Join Us at the 2026 AALAS District 8 Meeting!

SFO Marriott Waterfront Hotel

April 8–10, 2026 | Burlingame, CA

Hosted by Northern California Branch & Sacramento Valley Branch

TENTATIVE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

D8 is honored to have many amazing speakers this year!

Here is a peek...

Bruce Kennedy, MS, CMAR, CPIA, EdD

UC Santa Cruz, AALAS Past President

Bruce received his BS degree in Zoology and MS in Avian Sciences at UC Davis and completed as a ‘mature’ student his EdD in educational leadership at Cal Poly Pomona studying IRBs.  His career spans animals, chemistry, and people, starting in California, moving to Virginia and Maryland, then returning.  He learned about lab animal science at UCD using coturnix quail for his graduate thesis in nutritional toxicology before there even were IACUCs.  Since then, it’s been dogs, rats, mice, rabbits, and marine mammals with USDA, Hazleton/Covance, FDA, the NIH, Cal Poly Pomona, Chapman, and UC Santa Cruz where he is now their IACUC administrator.  [It seems to be hard to keep a job.]

Bruce holds memberships in many AALAS branches, LAMA, and PRIM&R.  He has served on AALAS’s education and certification committees. He is a director of the California Society for Biomedical Research.  He serves as an ad hoc specialist with AAALAC, wrote the column Fruits of Education for Lab Animal, and is a past president of AALAS and LAWTE. He teaches about animal research to vet tech students at Cal Poly Pomona.

Over the last century, Bruce has been a life longer learner, teacher, and trainer, sharing knowledge with others.  That’s why he is here at NCB-AALAS to participate in the mini-leadership workshop and to lead a panel discussion on the changing paradigm of cage wash operations (about which he is co-writing and co-editing a book to be published next year).

Tracy Lewis-Parker, MBA, RLATG, PMP, CPIA, CMAR

Intuitive Surgical, AALAS Past President

Tracy Parker, MBA, BS, CMAR, RLATG, CPIA, is Program Manager at Intuitive and a Past President of AALAS.  She moved to California in 2018 after living her entire life on the east coast.  She started her career in lab animal at a CRO, first as a research technician and then as the company’s first training coordinator.  She moved to a pharmaceutical company in 2001 as a supervisor and, over the next 17 years, held positions of ascending responsibility.  She completed her MBA, achieved CMAR, CPIA and PMP certification while working full time and raising two kids.   Mentoring others is her passion.  Outside of work, you’ll most likely find her in a kayak, volunteering at the local farmer’s market, or kicked back with her rescue dogs, Xena, Phoebe and Lexi, and her house panthers, Shorty, Miss McTosie and Smidgini.

Amanda Banks, PhD, CRA

President, California Biomedical Research Association (CBRA)

Amanda has years of experience in academia and non-profit administration, including posts as Senior Information Officer at Vanderbilt University, and director of development and major gifts officer at California State University, Sacramento. She holds a master's and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s from the University of the South. She is the author of Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine, editor of The Olden Times, and is currently at work on a text on the history and traditions of water cures in western Europe and America. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Biotechnology Foundation, the national advocacy association, States United for Biomedical Research, and the Sacramento Institute for Music and the Arts.  She enjoys travel literature, arctic adventures, knitting and tatting (knotting traditional lace), and making elaborate deserts.

Autumn Sorrell, MS, RLATg, CMAR

Neuralink

Autumn Sorrells has spent the last 7 years assisting Elon Musk's company, Neuralink in reaching their first clinical trials which they achieved in April of this year. Her focus has been animal welfare refinements in the medical research field in order to improve the way in which we collect valuable data while respecting the lives that make it possible. Autumn's new venture as a contracting animal welfare scientist allows her to take the refinements they were able to achieve at Neuralink and implement them in laboratories across the Bay Area, advancing our industry as a whole. 

Carine Elkhoraibi, MS, CPIA

Novartis

Carine is a senior manager of animal welfare compliance at the Novartis Emeryville Site. In her current role, she oversees all aspects of regulatory oversight with USDA, PHS/OLAW and AAALAC and is also involved in auditing external animal activities and in overseeing the company’s Global 3Rs Awards. Her passion for the 3Rs stems from her previous graduate work in animal welfare science at UC Davis and special interests include pain behaviour, rodent handling refinements, NHP housing and environmental enrichment for aquatics.

Jerome Geronimo, MS, RLATG

Stanford University

A seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in rodent colony management, Jerome brings a unique blend of technical and scientific expertise to his role. Holding undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Project Management, and Veterinary Technology, Jerome has a strong foundation in animal care, data management, and computer engineering.

Jerome furthered his education with a master’s degree in laboratory animal science from Stanford University. This advanced degree, coupled with his LATg certification, demonstrates his commitment to providing ethical and humane care for laboratory animals.

In addition to his academic and professional credentials, Jerome is a licensed Veterinary Technician and a Certified Project Manager. His contributions to the field are further evidenced by co-authoring six publications and holding two patents, showcasing his innovative spirit.

Outside of work, Jerome channels his enthusiasm into advocating for animal welfare and passionately supporting Bay Area sports teams. As a lifelong animal lover, he has a particular soft spot for corgis. His hobbies reflect his dynamic personality, including writing and producing music, trading cryptocurrency, and hitting the golf course.

Kylie Thurman, BA

Animal Behaviorist, Neuralink Inc., Fremont, CA 

Kylie received her BA in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. She was an Animal Care Intern at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network where she cared for sick injured, abandoned or oil-damaged birds, captured and secured various water fowl for regular health checks, and supervised outside exposure of ducklings while employing behavioral tactics to prevent imprinting.  She worked as a Camp Counselor and Training Associate at Camp Canine where she provided play, stimulation and other enrichment activities for high energy dogs and helped develop an online program for new puppy parents.  As a Dog Trainer with Zoom Room Campbell, Kylie taught workshops in Urban Herding, Scent, Shy Dog, Calm Down, Loose Leash Walking, Come When Called, Therapy Dog, and Life Skills.  Kylie is currently working as an Animal Behaviorist at Neuralink.

NCB AALAS will be having the Annual Award ceremony at the D8 Meeting.

(No Fall Symposium in 2026!)

Nominations are now open! Submit HERE

Awards will be presented at the D8 Meeting on April, 10 2026 at the SFO Marriott Waterfront Hotel Burlingame, CA