Donna Lassa, Criminal Practice Counsel

Donna Lassa serves as criminal practice counsel at The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In that role, she works within the Legal Advocacy and Investigations unit’s “Second Chair” program, which provides legal assistance to local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutors around the country as they conduct animal cruelty and animal fighting investigations and prosecutions. Donna further holds a courtesy faculty appointment to co-teach the Veterinary Medicolegal Investigations course at Florida International University. Donna is licensed as an attorney in Michigan and California and is a member and former council member with the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section and a member and former board member of Attorneys for Animals.

Prior to joining the ASPCA, Donna served as an assistant public defender in California and as a legal aid attorney in Detroit, as well as in the nonprofit sector directing a program for returning citizens and as a newspaper reporter in California. Donna is also a certified grant writer and community mediator. Donna received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she graduated Cum Laude, and her juris doctorate from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where she was a public interest law scholar.

Leigh Anne Wilson, Director of Investigations

Leigh Anne Wilson is a Director of Investigations with the ASPCA, Legal Advocacy and Investigations Division.  In her role she consults and collaborates with law enforcement and animal welfare agencies on animal cruelty cases.  Leigh Anne has worked with federal, state, and local agencies to recommend investigative processes for neglect and animal cruelty.  Her skills have allowed her to assist through subject matter expertise on federal dog fighting cases, case lead  large-scale animal sanctuary seizure, as well as animal hoarding and puppy mill investigations at the ASPCA.  Before her work with the ASPCA, Leigh Anne served as a sergeant with Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and as Animal Services Director for Chatham County.  She started her career with Guilford County Animal Services and was the supervisor of the animal cruelty investigations team.  Leigh Anne has her general instructor certificate with POST standards and the North Carolina Department of Justice.  Her team with the ASPCA continues to train law enforcement, prosecutors, and animal welfare professionals across the country.  Leigh Anne still works as a part time patrol officer for Pittsboro Police Department, while also pursuing her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in crime scene investigations from Purdue University. 

Dr. Elizabeth Pearlman, DVM, MS

Dr. Elizabeth Pearlman is a forensic veterinarian for the ASPCA’s Veterinary Forensic Science Center in Gainesville FL. She holds a B.S. in Biology and a MS in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Purdue University in 2016.

Dr. Pearlman has practiced as a private practice emergency veterinarian in Indianapolis and as a staff veterinarian for the Houston SPCA. In 2018, she joined The ASPCA full-time as a forensic veterinarian. In her position, she assists law enforcement agencies nationwide with the identification, documentation, and collection of forensic evidence from crime scenes, live animals, and deceased animals. Additionally, she authors reports based on her findings and testifies in court as an expert witness.

In her downtime, she enjoys providing pet therapy to local agencies with her dog, The Lentil Bean, and she enjoys sport work with Malinois.