Colorado Animal Welfare Conference Session

Lisa Johns is the director of veterinary services at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR), where she oversees shelter medicine, the foster program, and public veterinary services—including HQHV spay/neuter and surgical care—at HSPPR’s Colorado Springs and Pueblo locations. Johns began her career in animal welfare while living in American Samoa as a practicing attorney where she helped coordinate free spay/neuter clinics to address severe animal overpopulation. This experience inspired a career change and a commitment to animal welfare.
She held leadership roles as shelter manager at Good Mews Animal Foundation in Marietta, GA and as chief operations officer at Asheville Humane Society (AHS) in Asheville, NC before joining HSPPR in 2023. She is a member of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator. Johns lives with her cats, Satani, from American Samoa, Beemer, a special needs kitty, and Roxie, a senior pit bull, both adopted from AHS.

Angel Williams, deputy director at Riverdale Animal Shelter, has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Colorado State University and more than 20 years of experience in animal husbandry, behavior and training, and animal welfare. Prior to joining Riverdale Animal Shelter, Williams served at some of the most progressive zoos in the country including the Dallas Zoo, where she was part of a team that integrated the first multi-species exhibit in the United States that
included elephants and other large mammals. There, she also served on the Animal Behavior and Training Committee, supporting zookeepers new to the field. In addition, she has worked internationally, consulting and presenting on elephant management programs for several European zoos.