Our Team
Meet the Pawsibilities Team and Board Members.
Co-Founders
Valerie Marcano, DVM, PhD
Dr. Valerie Marcano is the co-founder of Pawsibilities, a nonprofit that aims to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups to the veterinary profession. Valerie received a Bachelor of Science at Cornell University, and her DVM and PhD degrees from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Valerie’s PhD focused on vaccination strategies for Newcastle disease. During her time at UGA, Valerie served on the executive board of the national and University of Georgia’s chapter of Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) for six years. She has also founded the Swine, Aquaculture and Poultry Food Animal Club and served in many roles in the board of directors and diversity and inclusion, education, and membership committees of the AAAP.
Currently, Valerie is a poultry veterinarian in North and South Carolina. She is also the chair of the first ever Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP).
Seth Andrews, ME, PhD
Dr. Seth Andrews, PhD is a Process Engineer with Precision BioSciences. He completed a post-doc at the University of Georgia after earning his PhD in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia in 2019. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering from Cornell University. Over the course of his graduate work, Seth has mentored numerous high school and undergraduate students. He also served as the president of the University of Georgia’s Engineering Graduate Club.
Staff and Volunteers
Heather Rosario
Heather Rosario is the Program Director of Pawsibilities Vet Med. She grew up in New York City and received her Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 2020. At Emory, she served as a MORE (Mentoring, Opportunities, and Resources at Emory) Mentor to provide support for first-year students of color and as a mentee in the Emory Pre-Law Society. She has held various
leadership positions focused on mentoring, DEI, and youth. This includes representing Emory undergrad on a task force for developing a possible diversity education requirement plan, raising awareness and funds for systems-impacted students, and helping children in the greater Atlanta area visit their incarcerated parents through ForeverFamily.
Marissa Farkas
Jackie Barber
Board of Directors
Gerelyn Henry, DVM, MBA
My career focus and objective is to serve as an executive health scientist, leveraging my experiences as a veterinarian and pathologist with leadership and organizational development opportunities. By training, I am a veterinary pathologist with extensive experience in comparative medicine and translational sciences. After completing an internship, I was appointed as an anatomic pathology resident at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Diagnostic Center for Animal and Population Health; and was a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellow in human cancer research in the Carcinogenesis Laboratory in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to biomedical skills and knowledge, I have an avid interest in finance and management, specifically involving the healthcare sector, medical quality, and leadership development. Recently, I earned my MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in the Global Executive MBA Program (GEMBA). My formal areas of completed study include Global Business Administration, Veterinary Pathology, Veterinary Medicine, Animal and Poultry Science, and Chemistry.
Laura Clark, DVM, PhD
Dr. Clark believes that veterinary medicine is a “career of options”; her journey clearly reflects this. Upon graduation from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, she completed an internship in orthopedic research at Emory School of Medicine and Yerkes Primate Center and spent a summer at the Atlanta Humane Society working as a clinician and on-site emergency veterinarian. Her passion for humane care and use of animals inspired her to move to Pennsylvania, where she completed a 3-year non-traditional comparative medicine post-doctoral training program at SmithKline Beecham Labs (now GlaxoSmithKline). She then relocated to Ann Arbor, MI and worked as a clinical veterinarian at Warner- Lambert. After two years, she returned to Pennsylvania and over the next 15 years, accepted roles of increased regional and global responsibility at Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. In 2012, she joined Zoetis to manage and coach a Team of companion animal veterinarians in Veterinary Medical Information & Product Support (VMIPS), and in 2018 transitioned to her current role as Sr. Academic Affairs Manager in Academic & Professional Affairs.
Her mantra “pay it forward and give back” has opened doors to many. Through development of internships and post-graduate training programs, students were exposed to and received hands-on training in comparative medicine. Many are now board-certified and directing their own programs. Others seeking mentorship and coaching have now landed non-traditional opportunities in industry. For many years, she and her classmate returned to their veterinary alma mater to hold professional development training on resume writing, interviewing and the power of networking for veterinary and pre-veterinary students as an essential element of her LLC, NEXT (Networking EXceptional Talent).
