OUR TEAM
Dr Kris otteman
CAWA, Diplomate ABVP SHELTER MEDICINE, Courtesy Faculty Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Otteman has over 35 years of experience in veterinary operations, 15 of those spent leading medical operations and humane investigations within a large progressive shelter and the veterinary teaching program at the shelter for Oregon State University. Dr. Otteman is a charter member of the IVFSA and currently serves as president elect. She also serves on the APA Animal Cruelty Advisory Committee and consults for ALDF on animal cruelty investigation cases. She has contributed to hundreds of animal cruelty investigations and is passionate about the importance of the veterinary contribution to this work.
LINDA FIELDER
CAWA
Linda has been active in the animal welfare and sheltering field for over 25 years in many capacities including director of shelter medicine, director of humane law enforcement and in her current role as Humane Investigations Manager with the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Criminal Justice Program. She is currently coordinating the launch of ALDF’s Collaborative Response Project, which puts into practice many of the concepts introduced in this course.
EMILY LEWIS
Esq., JD, MSEL
Working as the Managing Attorney for the Criminal Justice Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Emily supervises and facilitates assistance in active criminal cases, working directly with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, veterinarians, and rescue groups. She supports and trains front-line responders on search warrant drafting, evidence collection and preservation, and scene processing best practices. She has presented nationally and internationally on the importance of the veterinarian’s role in recognizing, reporting, and responding to animal neglect and abuse.
Emily is the co-author of the textbook Animal Cruelty Investigations: A Collaborative Response from Victim to Verdict and co-creator of the online course Victim to Verdict: The Veterinarian’s Role in Animal Cruetly Investigations. She currently serves on the Board of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association and the National Sheriff’s Association’s Animal Cruelty Committee. She holds a JD and Master of Studies in Environmental Law (MSEL) from Vermont Law School, where she graduated with honors.
DR ANNE MARCUM
DVM, MPH
Dr. Marcum is a small animal veterinarian. She graduated from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2021 and afterward began her career as an emergency veterinarian and general practitioner. In early 2023, Dr. Marcum joined the authors of Victim to Verdict to provide a fresh perspective as a recent graduate, as well as serve as their content editor and project manager among many other roles. She is still new to veterinary forensics but is passionate about becoming more involved in the field.
Dr. Kris Otteman Brant, DVM, ABVP, CAWA is a charter member of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association, a member of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Oregon Veterinary Medical Licensing Board. Otteman is a pioneer in the field of veterinary forensics having worked in the field since 2008 when very few veterinarians in the United States were trained on this field or actively contributing.
With over 30 years in the veterinary profession and as the leader for medical operations and humane investigations operations within one of the nation’s most successful shelters for over 15 years, Dr. Kris Otteman currently serves on the IFVSA board, the APA Animal Cruelty Advisory Committee and consults for ALDF on animal cruelty investigations cases.
As the Director of Law Enforcement at the Oregon Humane Society, Linda Fielder, CAWA, led large-scale criminal seizures involving livestock, dog breeders, and animal hoarding scenarios. A Certified Animal Welfare Administrator and a Certified Property and Evidence Specialist, Linda has trained veterinarians, prosecutors and law enforcement professionals from across the globe in crime scene processing, large-scale seizures and link between animal cruelty and human violence.
Working for a decade as the staff attorney for the Law Enforcement Department at the Oregon Humane Society, Emily Lewis, JD, MSEL learned firsthand how to successfully navigate the complex legal issues raised in criminal animal cruelty cases. Emily currently assists law enforcement, veterinarians, and prosecutors on a national scale in her role as a Senior Staff Attorney for the Criminal Justice Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
