David Thomas , Professor of Animal Sciences, grew up in the rural community of Mineral Point in southwestern Wisconsin . He raised and exhibited purebred Hampshire sheep through high school and college. He earned the B.S. degree in Meat and Animal Science from UW–Madison in 1971. While at UW he was Chancellor of the Babcock Chapter of Alpha Zeta, an officer in the Saddle and Sirloin Club, and a member of the Meat Animal Evaluation Team. From 1971 to 1973, he and his wife served as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya where he worked in animal husbandry extension. Dr. Thomas received both the M.S. (1975) and Ph.D. (1977) degrees in Animal Breeding from Oklahoma State University . Prior to joining the faculty at Madison in 1991, he served on the faculties at Oregon State University (1977-81) and the University of Illinois (1981-91). At UW–Madison, he has an appointment in research, teaching, and extension. His research deals with the genetic improvement of performance traits in sheep, sheep management, and sheep dairying. He has been recognized for his research accomplishments by the American Society of Animal Science with the Rockefeller Prentice Memorial Award in Animal Breeding and Genetics in 2003 and the Animal Management Award (awarded jointly with his research colleague, Yves Berger) in 2004. Dr. Thomas teaches Sheep Production (AnSci 430) and co-teaches Introduction to Animal and Veterinary Genetics (AnSci/DySci 361) and Principles of Animal Breeding (AnSci/DySci 363). He also gives a few lectures each year in Livestock Production (AnSci/DySci 101) and Livestock Production and Health in Agricultural Development (AnSci/DySci/AHABS 370). He serves as the Wisconsin Sheep Extension Specialist. He has worked on livestock development projects in Kenya , Bulgaria , Indonesia , Pakistan , Ethiopia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , and Uzbekistan and was awarded the Bouffalt International Animal Agriculture Award from the American Society of Animal Science in 2005 for these activities. He and his wife, Lynda, have three children and two grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, tracing family genealogy, and traveling.
Bob Leader is a dairy veterinarian in Waupaca County , co-owner of a 5 veterinarian mixed animal practice in Clintonville. He is a 1982 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota . With his wife, Penny, they operate a 60 acre, 90 ewe grass based sheep enterprise.