A philanthrope, and mother of 2 amazing daughters, she is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher (CYT) and life-long learner. In May 2021, she completed her PhD in Organizational Development & Change at Cabrini University. Her dissertation research focused on an exploration of the “wellness” of wellness programs in veterinary medical institutions.
Bonnie E. Price, DVM, MPH
Dr. Bonnie Price has worked in veterinary education for over seven years and currently serves as the Director of Lincoln Memorial University’s Master of Veterinary Clinical Care Program, the first MS program in the US designed specifically for credentialed veterinary technicians to build on the knowledge and skills learned in AVMA CVTEA accredited programs. They are the former chair of the Department of Veterinary Health Science and Technology at LMU and led the department through curriculum revisions, new program development, and enrollment growth.
Dr. Price has lectured for undergraduates, graduate, and professional students across multiple disciplines (including veterinary technology, pre-vet, pre-med, nursing, conservation biology, master’s students, medical students, and veterinary students) with the goal of creating interdisciplinary collaborations very early in students’ training.
Before training in veterinary public health, they completed their undergraduate work in anthropology and biochemistry and participated in primate fieldwork and conservation studies throughout Central America and West Africa, which fostered a strong commitment to culturally competent and multidisciplinary approaches to improve health and wellness at the interface of animals, humans and the environment.
Dr. Price serves on the Board of Directors for Pawsibilities VetMed, which aims to actively increase the diversity of the veterinary profession based on gender, race, ethnicity, non-traditional career path, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, disability status, and veteran status through a novel pipeline approach to recruitment and retention.
Dr. Price is also an active member of PrideVMC’s Mentorship Working Group and DEI Working Group, which exists to promote and uphold PrideVMC’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion among its members, the larger LGBTQ+ community, the field of veterinary medicine, and all communities served by veterinary medicine.
Dr. Price earned a BS in Biochemistry, a BA in Anthropology, and their DVM and MPH from the University of TN.
María José Navarrete Talloni, DVM, MPVM, PhD
Dr. Navarrete is a Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist with a DVM from University of Chile, in Santiago. In 2006 she graduated from the Master in Preventive Veterinary Medicine (M.P.V.M) at UCDavis, and after being awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship in the same year, she started a Ph.D. in Hannover, Germany at the University of Veterinary Medicine in the Systems of Neuroscience Program (ZSN). In 2010 returned to Chile and moved to Valdivia as an Assistant Professor at Universidad Austral de Chile. In 2019, she and her family moved to the Caribbean, and she is currently an Assistant Professor at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Her research lines relate to Anatomic Pathology, using a One Health approach to antibiotic resistance and emerging diseases in terrestrial and aquatic animals (domestic and wildlife), and lately to different invasive species (terrestrial and aquatic). For more than 20 years she has worked very passionately in projects involving community outreach and science communication, with special emphasis in diversity, equity and inclusion, as a heartful speaker and advocate for the underrepresented groups and minorities. She coordinated a scientific outreach radio program called “Sed de Ciencia” (Chile) and participated in the coloring book “The Colorful Faces of Veterinary Medicine” from the Vets of All Colors initiative. Nowadays, she actively participates in several DEI projects, including Spanish and Latinx culture awareness for veterinarians and other bilingual projects that bring vet medicine and science closer to the public – especially to kids.
Dr. Navarrete is the Secretary at the Board of Directors and Chair of the youth Outreach Committee at Pawsibilities Vet Med. Also, she is a proud mentor at the New York Academy of Sciences 1000girls 1000futures Program and. Furthermore, she is an advocate for women in science, environmental conservation, and health equity, as part of the Board of Directors at Alerce NGO (www.ongalerce.cl) from Chile and STEMos Unidas (Instagram: @STEMos_Unidas). She is also part of the Communication Team at Red de Mujeres en Conservación en Latinoamérica y el Caribe, and for The Wildlife Conservation Society IDEA Working Group. At the American College of Veterinary Pathology (ACVP), she is a member of the Women in Pathology – Special Interest Group. At her university, she participated in the Racial and Social Justice Task Force, and she is the faculty advisor of the LVMA (Latinx Veterinary Medical Association) and WDA (Wildlife Disease Association) students’ chapters.
