2020 Annual Meeting & Conference

Leslie Boudreau, BASVT, RVTg, CVPM, PHRca, SPHR

Leslie has been a Veterinary Technologist and Practice Manager in Southern California for over 30 years. She earned her A.S. in Veterinary Technology from Mt. San Antonio College, CA and her BASVT in Veterinary Technology – Hospital Management, from St. Petersburg College, FL. In 2011, she became a CVPM (Certified Veterinary Practicel Manager). Leslie holds three human resources certifications, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), PHRca (California specific Certification), and SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources). She is also a certified Harassment Prevention Trainer.

Leslie is the current Secretary and Emerging Leader Coordinator for the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) Board of Directors. Since 2013, she has enjoyed serving on the VHMA Program Committee, serving on their Board of Directors, and lecturing at VHMA national conferences.

Leslie has authored practice management articles for national journals and publications and was formerly a practice management consultant for Novartis Animal Health. Additionally, Leslie speaks nationally on a wide range of practice management topics as a presenter for Practice Management, Human Resources, and Veterinary Technician conferences and continuing education programs. Leslie aspires to advance the profession through frequent speaking, advocacy and mentoring. Leslie is passionate about all aspects of veterinary practice management and helping the profession grow and adapt to future changes. As a speaker and practicing manager, she brings a real life, in the trenches perspective to her lectures.

In addition, Leslie is very active in Veterinary Technician legislation as the current President of CaRVTA (California State Registered Veterinary Technician Association). Prior to becoming president, she served as a member of the CaRVTA Board of directors, and on their Legislative/Regulatory Committee. She also sits on the Advisory Committee Boards for two veterinary technician colleges in southern California and volunteers on AVMA CVTEA site visit teams as the RVT member. She is currently serving on the national AVMA Taskforce on Veterinary Technician Utilization.

Leslie spends the bulk of her time as a Practice Manager at Animal Hospital of Huntington Beach, a seven-veterinarian, AAHA accredited, small animal and exotic practice in southern California. Locally, Leslie is very active with the Orange County Veterinary Hospital Manager’s Group and is a founding member.

Dana Brownlee

After years of working as a business strategy consultant with top IT firms, in 2003 Dana Brownlee founded Professionalism Matters an Atlanta based corporate training company. An energetic and innovative speaker and trainer, Dana has thrilled audiences with speaking events around the U.S. and globally. Her courses are specifically designed to provide best practices and techniques that participants can immediately apply in the workplace. Her business expertise has been featured by (or published in) CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Redbook, Working Mother, Forbes.com, and other notable publications. Her first book “The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up: Project Management Techniques from the Trenches” was published by Berrett-Koehler in February 2019. A nationally recognized speaker, Dana speaks to groups large and small on a variety of topics including tips for rescuing your meetings, dealing with the difficult boss, secrets of the “Thoroughbred Leader”, and discovering the keys to true work-life balance. She holds a BS, BIE, MBA, and PMP.

Susie Crockett, CVPM

Susie Crockett began her veterinary career as a receptionist in 1999 for a two-facility practice while attending Purdue University. While completing her degree, she went from Receptionist to Office Manager to Practice Manager. Susie graduated from Purdue University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Organizational Communication. She has a passion for Human Resources, particularly hiring and staff development.

After relocating to Indianapolis, Susie became the Practice Manager at Eagle Creek Animal Clinic. She quickly became an active participant in the Veterinary Management Association of Indiana (VMAI). Susie joined the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) in 2008. She earned her CVPM designation in 2009. She served on the Membership Committee and was a member of the 2013 Special Education Task Force.

In 2014, Susie took on the position as Human Resource Director at IndyVet Emergency and Specialty Hospital, a 24-hour emergency and referral practice with a team of over 60 members. She also helped oversee their associated general practice, 30th Street Animal Hospital.

Susie now works with Noah's Animal Hospitals, managing two of their general practices and one emergency and specialty center, with 47 staff and 12 doctors.

Susie finds staff development, team involvement, communication, and practice cultures are her favorite areas of Veterinary Management.

Brett Culp

Filmmaker and Speaker Who Documents the Positivity of the Human Experience -Brett Culp inspires us to engage in a passionate, meaningful mission that leaves a positive impact on the world and brings out the heroic spirit in us all.

Brett is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of the not-for-profit, The Rising Heroes Project. He is known for the films, Legends of the Knight, and his latest, Look to the Sky, both of which explore the power of heroic stories and heroic individuals to inspire us to believe in a better tomorrow. His films are featured on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, and other top digital platforms.

