Speakers

Jeremy Bess

Often regarded as a thought leader in macroeconomics, Jeremy offers clients insight into future expectations on topics that matter most to them. He helps set their course with a plan grounded in concrete data and analysis. This involves specific ad-hoc projects, such as analyzing the impact of a one-time asset implementation and delivering presentations to policymakers, companies, and trade associations. Drawing on his expertise in various sectors, he translates economic trends into actionable advice.

Jeremy is a keynote speaker who travels across North America. One of his standout skills is keeping the energy up during presentations. Let’s be honest—economist keynotes often get a bad reputation as the perfect time to check emails or make phone calls. But he's heard that his presentations are so lively, people look forward to them and make sure not to miss a minute!  

Rob Best

Think Rob Best looks familiar? He’s a known keynote speaker and a regular guest on TV and podcasts… from talking about his work with people like Ndaba Mandela and Kobe Bryant, to profiling criminal suspects and celebrities for possible deception. Rob loves his work and is always excited for new experiences, so please do not hesitate to introduce yourself and share your story!

Rob is a certified expert in Neuroleadership, the science-based field centered around emotional intelligence. His work focuses on increasing the emotional and psychological safety within professional environments to help attract, retain, and develop talent.
And he certainly knows a little something about talent, having been a basketball player, a world explorer who’s trekked six of the seven continents, and even the CEO of a global nonprofit supporting teenage entrepreneurs in over 30 countries.

Rob holds two bachelor’s degrees, Business, and Organizational Communication. And his learning & education have never stopped; he’s earned his CVPM, is a licensed expert in body language, statement analysis, and deception detection. If you think that sounds like some FBI or CIA stuff, you’re right!  And Rob uses these skills for supporting leaders and influencing positive change in business and in life.

Michelle Campoli, CVT, CVPM

Michelle is a seasoned credentialed veterinary technician who often led to team lead roles. Due to the common cause of attrition, she found herself in a higher-level managerial position and, luckily, was allowed to pursue and earn her CVPM designation.

An educator at heart, Michelle has been an adjunct instructor at two veterinary technology programs and an online education platform. She helped revive and start local management practice groups in her cities of residence. She has also served on the CVPM board for 16 years and continues to serve the board in various committee assignments. She is the practice manager representative for the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and has served on the rules advisory committee for the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board.

A chance meeting at an airport resulted in her joining IDEXX first as a contracted resource and quickly becoming a full-time employee. In her tenure at IDEXX, Michelle has served as a specialist and analyst in multiple roles, leveraging her clinical and managerial experiences to help hundreds of practices implement and improve their software use through remote and in-person workflow, inventory, and database analysis. She quickly attained subject matter expert status and was a key part of developing and creating user help content, product documentation, and user enhancement dispositioning.

As a user experience researcher, workflow specialist, and recognized domain SME, she consults with multiple IDEXX teams to keep user experience and voice of customer forefront in product development by championing best practices and efficient workflows through the lenses of manager, technician, and client.
 

Susie Crockett, BS, CVPM

Susie Crockett, BS, CVPM, is the Director of Practice Management for Noah’s Animal Hospital, where she oversees nine Practice Managers, as well as the operations for 10 hospitals. The hospitals include General Practice, Emergency and Specialty Care, as well as Low-Cost models. She also is a speaker who focuses primarily on topics for Veterinary Practice Management, Leadership and Veterinary Business Operations. With over 20 years of experience in the veterinary industry, Susie has a broad knowledge base and high expertise in all aspects of managing a veterinary practice.

Susie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Communication from Purdue University. She earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager certification in 2009, validating her knowledge and understanding in Veterinary Practice Management. She is passionate about elevating the education and skill set of Veterinary Managers and Leaders. She was an elected member of the CVPM Board for 10 years and currently holds a position on the VHMA Board of Directors. Susie is enthusiastic about being involved in ways to advance the profession of Veterinary Practice Management.

Throughout her career, Susie has been an active participant in several arenas to help promote and improve the profession. Susie is a contributing author to articles in AAHA Trends and has worked with the AVMA as a presenter on the Workplace Wellbeing 1: Setting the Foundation. She also contributed a module to the Journey for Teams program. She has been a member of multiple committees within several organizations, including Veterinary Management Association of Indiana and Veterinary Medical Association Executives.

