Staff - National Canine Research Council

Meet the Team

Managing Director

Cynthia Bathurst

Cynthia Bathurst is CEO and co-founder of Safe Humane, a non-profit whose mission is to create safe, humane communities by inspiring positive relationships between people and animals. She has developed and oversees programs that provide opportunities for people and dogs impacted by trauma to help one another, focusing on learning, advocacy and second chances for both. Her professional career includes college teaching, mathematical analysis, and animal and community welfare. She has served on public safety, community policing and animal welfare boards and task forces. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics & Computer Science from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate in English and Rhetoric from the University of Iowa. Currently, she also serves as managing director of the National Canine Research Council and secretary of Animal Farm Foundation.

Director of Science and Behavior

Janis Bradley

Janis holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a Masters in English. She first pursued a career as a college teacher, counselor, and administrator. Leaving academia, she then took up professionally her passion for the human-canine relationship. From 2000 through 2009, Janis trained more than 400 professional pet dog trainers.

Janis is the co-author of the articles: “No better than flipping a coin: Reconsidering canine behavior evaluations in animal shelters” , “Who is minding the bibliography? Daisy chaining, dropped leads, and other bad behavior using examples from the dog bite literature,” and “Defaming Rover: Error-Based Latent Rhetoric in the Medical Literature on Dog Bites”. She is also the author of Dogs Bite, But Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous (James and Kenneth), the complete guide to research on dog bites; Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions (Animals and Society Institute); and The Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Companion Dog (National Canine Research Council Vision Series). All of this comes from an abiding interest in finding the very best information about the remarkable relationship between dogs and people. She lives in California with her rescued Greyhounds.

Jbradley@ncrcouncil.com

Executive Director

Bernice Clifford

Bernice, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, is originally from Brookline, Massachusetts. She shares her life with 4 dogs, 2 goats, multiple chickens and the unexpected cat. She came to the animal world, working with Dr. Amy Marder and the New England Veterinary Behavior Associates in 2001, after adopting a “pit bull’ dog named Dixie and experiencing unexpected discrimination.

Bernice creates the enrichment and behavior protocols for the dogs at AFF and in other shelters and rescues. She travels nationwide working with other shelters and speaking at conferences about enrichment, training, and behavior modification for shelter dogs.

Bclifford@ncrcouncil.com

Director of Operations and Public Policy

Nikki Juchem

Nicole has worked in a variety of leadership roles over the ten years working for Animal Farm Foundation, and in more recent years, the National Canine Research Council. She started her career in 2013, in that time she established many programs that focus on strengthening the bond between people and pets, including tools that help shelters to drop breed labels. In her new role as Manager of Operations and Public Policy, Nicole oversees many projects but her main focus is on insurance breed restrictions, BSL, and of course, seeing all dogs as individuals. Like most of us that work for small organizations with huge goals, Nicole has many different roles and is additionally responsible for web design, graphic design, IT, and marketing. She also volunteers for non-profits that work to strengthen her local community. Nicole lives with her partner Jesse, and her dog Jamz, and is currently fostering senior dogs for Animal Farm Foundation. When not at work she enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family. Got questions, need advice, or just want to tell us about your accomplishments or a project you are working on? Shoot her an email.

Njuchem@ncrcouncil.com