2025 Conference Speakers
"Emergency and Disaster Response"
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Brittany Rivera
Corporal with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. She began her career with the sheriff’s office in February of 2020. She comes from a bloodline of law enforcement. She began her career in the jail, helping create and manage the Pups with Purpose program, which later coincided with the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program. She has since transitioned into the liaison between the Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services and Shelter. She is also the part-time Public Information Officer and participates on the Incident Response Team when disasters occur. Brittany has patrol experience and currently assists judicial operations and enforcement.
Prior to joining the sheriff’s office, she obtained an Associate’s of Criminal Justice Technology from Chattahoochee Technical College, as well as a Bachelor’s of Criminal Justice from Reinhardt University in August of 2021. She also interned with the United States Marshals Service and assisted the Southeastern Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF). Brittany has also obtained FBI-LEEDA certifications for media and public relations.​​​​​
Haley Brown
She is a professional with expertise in investigations, legal compliance and animal welfare and safety. She oversees Forsyth County Animal Services and the operation of all field personnel including disaster response and recovery. She serves as the Vice President of the Southeastern Animal Control Association Board of Directors and is a Board Member with the Georgia Animal Control Association. She also has worked with USDA by investigating HPA violations on a vast number of deployments across the country. She possesses numerous certifications in emergency response, investigations, animal protection and welfare. She has worked in the animal industry with differing roles at local, state and federal agencies for the past 10 years.
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Garcia, MS, DVM
He is a Clinical Associate Professor, as Medical Director for the Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service (VETS) Team at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Garcia began his career as a general practitioner who transitioned to Shelter Medicine and Surgery in a large, open-admission municipal animal shelter in South Florida. While in this role, Dr. Garcia participated in multiple emergency response drills and assisted with development and updates for county emergency management (ESF-17) protocols and procedures, served at the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the shelter, as well as providing oversight and guidance to both shelter and field operations. After several years, he was recruited to the University of Florida. Upon arrival, he used his knowledge and experience in county shelter operations to create two clerkships in which clinical veterinary students are embedded in municipal animal shelter operations. In addition, he was able to use his county training and experience in emergency management for disaster preparedness and response as the Medical Director for the UF VETS Team. In this role, Dr. Garcia develops medical protocols and procedures, oversees medical equipment and pharmaceutical inventory, and provides team leadership and training. He has provided support to, and instruction in, the Awareness and Operations level Animal Technical Rescue courses offered to veterinary students, veterinarians and first responders. Additionally he, assists with on-line, graduate level, disaster response courses. He has collaborated with the Florida State Agricultural Response Team on large scale disaster response drills and disaster response deployments.
Tracy Reis
She came to The Atlanta Humane Society in February 2015 as the Director of Operations-Howell Mill Campus and Director of Disaster response. In December 2020, she was moved to the Animal Protection Unit (APU) as its Director. Prior to that, she was the Director of Operations at the Humane Society of South Mississippi for 2 ½ years. She was also the National Director over Emergency Services at American Humane from 2006-2012 and lead the Red Star team on over 45 responses including Fires, Hurricanes, puppy mills, and hoarding cases. This also includes a nine day trip to Haiti at the invitation of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, in Jan 2010. She was the Co-Chair of the Federal Level, Sheltering Best Practice Working Group and sat on multiple local working groups (USAI, Denver CART). She was also a member of NARSC (National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition) since its inception in 2006.
In 2009, she received the “Human Hero Award” given by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation.
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With 30 years in animal welfare, she has extensive large and small animal handling, shelter operations-including admissions, adoptions, foster and animal care, large scale emergency sheltering expertise, large scale cruelty operations, as well as emergency field rescue experience and knowledge.
Dr. Armstrong
He is a native of southeast Alabama and an Auburn University Alumni. He received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Auburn University. Upon graduating veterinary school, Dr. Armstrong enjoyed mixed animal practice in Okeechobee, Florida. Dr. Armstrong returned to Auburn University to complete a residency in Theriogenology and became a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists in 2015. Following his residency, Dr. Armstrong joined the faculty in the Livestock Section at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Louisiana State University. Dr. Armstrong left LSU to practice as an associate veterinarian in a large animal exclusive veterinary hospital in Elgin, Texas. Dr. Armstrong returned to Auburn University in 2022 as a clinical associate professor in the Farm Animal Theriogenology Section. He provides veterinary care for all livestock species and reproductive management of horses. Dr. Armstrong enjoys all aspects of bovine practice and has special interest in lameness, surgery, and fertility evaluation. Dr. Armstrong co-authored the 2nd edition of the Bull Breeding Soundness Manual and has shared his passion for evaluating bull fertility at numerous national and international meetings. Dr. Armstrong is an active member of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team providing disaster relief during hurricane’s Harvey (2016), Michael (2018), Laura (2020), and Ida (2021). He is currently the Director of the Auburn Veterinary Emergency Response Team (AVERT) that formed in 2023. Dr. Armstrong’s research interests include understanding infectious causes of infertility, optimizing fertility evaluation and refining urogenital surgery techniques.
Briana Haberman, MA, CEM, CA-PEM
Briana Haberman is a nationally recognized Certified Emergency Manager with over 20 years of hands-on experience in emergency operations, disaster recovery, and community resilience. Currently serving as the Operations Coordinator for Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency, Briana is renowned for her ability to build and sustain effective intergovernmental relationships-an essential skill in managing complex incidents involving both people and animals.
Throughout her distinguished career, Briana has directed emergency responses for one of the largest peace time, non-hurricane, no-notice evacuations in U.S. history, the Oroville Dam crisis, and has led multi-jurisdictional exercises and disaster recovery efforts that have secured over $33 million in FEMA funding. Her leadership has been instrumental in developing and implementing innovative programs for animal care and agricultural pass systems, ensuring that the needs of all community members-human and animal-are addressed during disasters.
Briana’s expertise extends across all facets of emergency management, from strategic planning and grant administration to stakeholder engagement and public information. She has served as Emergency Operations Center Director for multiple counties, coordinated mutual aid during major wildfire events, and presented as a subject matter expert at national conferences and civic forums. Her solution-focused approach and commitment to open, respectful communication have enabled her to foster collaboration among government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, resulting in stronger, more resilient communities.
With advanced degrees in Homeland Security & Emergency Management and Organizational Management, Briana is dedicated to advancing best practices in disaster preparedness, especially in the often-overlooked realm of animals in disasters. Her session on “Bridging the Gap: Building Powerful Partnerships for Animals in Disasters” will draw on real-world lessons learned from decades of coordinating multi-agency response and recovery efforts, offering practical strategies for building partnerships that save lives-both human and animal-when it matters most.
