Jimmy Bell, CPA

Jimmy Bell is the founder of the JF Bell Group, CPAs for Veterinarians, and co-owner of a veterinary practice. Jimmy just completed his final term as purportedly the longest-serving member on the Finance, Investment, & Audit Committee of the ACVIM, is the current treasurer of VetPartners,and is the immediate past Chair of the Idaho State Board of Accountancy. Ever the anti-traditionalist and visionary, Jimmy started his accounting firm immediately after college and has a long-standing passion for collaborating with veterinarians. Over his forty-plus-year career, he has proven his ability by providing real-time solutions to help veterinarians simplify operations, improve profitability, and liberate them from their day-to-day burdens. Bringing vision and innovation since 1978, Jimmy strives to make a positive difference in our world by helping practices harness the power of technology, financial data, and forward-thinking.

Dr. Alise Cortez

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.

Nellie Goetz, DVM, MPH

Randy Hall

For 20 years, Randy Hall has worked for and with organizations to help them realize more of their potential. In 2009, he left corporate America to start his own company, 4th Gear Consulting, to guide leaders as they learn how to lead fully accountable and engaged teams. If leaders can switch from the old-school authoritarian view of management to leadership that fosters employees' commitment, businesses set themselves up for incredible, sustainable success.

After almost a decade of independently coaching organizations, Randy realized that his veterinary clients had challenges and frustrations that were unique to the profession but fixable with the proper tools and strategies. In 2018, he launched what would become VetLead, empowering veterinary professionals to transform their practice in ways they never thought possible and forever changing the future of veterinary medicine.

Mira Johnson, CPA, CVPM

Melissa Mauldin, CVPM, SHRM-SCP, ACC

Melissa Mauldin is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, HR Senior Certified Professional, and an ICF Credentialed Coach with more than 15 years of experience in the veterinary profession. She has served in various roles, including practice management, operations leadership, and HR leadership. Her passions include leadership development, teaching, and helping individuals reach personal and professional goals.

Kimberly Mackey, MS, CVPM

Kim Mackey 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. She believes that her criminal justice background has helped her succeed and bring an interesting perspective to the veterinary field. 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.

Eric Meyer

Jessica Molina, CVPM, PHR, CCFP

Jessica Molina has been in the veterinary industry for over 20 years. As a military spouse, moving around for the Navy has allowed her to work in several practices nationwide. Like many managers, she's held just about every position in a practice. She is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and a Human Resources Professional and has earned many other professional designations over the years. Her most recent career focus has been in multi-site operations, and she is incredibly passionate about career coaching and financial optimization.

Beckie Mossor, RVT

Beckie Mosser graduated from Central Carolina Community College in 2007 with her AAS in Veterinary Medical Technology and her Bachelors in Non-Profit and Public Administration from the University of North Carolina Pembroke in 2019. Beckie has enjoyed a diverse career in small animal, large animal, mixed practices, academia, and management and consulting. Beckie co-founded Veterinary Advancement, is a professional medical responder with the ASPCA Field Investigations Response (FIR) Team, is Volunteer Director of Operations 3K9 Working Dogs, and co-hosts the podcast Veterinary Viewfinder.

Dr. Lu Olson

Dr. Lu Olson graduated from the University of Illinois in 2013. Currently, she is in a leadership role as a Medical Director at a small animal and exotic practice in Greenville, NC. Lu is passionate about helping the veterinary community build positive work cultures that foster empowerment and growth of the individuals on a veterinary team. She is committed to helping improve team satisfaction and overall well-being with a work-hard, play-hard attitude. Outside of clinical practice, Dr. Olson and her practice manager, Amanda Edwards, can be found educating clients in an out-of-the-box way- check out their podcast called Feces & Laughter, where they spread some knowledge while keeping their listeners thoroughly entertained.