Finally, in 2022 she accepted the role as Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at RUSVM, and became a 2022 Social Change Fellow from the Center for Social Change at Walden University due to her project “A Veterinary Clinical Communication Program Addressing Culture and Disparities among Latinx Communities in the U.S.”
Kyle L. Granger, Jr., DVM, MS
Dr. Granger is a Class of 2020 graduate of the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and is currently an emergency and critical care (ECC) specialty intern practicing in Washington. Aside from veterinary medicine, Dr. Granger’s interests are wide and varied; they include—but are not limited to— Communication, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice, Leadership & Professional Development, Volleyball, Movies & Television. He spends most of his free time hanging with his very people-oriented pittie, Gracie Mae, and his partner, Andy.
Alyssa Mages, BS, CVT
Alyssa is the Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of EVT (Empowering Veterinary Teams) where she oversees the content development, clinical skills training, and overall vision of the company. She co-founded EVT to provide training programs, materials & coaching/learning opportunities for veterinary practices, as well as content development and training directives for veterinary industry service providers. The EVTeam consists of veterinary professionals, industry leaders & coaches.
Alyssa graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a BS in Marine Biology which led her to the education/conservation track. Ultimately her desire to learn and do more led her to transition to the veterinary field where she attained an AS in Veterinary Technology from Manor College and added CVT to her credentials.
She has 18 years of veterinary experience and has worked in numerous sectors of the industry. Throughout her tenure she has held multiple leadership roles including Lead Veterinary Technician, Adjunct Professor and Education & Development Coordinator.
Alyssa’s love of teaching and her passion for the education, evolution & empowerment of the support team members in veterinary medicine led to the launch of EVT in October of 2019. Throughout the past year she has worked with many amazing teams throughout our profession in North America, spoken at multiple national conferences, co-authored a guidebook, written several articles, and been on multiple podcasts.
Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA
Dr. Courtney A. Campbell has enjoyed a career as a board certified veterinary surgeon and a veterinary journalist. Dr. Campbell specializes in orthopedic, soft tissue, and minimally invasive surgery. He currently practices at VetSurg, a specialty surgical practice in Ventura, California. On the media landscape, Dr. Campbell is a host of two podcasts, author, and daytime television veterinary medical correspondent. He is also a member of four organizations that are committed to creating a more pluralistic veterinary profession including Pawsibilities VetMed, AVMA DEI Commission, ACVS DEI Commission, and the DVMC.
Advisory Board
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA
Dr. Christman is the Chief Veterinary Officer at Fetch dvm360®, the nation’s leading multimedia company in the veterinary profession. He is an international speaker on leadership, wellbeing and motivation. Author of, “Honey, Have You Squeezed the Dachshund?”, Dr. Christman is passionate about helping pet parents with pet disabilities. He is a social media personality with almost 800,000 followers on TikTok and 55,000 followers on tik tok. Dr. Christman is the host of dvm360®’s, “The Vet Blast Podcast” and the talk show, “dvm360® LIVE!” airing on dvm360.com. He continues to practice relief work both in shelter medicine and private practice. If you don’t see him hosting the Fetch conferences, you can find Adam hanging with his four adorable dachshunds. He is a fitness enthusiast and avid Disney fanatic.
Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS
Dr. Addie Reinhard is a veterinary wellbeing researcher. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating innovative interventions to support mental health and wellbeing within the veterinary profession. She is the Founder and Director of MentorVet, an evidence-based mentorship and professional development program for recent veterinary graduates. She is on the research team for the next phase of the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study and is currently collaborating with Merck Animal Health to grow and expand MentorVet. She completed a master’s degree in Community and Leadership Development and a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning from the University of Kentucky in Spring 2021, was a 2019-2020 KVMA Power of Ten Leadership Program participant, and holds a certificate in Veterinary Human Support from the University of Tennessee. She is also a certified QPR instructor.
Brad Rosen, JD
Brad is a lawyer from New York and works in the insurance industry. He teaches undergraduate classes involving law, technology, and privacy at Yale University, and also serves as an ad-hoc advisor for certain startup companies.