Susie is a speaker on a regular basis for a group of veterinary managers and leaders. She has given presentations for industry partners, VHMA, AVMA, IVMA, NAVC, WVC and as a consultant for Veterinary Management Solutions. Her broad range of expertise allows her to be a subject matter expert on a variety of topics. Her presentation style includes not only didactic lectures, but audience participation and inclusion.

Lara de Leon

Lara is an equity partner with the law firm of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete working out of its offices in San Antonio, Texas and Orange County, California. She is an experienced trial lawyer and client advocate. Her extensive career has involved representing companies of all sizes, across many industries, in all aspects of employment law. Lara has successfully defended clients in the courtroom, before administrative agencies, and on appeal.

In addition to litigation, Lara has spent her career partnering with clients to counsel them through complex issues involving employee discrimination and retaliation, harassment, leave of absence and workplace accommodations.

Lara is licensed to practice law in both Texas and California, and is Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Christopher Doherty, DVM, CBV, MBA

Christopher Doherty is the Assistant Director for Strategic Business Research and Outreach at the AVMA. Dr. Doherty obtained his DVM degree at the Ontario Veterinary College, his MBA at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, and is a Chartered Business Valuator. In his role with the AVMA, he analyzes data pertaining to new and early-career veterinarians. He works in tandem with the rest of the Veterinary Economics Division team to aid in the translation of research findings into tools, resources, and actionable items that veterinarians can utilize and implement in their practices and their careers.

Karen Hart, CVPM

Karen Hart is a certified veterinary practice manager specializing in change management, strategic planning, operational efficiency, staff development, and team well-being. She has an Engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and uses an analytical approach to build systems that utilize intentionality in conjunction with emotional intelligence. She is passionate about developing creative strategies to meet hospital and community needs and to advance the ever-changing veterinary industry. She lives and works in Northern Vermont as an active practice manager, speaker, and consultant.

Debbie Hill, CVPM SPHR SHRM-SCP

Debbie Hill, CVPM SPHR SHRM-SCP, enjoys all things management and speaks nationally to manager groups and conferences nationwide. She is an active hospital administrator for a veterinarian with three hospitals and has taught management courses for Patterson Management University for 13 years. Debbie has spoken at local, regional, and national veterinary conferences on various management topics and was the voice of the VHMA M2M monthly podcasts for 4 ½ years.

Debbie attends multiple veterinary conferences annually to stay current. She earned her Certified Veterinary Hospital Manager certification in 2005. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR and SHRM-SCP), using these certifications to help manage her teams. Debbie served on the Veterinary Hospital Manager Association's Board of Directors and the CVPM Board of Directors.

Realizing she has been privileged with a wealth of management experience and education exposure, Debbie has a strong desire to share with others who strive to maintain healthy teams, quality patient care, and client service with solid business systems.

Patrick Luce

Patrick brings his reputation for being a thought leader to his role as a managing economist. With expertise in various sectors, he provides an unbiased, data-driven perspective on economic trends to help clients gain confidence in their decisions—even amidst economic headwinds and tailwinds that are out of their control.

Kimberly Mackey, MS, CVPM

Kim is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) with over 15 years of experience in the Veterinary field. She has worked her way up from Receptionist to Practice Manager. Kim believes her criminal justice background has helped her succeed and bring an interesting perspective to veterinary medicine. She has over 30 years of experience in Criminal Justice and 21 years as a State Parole Supervisor for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While she continues to work in the criminal justice field, she gains useful information that she translates into the veterinary world.
She is also an adjunct professor at Widener University, Delaware Valley University, and Delaware County Community College, where she enjoys helping to educate our future leaders in the world.

Travis Meredith, DVM, MBA, Dip ACT.

Travis Meredith holds a unique insight into the animal health market, which spans over two decades and the entire animal health supply chain scope. Growing up on the backside of East Coast horse tracks, Travis experienced veterinary medicine and the role of the animal in commerce firsthand.  He has successfully launched new products into the companion and large animal markets for companies ranging from start-ups to global manufacturers. As the Director of Practice Initiatives for Animalytix and an active owner/operator of three small animal hospitals, he helps shape services that connect and strengthen the relationships between industry and today's practicing veterinarian. Travis holds a DVM from Texas A&M University, residency training at The University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina.

Beckie Mossor, RVT 

Beckie Mossor is a registered veterinary technician and the current president of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. She has a diverse veterinary background, including clinical practice, management, and academia. She is the Practice Management Coordinator in the Veterinary Technology program at Appalachian State University. Beckie is the co-host of the podcast Veterinary Viewfinder and founder of the Veterinary Industry Giving Tree, a nonprofit organization developed to help members of the veterinary community during the winter holidays.

