Tom began working in the veterinary field in 1997 as the co-founder of Lincoln Village Animal Hospital, the first AAHA accredited hospital in Waterloo, ON. His diversified career path has enriched his ability to contribute to his veterinary practice. Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours-Marine Biology) from the University of Guelph. After completing the Canadian Securities Course, he was hired by the investment arm of Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank where he worked as an Investment Representative and an Equity and Options Trader for five years. Concurrently, Tom studied human resources and small business management at Seneca College in Toronto preparing for the eventual opening of a brand new companion animal hospital with his wife, Tracy, who is a veterinarian.

Tom played a major role in formulating the design and service concept of their hospital. In 2002, he completed AAHA’s Veterinary Management Institute (Purdue University, Krannert Graduate School of Management) certificate program. He fulfills his role of Hospital Administrator by overseeing the needs of the hospital in the areas of financial and marketing management, human resources, and strategic planning. Tom is a member of the AAHA, the OVMA, and has been a VHMA member since 2001.

He has served on the VHMA Board as Canadian Director 2006-09, and Vice-President 2009-11. Tom enjoys facilitating the sharing of ideas with other managers and in 2006,  assisted in creating the Ontario Veterinary Managers Group (OVMG), which continues to serve the Southern Ontario region. He obtained the designation of Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) in 2007 and is the Chair of the VHMA Ethics Committee. Tom participates in VHMA’s Mentor Program, and has spoken on greening the veterinary environment.

Tom enjoys training for triathlons, skijoring, remote wilderness travel and baking artisan breads. Along with his wife and growing family, his home life is enhanced by his many pets including twin Siberian Huskies, a cat, and Japanese koi.

Susan graduated from Portland Community College, became a Certified Veterinary Technician in 1981 and earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) designation in 2004. She is currently the Practice Manager for a small animal clinic in Clermont, Florida. It is at the Clermont Animal Hospital that she decided to pursue the career of Practice Manager and she has been achieving that for the last eleven years. She has also been an adjunct instructor in Office Procedures and Animal Nursing at Brevard Community College since 1998. She currently serves on the Veterinary Technician Career Development Committee for the Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA). She has presented for the FVMA in both regional and local meetings on subjects of Office Procedures and Radiographic Technique, as well as, written articles for the FVMA Advocate on proper utilization of the paraprofessional in the veterinary hospital. Susan recently completed a master’s degree in Business Administration from Ashford University. Susan has been a member of the VHMA since 2000 and was first elected to the VHMA Board of Directors in 2004. She currently serves as a Director on the VHMA Board and on the VHMA Membership Committee.

Jon received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business from the California State University system before joining the veterinary profession in 1994. He served as Hospital Administrator for a three-doctor, AAHA accredited practice in Chico, California from 1994 until 2000 and was instrumental in developing an upscale feline boarding facility. In 2000 he joined Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic as its first full-time Hospital Administrator. Loomis Basin, located about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento, is an AAHA accredited, 24/7 practice with more than 20 doctors and about 110 support staff. They offer general, emergency, and specialty services including internal medicine, oncology, radiology, behavior, soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, and CT scan. In 2001 Loomis Basin was named a Practice of Excellence by Pfizer Animal Health and the publisher of Veterinary Economics magazine.

A VHMA member since 2000, Jon earned the distinction of CVPM in 2005. He has written articles for the association newsletter, presented at conferences, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors as a U.S. Director. His involvement includes chairing the Innovation Committee and serving on the Program Committee and Financial Audit Task Force. In addition to his work with the VHMA, Jon collaborates with managers in his region through the San Francisco Bay Area Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Managers Group and the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Practice Managers Group. Whenever opportunity arises, Jon enjoys speaking on various topics including general management, financial performance indicators, and compensation/benefits. This passion, which continues with him to this day, was given wings when Jon was on the faculty at the CSU, Chico College of Business from 1992-2000 where he taught communications, marketing, management, and strategic management courses.

In 1997 Jon began working on a part-time ad hoc basis with Jim Remillard, MPA, CPC, CVPM, a veterinary practice management consultant and president of Remillard Management Associates, Inc. While Jon’s availability is limited, he does enjoy assisting Mr. Remillard with practice valuations and other projects as often as opportunity and time permit. Jon and his wife, Becky, have one daughter, Emily. Their home includes a spoiled border collie and two mischievous cats.

