Jessica received her Veterinarian degree from the University of Mexico College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked with the Dairy Extension Team in her University. There, she was able to assist farmers in a small community near Mexico City. When she graduated, she moved to the United States, where she was hired by one of the biggest Dairy Companies in Wisconsin, gaining a lot of experience in training, management, hoof trimming, reproduction, animal welfare, and safety. She has worked with organic, conventional, and automated dairy farms.

To increase her knowledge, she participated in the MSU Dairy Extension Team as a producer, and with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan Board Mentor Program. In addition, she graduated from the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program and became the Education Coordinator for Michigan.

She has been a consultant and provided translation services where she worked to help farmers improve their farms and provide opportunities to multilingual workers.

Sara Gillette grew up on a Guernsey farm with a milking herd of 60 cows along with raising corn and alfalfa. The farm was sold when Gillette was 24 years old, but that did not stop her dairy career. She also worked as a bulk milk truck driver, before she accepted her position with Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. She worked with over 340 dairy farmers in New York state as a milk inspector and animal well-being specialist for Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. before retiring and now serves as a Livestock Audit Specialist for FSNS C&A.

A Venezuelan by birth and an Aggie at heart, Claudia Lozada did her Masters in Animal Science, with a focus in Animal Welfare and Behavior at Texas A&M University. Raised within generations of dairy farmers in Venezuela, Claudia received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a minor in marketing.

During her master’s, Claudia researched sex differences in beef cattle luxury behaviors and the use of environmental enrichment as a novel behavioral phenotype. In addition to her thesis research, she also led a project evaluating the impact of bedding on the behavior and welfare of cattle. At the center of all of Claudia’s work is a common mission: her natural passion for animals and commitment to advance animal welfare in production and research facilities.

Claudia has delivered multiple speeches across national and international stages, such as the American Society of Animal Science and the International Society for Applied Ethology. She is also soon to be featured in three different academic publications.

Claudia is thrilled to be part of the Livestock Audit team and enjoys bringing her cross-functional background to the animal welfare industry.

A third-generation Boilermaker, Darby graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science and Minor in Wildlife Biology. She was a member of Purdue’s 2018 Meats Judging team and focused on meat science and beef cattle management while completing her degree. She grew up in Northern Indiana where her family farmed and raised beef cattle. This spurred her passion for the animal agriculture industry and the cattle producers who keep it alive. Growing up, Darby was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA, competing in many local, state, and national competitions. She credits these years with having built the foundation for which her career will continue to build.

Darby began her career in the meatpacking industry in 2019, joining JBS Greeley Beef and working as a Food Safety/Quality Superintendent. In 2021 she moved to JBS Headquarters as the Animal Welfare Director for JBS Beef and had the privilege of working with their 9 US beef plants. Her desire to continue the work being put into animal welfare, cattle handling, and producer education has led her to her current position with the FSNS C&A Livestock Team.

Darby currently lives in Colorado with her husband, Drew, and their two blue heelers.