extensively knowledgeable about the unique health care needs of minorities, the challenges of practicing medicine in inner cities, and the special medical and nutritional requirements of HIV+ and AIDS patients. He recommends plant-based eating to patients and audiences at hospitals, churches, and community centers around the country.

Brenda Morris

Brenda began her career in banking, assisting clients with both lending and investment needs. After spending over a decade in the financial industry she finally realized she was too much of an idealist to ever fit properly in the corporate world and founded Humane Investing, LLC. Assisting those who are also inspired to change the world is incredibly fulfilling and Brenda never loses sight of the incredible responsibility and trust that her clients have given her. She began working as an Investment Advisor Representative through First Affirmative Financial Network after founding Humane Investing, LLC. Brenda has been a coordinator with the Richmond Vegetarian Festival since 2003 and an active member of the Vegetarian Society of Richmond for almost two decades. She is a State Council member for HSUS and thrives on educating people on the virtues of investing for a more humane world for all. Visit her website at humaneinvesting.com

Humane Investing: Making Money and Making a Difference - If you choose not to eat animal products for ethical reasons, you owe it to yourself and to the animals to take a look at the holdings in your investment portfolio. Even folks who are die hard carnivores would, all else being equal, most likely choose to eat animals who have been treated humanely versus those who have been abused and exploited. That said, why not extend that philosophy to your 401k and your IRA and only invest in companies that you want to support rather than those that harm, kill, or profit from animals?

Alan Roettinger

Alan is a writer, food designer, blogger, and public speaker. As a private chef for twenty-five years, he has served clients (including a president and a prime minister) in the United States, Europe, and Australia. His cookbooks, Omega-3 Cuisine, Speed Vegan, Extraordinary Vegan and Paleo Vegan (with Ellen Jaffe Jones) showcase his ability to bring health and pleasure together in a wide range of dishes that are simultaneously sophisticated and accessible for the home cook. Alan is dedicated to encouraging and empowering people to make smart choices in what they eat. alanroettinger.com

Shauna Sherick

Ever since I was a child spending most my summers growing up on my grandparents farm, I’ve had a passion for rescuing animals and saving the environment. At the age of 12 years old, after seeing a television program about the hunting of Canadian harp seals for their fur, I formed my first activist group called "Save Our Seals," collecting signatures and planning our members trip to stop the seal hunt. Although that trip never happened, I knew what path my life would be on from that day forward, which would be helping animals and the environment. Following high school I earned my degree in animal science and became a licensed veterinary technician working in a mixed animal practice in 1995 where I still work today. While working as a veterinary technician I earned my license to rehabilitate wildlife and began volunteering at the Portland Audubon Society Wildlife Care Center, when not working for Newberg Veterinary Hospital, for many years and loved it. When I had the fortunate opportuntiy to take over my grandparents farm, I wanted to make a difference by using my knowledge of farm animals and veterinary technician skills by creating Wildwood Farm Sanctuary, a sanctuary and refuge for wildlife and abused, neglected farm animals where our mission is to promote compassion and inspire change in the way society views and treats animals.

Michele Simon, JD, MPH

Michele Simon has 20 years of experience in food and beverage law and policy. She is executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, a trade group representing the nation's leading plant-based foods companies. She also offers legal advice to food companies on federal regulatory compliance for labeling and marketing, among other services. In addition to her law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Michele has a master’s degree in public health from Yale University.

Join the Plant-based Foods Revolution - Gone are the days of boring vegan foods found only in health food stores. We are in the midst of a major upheaval in the plant-based foods industry, driven by innovation and shifting consumer tastes. To meet the booming demand for plant-based foods, we need to build a powerful political movement. Come learn about the growth of the plant-based foods industry, the policy opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and how you can support this exciting effort.

Thomas Tadlock

Recognized as one of the top 5 trainers in the USA by Star Trac, one of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers in the world, recipient of the "Best of Award" 6 years in a row for his first personal training company, Epiphany Fitness Studio, and founder of the largest indoor boot camp in Orange County, CA, Thomas Tadlock was MTV's 2003 Hottest Body, and is currently the host of the Vegan Body Revolution show, the #1 ranked Fitness & Diet podcast on Podomatic.com. He is a master trainer for 3 different fitness companies and has been featured on multiple fitness DVDs. He holds a master's degree in Exercise Science & Health Promotion and 8 national certifications.