APHIS Announces Animal Care and Veterinary Services Leadership Changes

Dear Stakeholders:

Today, I'm writing to tell you about several leadership changes we've made recently in our Animal Care (AC) and Veterinary Services (VS) programs. In late July, Dr. Betty Goldentyer moved to Washington, D.C., from our Regional Office in Raleigh, North Carolina, to become AC's Associate Deputy Administrator working with Bernadette Juarez, our program Deputy Administrator. Dr. Goldentyer came to APHIS in 1988 after working in a small animal practice and then with a humane society in Chicago. Dr. Goldentyer started her APHIS career as an AC field inspector in Wisconsin, and then became a regional AC specialist and supervisor in Tampa Fl., before becoming the program's Regional Director in 2007. Since AC realigned in 2014 to create a modem and flexible organization structure, she has served as the Director of Animal Welfare Operations. Dr. Goldentyer is a graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.

In VS, Dr. Burke Healey is now the program's Associate Deputy Administrator working with Dr. Jack Shere, Deputy Administrator and Chief Veterinary Officer. He began his USDA career in 2004 as the Area Veterinarian in Charge for Oklahoma. He's held many leadership positions in VS, including most recently as Executive Director for the Surveillance, Preparedness, and Response unit. In this role, Dr. Healey served as the National Incident Commander for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak of 2014 / 2015, successfully leading the Nation's largest animal disease incident response in U.S. history, with more than 200 cases of HPAI found in commercial and backyard poultry, as well as wild birds, across the country. Dr. Healey, an Oklahoma native with a cattle ranching background and a veterinary degree from Oklahoma State, previously served as the State Veterinarian of Oklahoma.

Both Drs. Goldentyer and Healey bring a wealth of veterinary knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience to their respective positions. Many of you may already have had the opportunity to work with them during their APHIS careers. I am confident that their skills, coupled with their extensive management experience, will prove invaluable to AC, VS and our stakeholders.

Sincerely,

Jere L. Dick
Acting APHIS Administrator