Through his groundbreaking non-profit documentary work, Brett has pioneered the art of creating “mini-movements” that inspire the super-human spirit in us all. His unique approach to community-building and relationship-driven engagement invite people to connect with a noble vision and make a difference together.

Passionate, energetic, and engaging, Brett encourages audiences to find the superhero within and their own path to “everyday leadership.” His insights on connecting individuals to an organization's mission and goals resonate, help us realize our greatest personal and business potential, and renew our collective sense of hope for the future and belief that our efforts can make an impact.

Mimi Darmstadter, PCC

Mimi Darmstadter, sole proprietor of My Life's Work - Coaching & Consulting, brings to her work 25 years of experience as a seasoned leader in the learning and performance and talent management field.

Ms. Darmstadter’s professional career spans both corporate, non-profit environments, and government where she has designed and delivered a broad range of training and professional development programs for diverse groups of employees, including the most senior executives. She has also led initiatives to shape company culture and build employee engagement. Before launching her own business in Summer 2008, Ms. Darmstadter worked for twelve years for Covance Inc., where, over her tenure, she held Human Resource management positions at both the local and corporate level.

While continuing to provide consulting the above-mentioned areas, she also maintains a robust executive and career transition coaching business.

Ms. Darmstadter brings to her coaching engagements certifications in a number of self- and 360 assessments including DiSC, EQi 2.0, the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), the Professional Strengths, Values and Story Survey (SVSS), the Profilor 360, and the Leadership Circle 360.

Ms. Darmstadter is certified as a Dare To LeadTM facilitator (Brené Brown’s flagship leadership development program), as well as Situational Leadership.

Ms. Darmstadter completed Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching Certificate Program and is a certified coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). Her Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration is from the University of Chicago. Her Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Creative Writing are from the University Michigan where she was the recipient of a Hopwood Award for Underclassman Fiction Writing.

Coleen Ellis, CT, CPLP

In 2004, the death of her dog, Mico, guided Coleen Ellis to start Pet Angel Memorial Center, Inc.®, the nation’s first stand-alone pet funeral home. In 2009, due to demand, Coleen founded Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, to consult with those wanting to provide meaningful pet death care services in their communities, as well to be an educational resource in the pet grief discipline. She has a certificate in Death and Grief Studies Specializing in Pet Loss Companioning as well as being Certified in Thanatology and a Certified Pet Loss Professional. In the fall of 2011, Coleen released her first book Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief. By 2014, she had joined a business partner in creating a national brand of pet memorial centers, The Pet Loss Center. She remains a consultant and advisor for The Pet Loss Center.

She is a founder and past co-chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance and the current Executive Director and past president of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. She is currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science as well as her alma mater, Fort Hays State University and is the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award recipient. She shares her home in Southlake, TX, with her husband, Chris Burke, and their four four-legged children Albert, Rudy, and Beulah.

Timothy A. Davis 

Tim concentrates his practice on labor and employment law in the exclusive representation of management. In this capacity he is recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a “Top Ranked Labor & Employment Lawyer,” by Ingram’s as a “Best Lawyer”, and by LRI as one of the “Top Labor Lawyers in America.” He advises and defends clients on all aspects of the employer/employee relationship with special focus on labor relations/union avoidance.

Tim is also active in the human resources community as a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and former President of SHRM-KC. He has been invited to speak at the National SHRM convention on labor relations topics the past nine years and also regularly speaks for state and local SHRM and other professional and business associations.

Emily Fink

Emily Fink, originally from the Sacramento, CA area, attended George Fox University near Portland, OR, where she studied Sociology and Business Marketing. During her senior year, she had the opportunity to work for Intel on their events marketing team, traveling to events across the United States. She continued working for Intel following graduation before moving back to the Sacramento area. Having worked with a large hybrid VCA hospital during summers and remotely while in college, Emily joined VCA Animal Hospitals full-time as a Specialty Marketing Manager, supporting the marketing efforts at three specialty and hybrid hospitals for the past nearly five years. In April of 2019, Emily was promoted into a newly-created role of Specialty Marketing Manager of Northern CA, supporting the specialty and hybrid practices in the region. She guides each hospital in building and maintaining relationships within the veterinary community through the various forms of marketing, continuing education events, and more.

