CVPM Leadership

Chair

Debbie Newhouse, LVT, MBA, CVPM (Papillion, NE)

Debbie has been in veterinary medicine for the past 20 years, starting as an assistant and working her way up to become part-owner of two emergency practices in Nebraska. When she started as a practice manager, she had no managerial training and started reading management books to learn how to become a better manager. She joined the VHMA in 2004 and found a place to learn and become part of a community of colleagues that shared experiences and knowledge. She earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification in 2009. She says it is one of my most cherished accomplishments. She believes in the vision and mission of the CVPM program and the VHMA and would like to have a chance to give back to the community that has helped her have a fulfilling and exciting career.

Co-Chair

Janine Kakoyannis Youngblood, CVPM (San Diego, CA)

Janine started in the veterinary field in 2001 as a receptionist and was cross-trained as a technician. She became interested in practice management after realizing she was passionate about taking on projects, such as streamlining inventory and finding ways to increase revenue. She earned her B.S. in Agribusiness Management from Cal Poly. Janine started managing in 2010, and her experience includes General Practice, 24-hour E.R./Specialty, a mobile practice, and a startup. She has been a member of the VHMA since 2009 and earned her certification as a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) in 2016. She formed the San Diego Veterinary Managers Group in 2018 to help other local managers grow in their professional development. Currently, she is the Senior Director of Operations for AmeriVet, covering the Southwest region, and is completing her MBA. Since 2021 she has served on the CVPM Board as Treasurer.

Treasurer

Danielle Quinton, RVT, CVPM (Fair Oaks, CA)

Danielle Quinton started her career in the veterinary field while attending the University of California, Davis. Initially pre-vet, Danielle fell into the drama department at UC Davis and graduated in 1990 with a B.A. in Dramatic Art. During her college career, she worked for a small corporation that owned five hospitals in the Sacramento area, where Sunset Animal Medical Center was the main hospital. Her love of animals prevailed as she progressed to management at their Mather hospital and obtained her RVT license in 1993. She left veterinary medicine from 1994-2010 to manage and operate her family's RadioShack franchise. Coming full circle in 2010, she regained employment with Dr. Jay Griffiths at Sunset AMC, where she started her career years earlier. She then joined A.B. Science USA as the Northwest Regional Sales Representative in July 2012 to promote Kinavet, a mast cell tumor-targeted therapy, to veterinarians throughout the Northwest. In January 2016, Danielle rejoined the Sunset AMC team, where she took a leadership role. She was offered the hospital manager position when VCA acquired Sunset AMC in October 2016. She earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification in January 2018. Danielle left VCA in March 2019 to manage the non-profit Animal Spay and Neuter in Auburn, CA. She realized her skills would be better suited for a full-service hospital, which led to her joining the Summer Hills Veterinary Hospital Team in September 2020 as their hospital administrator. This opportunity led to a position as a regional manager for a group of veterinary partners where she currently has responsibility for 17 veterinary hospitals.  Danielle has been a member of the VHMA since 2016 and has served as Director on the CVPM Board since 2021.

Secretary

KimberlyAnn Mackey, CVPM (Media, PA)

Kim has over 17 years of experience in the veterinary profession. Like many others, she has progressed from a receptionist to a practice manager. She earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification in 2015. She believes her criminal justice background has helped her succeed and brings an interesting perspective to the veterinary field. She has over 25 years of experience in Criminal Justice and 21 years as a State Parole Supervisor for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While she continues working in criminal justice, she gains valuable information to translate into the veterinary world.  

Kim is also a passionate advocate for education; she believes education is the key to achieving a positive working environment. She speaks at veterinary clinics, manager groups, and veterinary conferences on various topics that she is passionate about. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor with over ten years of experience at two local universities. Kim has been a Director on the CVPM Board of Directors since 2021.

Director

Kim Mitchell, CVPM

Kim has been in the Veterinary field for over 18 years and a Certified Veterinary Practice manager (CVPM) for six years. She has been fortunate to work with many talented individuals as a Customer Service Representative (CSR), technician, assistant manager, practice manager, and now a regional director. She started from the ground up and created a strong base for her career. She has completed the two-year veterinary management program at Purdue University and has a bachelor's degree in business. She prides herself as a strong, trusted leader and mentor. She is able to adapt to change, deal with conflict, and guide her teams through change management and difficult situations. She has been a member of the VHMA since 2011.

Director

Letitia Chandler Wiegand, CVPM

Leta joined Manchaca Village Veterinary Care as a Technician Team Lead in 2014, where her leadership skills and work ethic helped her transition to Practice Manager in 2016. Always looking for ways to grow in her field, Leta became a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) in 2020. She intentionally implements emotional intelligence into her coaching and team-building approach. A team player, you can find Leta helping out in any part of the hospital during the workday. In addition to heading up staff management, quality control, and client relations, she is sometimes a technician, receptionist, coach, and listening ear. 

Leta holds a B.S. in Animal Science from West Texas A&M University. She has previously worked in the veterinary industry as a receptionist, surgery technician, and veterinary technician in the Austin area. Leta is passionate about blending high-quality medicine with an informed and personal client experience.
Leta has been a member of the VHMA since 2019.

Immediate Past Chair

Stephanie Albanese, CVPM

Stephanie M. Albanese grew up in Kentucky, where her family bred and showed St. Bernards and Great Pyrenees. She spent more time in a dog kennel than a child's crib. After receiving her degree in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University, she moved to Sarasota, FL, to work at Mote Marine Laboratory. While at Mote Marine, she learned she missed being around the furry animals she grew up with and obtained a job as a kennel assistant at a veterinary hospital. While at this hospital, she gained several years of valuable experience as a technician and a manager.

2005, she moved back to the Carolinas and started working for Veterinary Medical Care, LLC. Fifteen years later, Stephanie is now the Hospital Administrator. BluePearl acquired Veterinary Specialty Care in December 2020, where Stephanie remains the Hospital Administrator.

Stephanie says," I am so incredibly proud to be part of an organization with such a dynamic group of Doctors and support staff. I can honestly say that every team member has nothing but the patients' and their parents' best interests at heart. Every team member strives every day to provide the best quality of medicine and surgical care there is to offer. That is something pretty amazing to be a part of."

Stephanie has been a member of the VHMA since 2014 and earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification in 2016.

Public Member

Felica Wilson

Ms. Wilson is a licensed North Carolina K-6 Elementary Education teacher. She holds two bachelor's degrees and currently is in a Master's level program.

She is a longtime advocate for at-risk children and community access to appropriate mental health/addiction treatment services.

Her community outreach experience includes: serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Daymark Recovery Services (2019-2022), President of the Cabarrus County Child Protection Team (2011-2013) and served on the Walter T. Morgan First Tee of Lake Norman Advisory Board (2009).

VHMA Board Liaison

Susie Crockett, CVPM

Susie Crockett began her veterinary career as a receptionist in 1999 for a two-facility practice while attending Purdue University. She graduated from Purdue University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Organizational Communication.

Throughout her career she has managed General Practice, Emergency, and Specialty Hospitals. She is currently the Director of Practice Management for Noah's Animal Hospital, overseeing nine practice managers and location operations for General Practice, Emergency and Low Cost models.

She was an active participant in the Veterinary Management Association of Indiana (VMAI), holding positions as Vice President in 2011 and President in 2012. 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. She has served all roles on the CVPM Board, and is currently the Chair for the VHMA DEI Task Force. She has most recently been a contributing author for a AVMAs Journey for Teams, as well as their Well-Being certificate program. She also speaks on a variety of practice management topics.