Elena Contreras, DVM, MS, PhD
Dr. Elena Contreras, DVM, MS, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare and Behavior at the Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine, and she serves on the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She also assists in the teaching of Veterinary Ethics to second year veterinary students at Colorado State University (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Contreras made a career change to pursue veterinary medicine and specifically shelter medicine in 2007, entered vet school in 2009, and she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2013 from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine that she attended via the university’s Eliza Ann Grier scholarship for under-represented minority groups. Dr. Contreras then completed a Small Animal Shelter Medicine and Surgery Internship and a Shelter Research Fellowship at CSU. She then received her PhD in Veterinary Clinical Sciences from CSU in 2019. Dr. Contreras is the 2017 recipient of the first Winn Feline Foundation/Miller Trust New Feline Investigator Award that supported her grant to assess novel non-invasive methods of measuring chronic stress in cats. While residing in Colorado, she was also the Medical Director and Veterinarian at a feline non-profit organization that focused on trap-neuter-return (TNR), the care and sterilization of community cats, and the provision of feline veterinary services to low-income communities.
Prior to veterinary school, Dr. Contreras worked and volunteered with non-profit, conservation, or healthcare organizations for marginalized populations. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in art photography, she worked at various inpatient and other psychiatric facilities in New York City. After moving to Colorado, she switched gears and worked for a large international conservation organization and subsequently obtained a Master of Science degree in ecology from CSU where she studied the effects of rural development on grassland bird populations.
Dr. Contreras has authored and co-authored numerous publications and has also received multiple scholarships and awards to support her shelter medicine work. Dr. Contreras has also spent many hours, days, and weeks volunteering at shelters, spay and neuter clinics including feral cat clinics, and low-cost or no-cost veterinary clinics in Mexico, Montana, and Colorado.
Dr. Contreras currently shares her home with 5 adopted former-shelter cats, 1 former-feral-cat, 3 adopted large-breed (2 Staffie/pittie-crosses and 1 border collie) dogs, and 1 human companion. She enjoys photography, swimming, snorkeling, dance/exercising, and listening to lots of podcasts.
Jonathan Teeple, DVM
Jonathan grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan where he had no exposure to veterinary medicine while growing up. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after completing high school, to serve an initial term of 5 years on active duty. After spending his first 6 months as a Military Policeman, he was fortunate enough to be selected to complete additional training as a Military Working Dog Handler. It was during this time that he gained his first exposure to veterinary medicine. Over the remainder of his service time, Jonathan would continue to gain more hands-on experience with Army veterinarians and became determined to pursue veterinary medicine once finishing his obligated service time.
Jonathan initially started his college experience at Sacramento City College before transferring and finishing his Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis. While studying at UC Davis, he spent time working in rodent colonies, and shadowing veterinarians with the campus laboratory animal service. After finishing his degree, Jonathan would go on to work for Idexx as a histology laboratory technician during his gap year. He underwent veterinary school at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He initially had interest in pursing pathology or laboratory animal medicine. Before beginning his second year of veterinary school, he applied and was selected for the USDA-APHIS’ Saul T. Wilson scholarship.
While working during breaks in school he was able to; participate in the response effort combatting Virulent Newcastle Disease in southern California, facilitating the international movement of horses, pigs, pets, and many species of fish while working in Chicago, Illinois, and master international pet travel requirements in Lansing, Michigan. This experience led him to accept a position with the USDA after graduating veterinary school in May 2020. He now serves as a Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer in Laredo, Texas where he primarily works facilitating the importation for cattle into the United States.
Karla Bradley, BA
Karla Bradley is the Data & Technology Director at the New York Civic Engagement Table (NYCET). In her role at NYCET, she focuses on providing training and user support to organizers across New York State who are committed to building power with
communities of color, immigrants, and poor and working people. Prior to joining NYCET, Karla worked for 8 years at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York where she developed and implemented data-driven, patient and community-centered organizing strategies. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology from Hofstra University and is from Rochester, New York.