Ed Goodman

Ed’s creative strategy, inventive thinking and management style have enabled him to navigate multiple career paths, rising to executive levels in entertainment, engineering, community design, marketing, branding, technology, organizational ecology, dreamscaping, experience design and more. He has over 30 years of interdisciplinary problem-solving experience, with consistent effectiveness in ideation and implementation of optimal solutions. Ed has extensive experience with industries including healthcare, urban design, entertainment, education, television, and economic development. He is an award-winning creative strategist and educational product developer, receiving the EXPY Award as the Experience Design and Stager of the Year and the Cindy Award for the K-12 Education Product of the Year. Ed is a leadership, experience design, and organizational change navigation guide for large healthcare networks. Together, Ed and Dave Goodman are co-developers of the Spiral Thinking Model, which is used throughout the Spiral 20/20 programs.

Bash Halow, BA, CVPM, LVT

Bash is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, a certified veterinary practice manager, and a licensed veterinary technician. As a veterinary business advisor and a veteran practice manager with more than 18 years of experience, Mr. Halow has helped dozens of veterinary hospitals understand how to build stronger teams and responsibly and ethically grow their businesses. He is a frequent contributor to Veterinary Economics and DVM 360 and is a member of the editorial advisory board for Firstline Veterinary Management Magazine and the FetchDVM360 veterinary conferences. He has been an invited speaker at all the major U.S. veterinary conferences including AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, VHMA, Western, Midwest, CVC, IVECCS; state associations, and international conferences like APVC, OVMA, and the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. He is a regular speaker at the annual VPMA Conference in Wales and addressed the Veterinary Management Association at the House of Lords, London, in June 2018. He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, founder and member of the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Management Association, founder of the Big Apple Veterinary Management Association in New York City, and proud member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. Mr. Halow was the 2013 recipient of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association’s President’s Award for management education in the state of Pennsylvania.

Esther Fraser

Esther Fraser is a Data Analyst at VetSuccess with a bachelor's degree in discrete math and a passion for bringing veterinary data to life. Whatever the context—from an individual practice to a large corporate group to an industry-wide study—Esther brings clear, actionable insights to the table. When she's not hunched over her computer, she's either trying to correct her posture at the gym or experimenting with crochet patterns.

Sheri Gilmartin, CVT

Sheri Gilmartin is a Credentialed Veterinary Technician and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for VetSuccess. She began her career in the veterinary profession over 26 years ago at a small animal practice outside of Boston. Since then, she's held various positions in both sales and marketing at Hill's Pet Nutrition, Vetsource, and Patterson Veterinary. Sheri is passionately committed to the veterinary industry and helping practices be more successful.

Roger Haston, Ph.D.

Roger Haston is a recognized world leader in animal welfare through his research and public speaking. Dr. Haston received a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of California Santa Barbara and an MBA in finance from Rice University. His career began in the oil and gas industry, working for Amoco and Arco in Houston, Texas. Dr. Haston moved to Colorado in 1998, where he started and grew Axis Geophysics – a successful business in geophysical data processing serving the oil and gas industry. He had a strong desire to give back to the community and became involved with the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, first as a volunteer, then later as a board member and board chair.

What began as volunteerism soon grew into a new career path as Dr. Haston’s passion for helping animals continued to grow. In 2012, he committed himself full-time to animal welfare, taking on the position of Executive Director at the Animal Assistance Foundation. There, he merged his passion for science, business, and leadership to help the animals of Colorado and beyond. In 2016, Dr. Haston joined PetSmart Charities, North America’s leading funder of animal welfare, as the organization’s Chief Analytics Officer where he focused upon data collection, interpretation, and analysis to predict trends, evaluate best practices, explore the impact of the human-animal bond and examine the future of animal welfare. In 2019, Dr. Haston recognized a need for a deeper level of science and analysis in the industry and started The Institute for Animals, which focuses on strategy, research, advocacy insight, and thought leadership.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in animal welfare, Dr. Haston has become an internationally recognized leader in data, trends, metrics, and analysis conveyed through impactful and approachable storytelling. He is a highly sought-after speaker who has presented on many animal welfare and economic topics at conferences and events around the world. He has touched thousands of people, both within and outside the industry, with his deep insights into the role of animals in our society.
Dr. Haston has served on the boards of Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund, PetAid Colorado, Catalyst Council, Emancipet, Animal Grant Makers, National Council on Pet Population, Alliance for Arizona Non-profits and Shelter Animals Count.