Heidi Pancake

James T. Penrod, CAE, FASLA  

James T. Penrod 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 before 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 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. Jim received the 2019 Innovation Award at the Veterinary Innovation Summit in recognition of innovative contributions to the veterinary profession.

Rebecca Rose, RVT, CCC (Certified Career Coach), CPEP (Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Professional)

Allison Rye, CVPM

Allison Rye is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager with over twenty years of experience in the veterinary field. Based in Virginia Beach, VA, she is the Practice Manager at the Center of Veterinary Expertise in Suffolk, VA, which includes specialty and emergency services. Her extensive background spans various roles, from Veterinary Assistant to Licensed Veterinary Technician and Hospital Administrator. She believes in operational excellence, building community, and making emergency veterinary medicine sustainable for veterinary teams.
 
Her expertise includes business operations, financial oversight, employee recruitment and training, inventory management, and leadership development. Allison believes in diversifying service offerings to fully utilize a team's talents to meet the community's needs. Her greatest passion is building relationships and community within the veterinary team and among local veterinary practices.
 
Allison serves as a volunteer to VHMA’s Program committee and Tidewater Community College’s Veterinary Science Program. She plays a pivotal role in shaping educational programs, providing feedback on curriculum development, and ensuring the highest standards of veterinary education and practice.

Beth Scott, CPA

Beth Scott is a partner at Katz, Sapper & Miller and co-leader of the firm’s Veterinary Services Group. Beth works with clients to provide strategic and actionable solutions to their complex business challenges.
As a member of the Veterinary Services Group, Beth provides hospitals with benchmark and profit-enhancement consulting to help increase their profits as well as the values of their practices. In addition to the day-to-day management of one of the largest national veterinary benchmarking databases, Beth actively participates in speaking engagements and industry membership groups across the U.S.
Beth was instrumental in working with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and Veterinary Management Groups (VMG) to combine their chart of accounts that was subsequently released and accepted as the veterinary industry’s standardized chart of accounts.

Douglas A. White, Ed.D.

A native of the New York City metropolitan area, Dr. White has been involved in nonprofit leadership since 1980.  His career includes serving as a pastor in local church settings in North America and Canada, consulting with churches in the U.S. and around the world, teaching education and leadership for almost three decades, and serving as Vice President at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia.

Brittany Yost, CVPM

Brittany Yost has worked in the veterinary industry for more than 18 years. She began as a practice manager at a small veterinary clinic and oversaw its evolution from a 1 ½-doctor practice to a 6-doctor facility. Concurrently, she worked as a veterinary business consultant for several industry leaders, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Midwest Veterinary Supply, and Vertical Vet. In 2022, Brittany transitioned her talents to Vetsource, where she currently leads the Vet2Pet Success Team. 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 designation. Brittany is dedicated to collaborating with veterinary clinics and their teams to ensure their success in the ever-evolving animal healthcare industry.

Pre-Conference Workshop
Below the Surface: A Fresh Perspective on Problem Solving
This six-hour workshop will help attendees better understand how systems thinking works and how to apply this thinking to problem solving at the practice. By looking at the practice as a system and digging below the issues seen at surface level, leaders will be better equipped to apply solutions that will address the root cause of issues at their practice. The workshop will include instruction on the fundamentals of systems thinking and present case studies for attendees to work through real veterinary practice challenges using the organizational systems model. Interactive group activities will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn from their peers and deepen their understanding of the process. Five case studies will be included, to allow for understanding in how this thinking works with varying challenges commonly faced by veterinary professionals. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a solid grasp of systems thinking and have practical experience in applying this approach to their own practice. This valuable skill will help them to become more effective leaders and problem solvers within their veterinary practice. For more details.

Career Booths
If you're ready to find your next opportunity for yourself or need help in staffing your clinic, the VHMA is giving you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with clinics in need of practice managers and recruiters that are eager to help you with your staffing needs.  The career booths are located in the foyer just outside the Exhibit Hall and are accessible during regular exhibit hours.