Who Is Leading USDA Animal Care Now — and Why It Matters

For USDA-regulated breeders, dealers, exhibitors, research facilities, and other licensees, changes in Washington can sometimes seem far removed from the day-to-day work of caring for animals and preparing for an inspection. But leadership matters. The people directing USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) help establish agency priorities, oversee programs, manage enforcement resources, and ultimately influence how the Animal Welfare Act is administered across the country. During the past year, several important changes have taken place within APHIS leadership. Some of the names are new to their positions. Others are very familiar to Animal Care.

Current APHIS Animal Care leadership at a glance: Kelly Moore serves as APHIS Administrator, named permanent on June 17, 2026. Bernadette Juarez is Animal Care Deputy Administrator, having returned on July 27, 2025. Sarah Helming was appointed APHIS Associate Administrator in July 2025 after previously serving as Animal Care Deputy Administrator. And Hallie Zimmers was appointed Deputy Administrator for Emergency and Regulatory Compliance Services in December 2025.

Kelly Moore Takes the Top APHIS Position. On June 17, 2026, USDA named Kelly Moore as the permanent Administrator of APHIS, elevating her from the acting role she had held since February 1, 2026. The Administrator sits at the top of APHIS and oversees an agency with responsibilities extending far beyond Animal Care — animal health, plant health, wildlife services, biotechnology regulation, emergency response, international activities, and administration of both the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. Moore previously served as Acting Chief Operating Officer for the USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area and as Acting Deputy Administrator of Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services. USDA described her permanent appointment as providing 'strong and steady leadership' during a period of organizational change. Moore's background is in operational leadership and management, including prior service in the U.S. Marine Corps, and she has held senior roles including Deputy Chief Operating Officer and USDA Head of Contracting Activity. For Animal Welfare Act licensees, however, another leadership appointment may be even more operationally significant.

Bernadette Juarez Returns to Animal Care. Bernadette Juarez returned as Deputy Administrator of Animal Care effective July 27, 2025 — and she is not new to the job. Juarez previously served as Animal Care Deputy Administrator from 2016 through 2019. Her career arc spans every layer of the regulatory system: from 2002 to 2009 she was a trial attorney with the USDA Office of the General Counsel, representing APHIS in AWA and Horse Protection Act administrative enforcement proceedings; from 2009 to 2013 she served as Deputy Director of APHIS Investigative and Enforcement Services; from 2013 to 2016 she was Director of that office, leading investigations of alleged AWA violations and pursuing enforcement actions; from 2019 to 2025 she led APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services; and on July 27, 2025 she returned to lead Animal Care.

That career arc matters for a specific reason. Animal Care inspectors identify and document compliance issues in the field — but serious regulatory matters can eventually move beyond the inspection process. Investigations, enforcement decisions, administrative actions, and legal review involve other parts of APHIS and USDA. Juarez has worked on several sides of that system: as a trial attorney litigating AWA cases, as the Director of the office that investigates those cases, and as the leader of Animal Care itself. The combination of that experience is not common in any single individual who has held this position. Animal Care is now being led by someone who has practiced AWA law, directed federal AWA investigations, and previously led the program itself.

Animal Care Experience Has Also Moved Up the Leadership Chain. Another development that may receive less attention from licensees deserves it. Sarah Helming, who served as Deputy Administrator of Animal Care beginning in August 2024, moved into the position of APHIS Associate Administrator effective July 27, 2025 — the same date Juarez returned to Animal Care. That means a former head of Animal Care is now part of APHIS's senior agency-wide leadership. Her background includes multiple years as Chief of Staff in the APHIS Office of the Administrator, Deputy Administrator of APHIS Emergency and Regulatory Compliance Services, and roles in International Services, Veterinary Services, and Legislative and Public Affairs. Animal Care therefore has something it does not always have during leadership transitions: people at multiple levels of APHIS management who already understand the program, giving Animal Care's perspective direct representation at the level where agency-wide decisions are made.

Enforcement Leadership: A Distinction Every Licensee Should Understand. Animal Care does not operate entirely by itself. Hallie Zimmers was appointed Deputy Administrator for APHIS Emergency and Regulatory Compliance Services in December 2025. Zimmers previously served as ERCS Associate Deputy Administrator and as APHIS Advisor for State and Stakeholder Relations. ERCS oversees APHIS investigative and enforcement activities, select agents and toxins, biodefense, and emergency management programs — the division of APHIS that handles AWA enforcement actions that move beyond the inspection report toward formal investigation and official enforcement proceedings. This distinction is important for regulated facilities to understand. An inspection finding, a formal investigation, and an enforcement action may be related — but they are not necessarily the same process, and different parts of APHIS can become involved as a matter moves through the regulatory system. Understanding that structure helps licensees understand why documentation created during a routine inspection can become important months later in a proceeding they did not anticipate.

What Does This Mean for Licensees? Leadership changes do not automatically mean that regulations have changed. The Animal Welfare Act and its implementing regulations remain the legal foundation for USDA Animal Care inspections and compliance. Licensees should be careful about assuming that a new administrator or deputy administrator automatically means inspections will become either stricter or more lenient. What can change under new leadership are agency priorities, management practices, enforcement emphasis, communication with stakeholders, and the way resources are directed.

Four points deserve particular attention: Animal Care is now led by someone who has litigated AWA cases as a federal attorney, directed federal AWA investigations, and previously led Animal Care itself — a background that spans the full enforcement chain. A former Animal Care Deputy Administrator has moved into senior APHIS leadership, bringing program-level experience into agency-wide decision-making. The APHIS office responsible for investigative and enforcement activities has new leadership of its own, appointed in December 2025. And the APHIS Administrator is new to the agency's animal welfare mission but brings operational and management depth, with USDA positioning her appointment as providing institutional stability.

USDA states that Animal Care oversees the humane treatment of more than one million animals nationwide through inspections and outreach involving thousands of regulated entities. That scope makes leadership more than an organizational chart. Decisions made at APHIS headquarters can eventually affect inspection policy, enforcement priorities, training, stakeholder communication, and the expectations placed on regulated facilities across the country.

The Practical Response — Regardless of Who Is in Charge. Understanding who is making decisions — and the professional experience those leaders bring to their positions — provides valuable context for understanding where USDA Animal Care may be headed. But the practical response remains the same regardless of who occupies any leadership position: know the regulations, maintain accurate records, document animal care consistently, correct problems promptly, and preserve evidence when there is a disagreement with an inspection finding. Those practices protect you under any administration and any leadership team.