Melissa Mauldin, BSBA, CVPM, SHRM-SCP

Melissa has more than ten years of experience in veterinary management, ranging from a large general practice to a small feline exclusive practice and multi-site management. She currently serves as a Senior Human Resourse Business Partner for Encore Vet Group, where she partners with practice leaders to manage and develop employees to help them achieve their goals. She is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, a SHRM Senior Certified Professional and has a bachelor's degree in Management. She has a special interest in leadership theories and employee development.

Leslie A. Mamalis, MBA, MSIT, CVA

Owner and senior consultant at Summit Veterinary Advisors, Leslie has been a critical part of Summit Veterinary Advisors’ success since 2006, providing practice valuations, profitability assessments, feasibility analyses, and financial consulting to veterinary specialists and general practices alike.

Leslie has a Masters of Business Administration degree and a Masters of Science in Information Technology degree and became a Certified Valuation Analyst in 2013. She worked for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) for seven years, beginning with management education seminars and then becoming involved with the accreditation program. Leslie serves as the co-chair of the VetPartners Valuation Council.

Leslie is an author and frequent speaker on practice management, profitability, and valuation. She has extensive experience helping veterinarians and managers understand financial reports so they can use that information to increase practice profitability and value.

Bethany Bankovich Mihalik, CVPM, MHRM, CVT, CCFP

Bethany currently serves as the Hospital Administrator of Neffsville Veterinary Clinic, a nine-doctor, AAHA accredited small animal practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has been managing practices in the veterinary industry since 2008. She is a 19-time NCAA All-American and college record holder (Clarion University of Pennsylvania - 200 butterfly) and attributes her success in the veterinary industry to decades of "resilience" training in the pool.

She earned her B.S. in Communications from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2004, M.H.R.M./M.B.A. from Saint Francis University of Pennsylvania in 2006, A.A.S. in Veterinary Technology in 2010 from the Bel-Rea Institute in
Denver, CO, and Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) credentials in March of 2015. She recently earned her Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP) credentials in 2019.

In addition to her duties at Neffsville, she serves as the President of the Lehigh County Humane Society in Allentown, PA. She is an active member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, a content contributor for Veterinary Team Brief, and a Podium Speaker for Zoetis Animal Health.

Melina Palmer

Melina Palmer, host of The Brainy Business Podcast, has dedicated her career to seeking answers to these questions for herself and her clients. The first individual to graduate from the University of Washington’s Global Honors Program with a degree in business, her senior thesis was presented at the Association of Consumer Research Symposium in Hyderabad, India. A lifelong learner, she went on to pursue a Master’s in Behavioral Economics from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology conducting a research project on improving savings behaviors using simple nudges. A Filene i3 alumna, she loves to bring innovative practices to organizations and help bring BE concepts from academia into application. At The Brainy Business, Melina works with companies and entrepreneurs to understand the small changes that can make a big difference in product programs, pricing, change initiatives, branding, internal communication, and marketing messages “brain friendly” to increase engagement and ROI.

Darren Osborne, MA

Darren Osborne is the Director of Economic Research for the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association and Economic Consultant for the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, several State VMAs, and veterinary study groups across North America. Darren attended York University and completed his Master's Degree in Economics in 1992. When he is not crunching numbers, you can find Darren playing guitar, running, swimming, or cycling.

James T. Penrod, CAE, FASLA 

Jim joined the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) in August, 2015 as its Executive Director. The AAVSB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to support and advance the regulatory process for veterinary medicine. The membership of the AAVSB consists of 62 jurisdictions representing all of the United States and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and nine Canadian provinces. Prior to joining the AAVSB, Jim worked with state and provincial regulatory boards while employed with the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards, in Reston, Virginia, since 1991. Jim is a past chair of the Certified Association Executive (CAE) Commission and also served as a member of the examination committee for the program prior to his service on the Commission. The CAE program is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and designate association professionals who demonstrate the knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment. While at CLARB, Jim received the CLARB Presidential Recognition Award for outstanding and tireless service to the Council in its efforts to protect public safety and welfare through leadership and innovative strategic management of the profession’s licensure exam. He was honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects when he was elected to be a Fellow of the association in 2010 for his leadership and management within the profession. In 2018, Jim received the Distinguished Association Executive Award from the Kansas City Society of Association Executives (KCSAE). As the KCSAE’s highest honor, the recipient of this award exemplifies the best in executive association management, continually bringing credit to the profession and the association management community.