Like many managers, Jim started his leadership career a long way from veterinary medicine. He served as a Warrant Officer and Aviator during Desert Storm where he flew OH-58 Scout helicopters in an armored cavalry squadron. Jim believes that being a good leader is about being a great team member first. He also feels that the loyalty, dedication, and commitment that he learned in the military are the fundamental transferable skills that lead to success.

After completing his military service, he attended the University of Florida where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in three years. He then began working in the human healthcare field and had the opportunity to learn about all aspects of hospital business operations including: billing, collections, insurance contracting, reimbursement, and patient service. He decided to pursue his goal of a graduate degree while working for HCA and earned his Masters in Healthcare Administration through an executive program at the University of Florida.

After graduation, he and his family moved to Colorado where he was the liaison between the Patient Account Service Center in Denver and hospital administration of a Level 1 trauma center. Even though he enjoyed living in Colorado, he began to feel stagnant with HCA and decided to make a change. This was the catalyst for his transition to veterinary medicine. He accepted a position as the Hospital Administrator at Community Pet Hospital, a five-DVM general practice. Over the next four years, he helped grow and develop Community Pet Hospital into a ten-DVM, 24-hour, three location, general, and emergency hospital.

Jim has recently moved back to Florida, where he and his wife purchased Turkey Creek Animal Hospital, a 2-DVM veterinary practice in Plant City. Jim continues to work with Community Pet Hospital in Colorado where he is a partner, provides part-time consulting and speaks for Webster Veterinary Univerity. Jim has been a VHMA member since 2004 and completed the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) process in 2008. He has served on the VHMA Board of Directors since 2008 and held the position of Treasurer since 2009.

Jim and his wife share their home with three children and four dogs. They enjoy spending time together camping, hiking and other outdoor activities.

Brian Conrad has served as the Practice Manager for Meadow Hills Veterinary Center in Kennewick, WA since 1999. During his tenure at Meadow Hills, the clinic has received awards for the Hospital Design of the Year in 2001 from Veterinary Economics magazine and the 2004 Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year. In 2009, Meadow Hills opened their second location. Brian lectures on a wide variety of topics challenging the veterinary industry using practice and “real-life” examples that keep the audiences engaged and enthused. Brian has been a frequent contributor to Veterinary Economics and Firstline and lecturer for several of the national conferences. His speaking engagements will go international in 2012 as he will be featured at the Southern European Veterinary Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Brian has been a member of the VHMA since 2002 and earned his CVPM designation in 2003 and has served on the VHMA Board of Directors since 2009.

Mathieu has been involved in veterinary practice management since 2001 when he was hired to manage a 15-doctor companion animal practice as the Hospital Administrator, right after completing his graduate studies. Three years later, he founded his consulting business with the intention to help as many veterinary practices as possible achieve better results in all aspects of their business. He is currently involved on a day-to-day basis with eight different practices, as well as consulting with 30 veterinary practice owners. He has gained experience in diversified environments ranging from huge Referral and Emergency Hospitals with over 150 employees to small exotic animal clinics, as well as the run-of-the-mill one-and-a-half doctor to larger 12 doctor general practices. Trained as a lawyer, his undergraduate studies complement his business training (MBA) by improving the legal compliance of veterinary practices in Human Resources, ownership transitions, corporate structures, and contracts. His past experience in the field of computer business development has recently led him to collaborate closely with practice management software developers throughout Eastern Canada in order to disseminate management and operations best practices faster and more efficiently. Mathieu currently co-owns 5 practices in the Montréal Metro area where he serves as Hospital Administrator and VP, Business Development and Innovation.

Mathieu has been a VHMA member since 2003 and earned the CVPM designation in 2006. He balances his professional involvement with an intense family life, raising four children and helping taking care of the family’s numerous pets (a dog, lizards, geckos, and fishes) while scuba diving every chance he gets.

Debbie entered the veterinary field as a receptionist at a small animal clinic in Denver in 1989. Good people skills and a desire to solve problems made up for a total lack of experience.

Debbie was fortunate over the next few years to attend a wide variety of management courses through the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), including Veterinary Management Development School and the Veterinary Management Institute at Purdue. Attending AAHA, NAVC, and VHMA management conferences annually kept the idea of becoming a certified veterinary practice manager in front of her. After sending for the application, she took a course at the local college to get her feet wet. Marketing 101 proved to be a turning point in her decision to pursue certification. “Taking courses that are relevant to your everyday work made it much more interesting.”

