President, Chairperson 

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Elle De Ford, MS, PhD, DVM holds multiple active and past certifications and memberships in the veterinary field (e.g., CCRP, TCCC, cVMA), behavioral field (e.g., Behavioral Modification), emergency response field (e.g., ICS, WFR, SAR Tech II, CPR), K9 field (e.g., IPWDA, ARDA) and CBRNE field (e.g., MCBC, HazMat, CWA). DR Elle served in the US Army, consulted for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a Subject Matter Expert and in project management. She has nearly 20 years in the K9 Search and Rescue (K9 SAR) community as handler, trainer and veterinarian specializing in working dog field medicine, research and education. As Founding member and CEO for K9 Field Vet Mobile Unit INC (501c3, K9FV), she continues to organize and participate in veterinary care and research for working dogs in the field (e.g., training seminars, deployment) as well as provide K9 and veterinary staff education and training (e.g., working dog nutrition, medical management, K9 First Aid for Handlers). Her approach to veterinary medicine and working dog medical management reflects over 30 years of experience in studying physiological psychology/neuroscience, learning and memory, as well as behavioral and cognitive performance in animals.