Chris Ragland

Chris Ragland is an experienced Senior Executive with more than 30 years of success in the global animal health industry. Chris spent his first 23 years working with the multi-national pharmaceutical companies Hoechst Roussel Vet, Intervet, and Schering Plough in a variety of sales, marketing, and executive roles. In 2010, Chris founded Animalytix LLC, a leading market insight services provider, in partnership with several of the leading U.S. animal health veterinary distribution companies.

Today, Chris and his team at Animalytix oversee the animal health industry’s most extensive database of animal health sales information, providing monthly market insight reporting to more than 100 animal health and pet nutrition distributors and manufacturers in the United States and Canada. In 2015, Animalytix acquired the Compendium of Veterinary Products, the COMPAS Safety Data Sheet Retrieval Services, and other electronic publishing assets that are currently in use at more than 15,000 U.S. and Canadian veterinary practices. Following the acquisition of the Compendium, Chris and the team at Animalytix have undertaken a focused effort on developing market insight resources for the veterinary profession, which the company delivers via its freeware services platform Vetalytix. Animalytix routinely supports market insight initiatives with a variety of veterinary-focused organizations, including AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, the United Veterinary Services Association, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, the Canadian Animal Health Institute, and numerous Group Purchasing Organizations in the U.S.

Chris currently serves as CEO of Animalytix LLC and Managing Member of Axxiom Consulting. Chris is a member of the Board of the United Veterinary Services Association and a member of the AVMA’s Veterinary Economic Steering Committee.

Kimberly Ness

Kimberly Ness is a marketing strategist and consultant with Trone Research + Consulting, the brains behind Diggo. As part of her current role, she leads the research team focusing on uncovering key action steps that build loyalty between pet owners and their veterinary clinic—equipping veterinary practices to thrive in an increasingly competitive market for veterinary services.

Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT

Phil is a Certified Veterinary Technician celebrating his 41st year in the veterinary profession. He is currently a full-time author and consultant specializing in the regulatory issues facing veterinary businesses.

Because he has taken the lead in "deciphering" the regulatory agency rules affecting the veterinary profession and has been able to provide practical, veterinary-specific advice Phil has earned the reputation of the veterinary profession's OSHA expert. Recognizing the power of interactive learning, Phil is the founder and Director of the OSHA Center on the Veterinary Information Network. He regularly teaches several interactive courses on VIN and VSPN.

Phil became the first veterinary technician to evaluate and accredit veterinary hospitals for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) because of his extensive clinical and managerial experience and skills. The experience of "inspecting" over 1,200 hospitals has given him a unique perspective of our profession that he uses to provide the most practical answers to our profession’s issues.

He has contributed to several well-respected professional works including McCurnin's Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, Five-Minute Veterinary Practice Management Consult and Veterinary Practice Management Secrets. He has authored numerous books and videos for the American Animal Hospital Association on practice safety. His self-produced books, The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual and Safety Issues for the Veterinary Hospital Staff are in their sixth editions and his newest book The Complete Veterinary Practice Controlling Controlled Drugs Manual was just released in January 2020!

Phil is the author of many journal articles dealing with veterinary hospital administration which have appeared in national publications such as Journal of the AVMA, Veterinary Economics, AAHA Trends, Veterinary Forum, DVM Newsmagazine, the Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Practice STAFF and Veterinary Practice News. He is also the founder and Managing Editor of the profession's only safety-specific newsletter, The Veterinary Safety & Health Digest.

Christine Royal, DVM

Dr. Christine Royal is an Auburn University alumnus, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. While at Auburn, she found her passion for research studying viruses in fish and endocrinology in livestock before changing her focus to companion animal medicine. Dr. Royal began her career in a full-time small animal practice in Alabama. She went on to gain valuable industry experience in clinical research, management, new product development, and corporate training, while continuing to do relief work on the side. In 2014, Dr. Royal joined Merck Animal Health.

In her current role as Director of the Veterinary Professional Services Team, Dr. Royal manages a team of companion animal and equine veterinarians across the U.S. and serves as a medical lead to internal teams throughout the organization. She interacts with many organizations, universities, and practices to support fellow veterinary professionals, and when time allows, utilizes her experience as a corporate trainer to offer interactive education on topics that improve the lives of pets and the people who care for them, such as infectious diseases, parasites, and veterinary wellbeing. In everything she does, Dr. Royal is passionate about sharing her perspective as a veterinarian, mother, and industry professional to raise awareness on issues related to protecting public health and pets.

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