Gwendy Reyes-Illg, DVM, MA
Scientist and Veterinary Medicine Consultant, Farmed Animal Program
Gwendy has worked for AWI as a consultant since 2021. Her primary work is with the Farmed Animal team to help harness the latest veterinary and animal welfare science in service of our efforts to influence policy related to rearing, transport, and slaughter of animals in agriculture.
Gwendy holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree in philosophy from Colorado State University. She’s practiced as a veterinarian for more than 15 years with a wide range of species in diverse settings, including emergency hospitals, general practice, and sanctuaries.
She began volunteering in the field of animal advocacy as teenager, and has always been sensitive to the suffering of animals—particularly when caused by humans—and felt compelled to prevent and alleviate it as much as she could.
In addition to her partner and three kids, Gwendy shares her home with two rescue dogs, Henry and Cooper. In her free time, she gardens with native plants around a small stream that runs through her backyard and listens to the birds attracted to this magical little place.