In 2005, she sat for the CVPM examination and passed. Debbie’s advice to others considering certification is “you will be surprised at what you can do and the amount of encouragement that is out there in this field and especially in this association.” Debbie is a frequent speaker with the VHMA, an adjunct instructor for Webster Management University, and a full-time hospital administrator for three small animal practices in Florida. She is a mixed media artist (anything with paper and ink) and Bible class teacher who enjoys time with her husband of 36 years, their three daughters, two son in-laws, two schnauzers, two grandchildren, and Maggie, the grand dachshund. It’s a juggling act most days, but a great life.

Debbie has been a member of the VHMA since 1999 and has served on the VHMA Board of Directors since 2009.
 

Elizabeth attended Oregon State University as an Animal Science major for three years before being admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. While in veterinary school she met her husband Tim, also a veterinarian. In 1996 she joined the Lien Animal Clinic where her husband was also practicing. In 1999, Elizabeth and her husband purchased Lien Animal Clinic, a small animal practice. They soon realized that veterinary school did little to prepare them for business ownership and began attending practice management conferences to learn more. In 2005 - 2006, she attended AAHA’s Veterinary Management Institute at Purdue and learned of the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) program and Veterinary Management Groups (VMG). Elizabeth joined VMG 14 in 2007 and earned the CVPM designation in 2008. In 2009, Elizabeth and her husband completed construction on a new 2-story facility and expanded the clinic staff. Currently, she practices medicine one to two days a week and devotes the rest of her time to practice management.

Elizabeth assists with mentoring veterinary technician students from the technician program at PIMA and senior veterinary students from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University while they are completing their externships at Lien Animal Clinic. She also provides veterinary care for stray animals from Seattle Animal Control and King County Animal Control.

Elizabeth lives with her husband and three children on Vashon Island in Puget Sound, a 15-minute ferry commute from her practice. In her spare time she enjoys reading, travel, and spending time with her horses.

Michelle began her veterinary career 19 years ago. With her Veterinary Assistant certification in hand she spent the first two years as a surgery technician. She spent the last 16 years working for University Animal Hospital in Tempe, AZ where she currently serves as the Assistant Hospital Manager and also the Kennel Supervisor. University Animal Hospital is a small animal practice with 11 doctors and 50+ staff members.

Michelle is a current Board Member of the Veterinary Health Care Team of Arizona (VHCTAZ), a local managers group. She currently serves on VHCTAZ Membership Committee and is the Chair for the Vet 2011 Committee.

In 2009 Michelle was named Arizona’s Hospital Manager of the year.

Michelle has been an active member of the VHMA since 2006 and in 2010 Michelle earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) designation.

Gerard has been an active VHMA member since 1999. Gerard graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Christian Brothers University in Business Management and Marketing and has earned the Certified Manager designation. In 1985 he received a Wildlife Restoration Certificate of Education from Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and assists that division with wildlife management projects.

Gerard had a 14 year career in the management consulting and training field before he had the “calling” to the veterinary profession. For the past thirteen years he has served as the Hospital Administrator and co-owner for Collierville Animal Clinic, P.C. The six-doctor small animal and exotic practice has been in operation since 1955 and he is involved in every aspect of the practice. He enjoys the day-to-day challenges the clinic produces and develops strategic plans for the future growth of the business.

Gerard has served the VHMA in various positions since becoming a member including: State Representative for Tennessee (2000-2002), Area Director in (2002-2003), Treasurer (2003-2005), Vice-President (2005-2009), and Interim-President (2009), President (2010). He is currently the Chairman of the Industry Liaison Committee. Gerard is also an active member of the Mentor Program and enjoys sharing information with other clinic managers. In 2009 he was voted “Hospital Manager of the Year” by the local Veterinary Medical Association.

Other organizations that he has active memberships include: AVMA, TVMA, MSCVMA, CPMA, AMA, local veterinary managers association, and the Collierville Chamber of Commerce.

Christine graduated from the State University of New York College at Oswego in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, major in Political Science.  Christine started her career in 1992 as an administrative assistant for the lobbying firm of Shea and Gould in Albany, NY.  In 1994, Christine continued her career at the New York State Legislature as the Legislative Aid to Assemblywoman Frances T. Sullivan.  In 1997, Christine joined the association management firm of Capitol Hill Management Services where she first started serving as the Executive Director to the VHMA in 1998.  In 2003, Christine earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation awarded by the American Society of Association Executives.  After moving from New York to Florida in 2004, Christine started her own management company, CQS Management Service, LLC where she continues to serve as the VHMA Executive Director.