Darren Osborne, MA 

Darren Osborne is the Director of Economic Research for the Ontario VMA and Economic Consultant for the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, several State VMAs, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and veterinary study groups across North America. Darren attended York University and completed his master's in economics in 1992.

Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS

Tina Robinson

As founder of WorkJoy, Tina builds on 25 years of global operations, technology consulting, and people leadership experience to provide innovative facilitation and coaching solutions to organizations ready to unleash the potential of their humans. Engagedly named her to its Top 100 HR Influencers in 2023. From personal branding to leadership development, executive coaching, and cross-functional and cross-cultural training, Tina co-creates people programs that drive business outcomes and deliver human results. 

Tina has collaborated with leaders and teams from prominent regional and international organizations, including The American Heart Association, Fabletics, FOX Sports, National Wildlife Federation, Pressed Juicery, SAP, Spin Master, Toyota Financial Services, UCLA (coaching executive MBA students), and The Whole Child (social services). 

Tina is a dynamic facilitator of focused workshops, half-day events, and multi-day retreats. She combines individual reflection with small group exercises and larger group discussions to serve her clients' aspirational outcomes. Tina co-creates the strategy and structure for the events, supporting shared success for all involved. Tina coaches leaders at all levels, with past clients as a fashion brand CEO, creative agency co-founder, eCommerce CFO, and nonprofit executive directors. 

Tina's coaching toolbox is broad and deep, including assessments like CliftonStrengths and DiSC to more in-depth 360s. She helps her clients jumpstart their development goals and aligns with larger organizational initiatives to ensure coaching integrates into a holistic talent investment strategy. 

Tina is an honors graduate of the University of Virginia (BA) and University of Michigan (MBA) and is PCC credentialed through the International Coaching Federation. She is a thought leader online and in print, contracted by the Global Association for Talent Development to author a book about leadership. 

Tina is a sought-after and highly rated speaker at international conferences and is a former adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University.

David Suson

David studies the keystones for success and achievement in the areas of Leadership, Communication, and Personal Performance. He studied over 3,000 top performers to find what the best-performing leaders and employees do and the roadblocks that hold people back. For over 25 years, David has worked with hundreds of clients of all sizes and industries to improve leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, sales and personal development and brings his insights to you to create breakthroughs.

Marcus Sylvas, PhD

Dr. Marcus Sylvas, born and raised in Marrero, LA, is the Leadership Development Program Manager at the Louisiana Transportation and Research Center. In his role, he conducts a variety of customized leadership development courses for Department of Transportation and Development employees across Louisiana. Marcus has earned his Bachelor’s degree, two Master’s degrees, and, most recently, a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Extension Education and Evaluation in December of 2023. Marcus is currently the ATD Baton Rouge Chapter President.

Melissa Thompson, Ph.D.

Melissa Thompson, PhD, is a partner at Success Labs, where she helps individuals and organizations develop strong leaders, high-performing teams, and strategic growth plans. With a background in interpersonal communication, leadership development, and public speaking coaching, she brings a deep understanding of how people connect, collaborate, and thrive in professional environments. Her experience spans industries, from corporate leadership to nonprofit and higher education, equipping her with the insight to tailor development programs that create lasting impact. 

Before joining Success Labs in 2021, Melissa was the Director of Talent Development at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. She previously worked with Louisiana State University’s Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) program and served as an organizer and speaker coach for TEDxLSU from 2013 to 2020. She continues this work with TEDxBatonRouge and teaches as an adjunct faculty member at LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business.

Grace Ursery, BA, RVT, CVPM

As a technician and then as a practice manager in GP and speciality medicine, from companion animals to mixed animal practices, Grace has worked with veterinary professionals and owners for over two decades in the hospital. Always a fan of money, analyzing revenue, and controlling expenses, this real-world knowledge blend in hospital operations, medicine, and business experience lends a specialized perspective that is personable, authentic, and relatable to veterinary professionals. 

Brittany Yost, CVPM, CVBL, CCFP

Brittany is a seasoned veterinary professional with nearly 20 years of experience. Her background includes 16 years of practice management as well as her current role at Vetsource, leading the Customer Implementation and Engagement Teams. Concurrently, she works as a veterinary business consultant for several industry leaders including Boehringer Ingelheim, VETgirl, Midwest Veterinary Supply, and Vertical Vet. In addition to her practical experience, Brittany holds a business degree from The Ohio State University and in 2020 earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager certification.