Safer together, Missouri

Aislinn will be starting and concluding day one by reviewing the link and what we can do to help those who are vulnerable.

Aislinn holds a masters in social work from Washington University. She concentrated in mental health and specialized in policy. Aislinn has spent most of her career working on behalf of foster children and youth. She has been employed in foster parent recruitment, as an in-home support counselor to foster families with children needing intensive services, as a case-carrying social worker, a birth parent mentor, and a trainer for foster parents. Aislinn currently serves as a CASA, lifelong connection, and is a medical social worker in addition to working in animal welfare.

Dr. Ladny will be providing a foundational understanding of the impact on children of being exposed to animal abuse, why some children go on to abuse animals, why animal abuse in children must be taken with utmost concern, and will also review her work with United Nations and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, specifically research informing General Comment 26 (GC 26).

Dr. Roshni Ladny is a criminologist at Florida Gulf Coast University and conducts policy and program informing research on the role of adverse childhood experiences in the development of violent behavior and the link between animal cruelty and human violence. She is a certified domestic violence victim advocate in the state of Florida and has served as a clinical mental health counselor for both child and adult victims and perpetrators of violence. Dr. Ladny also served as a volunteer for Gadsden County Humane Society in the role of community outreach coordinator. Through this position, she and others conducted animal rescue, provided humane education to owners of neglected animals, and built fences and houses for chained dogs. During this time, she was granted special deputy status by the local sheriff’s office to help address animal cruelty and neglect cases, including dogfighting. One of the projects she is most passionate about is her ongoing work in international violence prevention advocacy through the all-volunteer organization The European Link Coalition (ELC). ELC informs both animal and child welfare policy at the global level by addressing childhood exposure to endemic animal cruelty and associated consequences for youth, animals, and societies. This project entails creating and presenting research to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and research and trainings to other relevant organizations to advocate for joint animal and child welfare policy.

Jenna will discuss the importance of child and adult survivors of domestic violence being able to bring their pets with them and the work of Hope Haven. She will also discuss her personal story of being a survivor. 

Dedicated Executive Director at Hope Haven, leading transformative initiatives for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Passionate about driving positive change, leveraging a strong background in fundraising, grant writing, program development, and strategic planning. Committed to fostering healing, empowerment, and resilience within a compassionate and inclusive environment. Joining hands with a dedicated team to create a safer, brighter future for survivors and their pets.

Dr. Brinker will be discussing from the perspective of a forensic veterinarian the link between crimes against animals and vulnerable people, how to identify and report suspected animal abuse and neglect, and the importance of cross-reporting.

Dr. Julie Brinker earner her DVM from the University of Missouri and holds an MS in Veterinary Medicine with an emphasis on Veterinary Forensic Sciences from the University of Florida and a graduate certificate in Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida. Through her work at the Humane Society of Missouri Dr. Brinker participates in abuse/neglect investigations, examines animals following rescue, performs necropsy (animal autopsy) on abused/neglected animals, and assists in on-site evaluations of animals in their environments to assess the need for removal of animals. She is also an instructor of Forensic Applied Animal Behavior. 

Cari will be sharing the role of Children's Division in protecting vulnerable children, stories of interconnected child and animal abuse in Missouri, and how to identify and report suspected child abuse and neglect.

Cari is a Child Abuse and Neglect Program Specialist with the Missouri Children’s Division.  Cari started her career in 1998 in juvenile justice, moving over to Children’s Division in 2000.  Cari has had many roles with the Children’s Division including Frontline Investigator, Frontline Supervisor, Regional Specialist, Quality Improvement Specialist and Child Abuse and Neglect Program Specialist for the State of Missouri since 2017.  Cari resides in Marshall, Missouri with her husband and two sons, ages 15 and 22.  Cari has written and published four children’s books that are based on her son and mom life. 

Claire will be sharing from the perspective of a prosecutor stories of connected crimes against animals, children, and domestic violence. She will discuss animal laws that Missourians should be aware of, why it is important to prosecute animal crimes, and tips for prosecuting on behalf of these special victims. 

Claire is an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. She has a hybrid position between the Violent Crimes Unit, consisting of trial attorneys, and the Crime Strategies Unit, consisting of data analysist who study crime patterns and trends. She also handles animal abuse and neglect cases for the office, as she is very passionate about animal law. She graduated from UMKC School of Law in 2021, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas in 2016, where she majored in Film Studies and Spanish. Prior to law school, Claire worked for the Kansas City Board of Elections for 4 years, conducting voter education, outreach, and training.

Lisa will be sharing her harrowing story of surviving her abusive husband/father of her children and discussing how her sweet dog did not make it.

Lisa is a survivor turned advocate.  As a survivor of sexual and domestic violence, Lisa uses her journey to help facilitate change in legislation as well as encouraging community involvement to STOP Domestic Violence.  Lisa has shared her story with various police departments, Crime Victims’ Rights Week events, various domestic violence shelters, and even with the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services.  Most recently Lisa helped to pass Lifetime Protection Orders and expand the Stalking definition in Missouri to give survivors, law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges more tools to combat Domestic Violence here in Missouri.

Attendees will gain knowledge on questions to ask children & adolescents regarding their own experiences with animals, as both strength and comfort, but also as possible victims of animal abuse.  Questions to consider when a child experiences a dog bite will be reviewed, to assist professionals in better understanding family dynamics and risks.

Sue Skinner has been a doctor for 35 years; she is a pediatrician who is board certified in both general pediatrics and child abuse pediatrics.  She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Oregon Pediatric Society & the Helfer Society.  She attended medical school in Portland Oregon and completed her residency in pediatrics in Tucson Arizona.  She worked in general pediatrics for a number of years, then began working in the field of child abuse and neglect in 1995. Since that time, she has worked at three child abuse clinics in Oregon over the past 29 years. In 2009, Dr. Skinner was a member of the first group of physicians in the United States to obtain board certification in child abuse pediatrics.  Dr. Skinner enjoys teaching both to individuals and to large groups, she has lectured locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on many subjects related to child abuse & neglect.  She assisted in creating a training video for schools and developing guidelines for the state regarding the medical assessment of child sexual abuse.  She has worked at the county level on protocols and guidelines for how systems can best work together to respond to abuse and neglect. She currently serves on the Professional Advisory Committee for the National Link Coalition, and works part time at CARES Northwest. Her interests are health care of children in foster care, physical abuse of school-aged children, environmental neglect & drug-endangerment, and the co-existence of animal abuse and child abuse.