Kemba L. Marshall, DVM, MPH, DABVP (Avian)
Dr. Kemba L. Marshall earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Florida in 1999. After a one-year internship she completed a residency in Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Marshall earned her Master’s in Public Health degree from the University of Iowa in 2018 and is a boarded Avian specialist of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
Kemba spent five years in private, emergency and lab animal medicine in Dallas TX after completing her residency. She has authored peer-review journal articles and served as Guest Editor for publications including the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 5 Minute Veterinary Clinics and the Veterinary Clinics of North America.
Dr. Marshall focuses on one health, the intersection of animal, human and environmental health. As Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Marshall oversees the health and wellbeing of all animals on the 1700- acre Land O’Lakes Purina Animal Nutrition Center complex and serves as Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Officer.
Kemba embarked on her latest venture in 2020 when she founded Marshall Recruiting Consortium to address the lack of diversity in agriculture and animal health sciences.
Mariana Pardo, MV, BVSc, DACVECC
Dr. Mariana Pardo is originally from Chile, where she obtained her bachelor’s in veterinary sciences and Veterinary Doctor degree at Universidad Mayor, in 2009.
Dr. Pardo completed two, one-year emergency and critical care internships. At the University of Georgia in 2013, where she worked with the zoological medicine department and published a novel central line placement technique in tortoises. Her second emergency and critical care internship was at the University of Florida in 2014, where she was able to work closely with the hemodialysis unit and published a case report on the use of extracorporeal techniques in the removal of toxic levels of a chemotherapy drug. She then went on to pursue her emergency and critical care residency at Cornell University, where she published 2 additional articles regarding toxicology and a novel percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy technique in dogs. In 2018, she became the first female board-certified emergency and critical care specialist of Latin America. She started a critical care department in a private practice in Long Island and is currently working for the Veterinary Emergency Group in New York.
She is bilingual and an international speaker. She has authored multiple articles and book chapters and has recently focused on accessible continued education through her educational social media @criticalcareveterinarian. Her greatest passion is teaching and has made it one of her missions to give back to the Latin American community as much as possible by participating in numerous continuing education programs. She is passionate about advocating diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine and is the mentorship director of the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association, is a member of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is on the advisory board of Pawsibilities, a platform that promotes DEI and mentorship in the veterinary profession.
Megan Scholer, Ed.S. & Ian Scholer, DVM
Ian Scholer, DVM, and Megan Scholer, Ed.S., combined their careers to form Vets of All Colors, a K-12 outreach serving the 80 schools and 60,000 students of Augusta, GA. They hope to add diversity to the field by empowering ALL students to imagine a future in vet med. Dr. Scholer is a 2006 graduate of UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the owner of Hill Top Animal Hospital in Evans, GA. Ms. Scholer is a 2006 graduate of UGA’s College of Education, taught 12 years of high school English, served two years as a middle school instructional specialist, and is now their nonprofit’s director.
Melanie Moore, BS, DVM
Born and raised in the sunny Cayman Islands, Melanie spent a lot of her childhood outdoors. Through countless beach days, swimming with stingrays and climbing trees to pick the best fruit, her appreciation for nature and animals grew. She particularly developed a strong interest in helping animals. As a child she would often rescue animals in need, ranging from cats and chickens to iguanas and birds. Her parents were able to appreciate Melanie’s special connection with animals and continued to give her the exposure she needed to build upon her interests. Melanie was always an extremely outspoken and enthusiastic individual; volunteering at the local humane society and participating in community driven events, she never missed an opportunity to get involved. She became a young advocate for animal welfare in the Cayman Islands, making several appearances on local radio stations to discuss the importance of sterilizing pets, heartworm prevention and animal negligence. She used her voice to break down barriers and educate others.
At the age of 14, Melanie started to work at her first veterinary clinic: Island Veterinary Services (IVS). Her mentor, Dr Brenda Bush, saw the potential Melanie had and continued to push Melanie, exposing her to different aspects of veterinary medicine. As well as gaining hands-on experience, her years spent interning at the IVS Clinic helped her develop strong client relationships. She is very passionate about client education and its role in animal health and preventive medicine. After graduating St Ignatius Catholic High school, Melanie went on to pursue a BSc in Animal Science at Aberystwyth University in Wales, United Kingdom. Upon completion of her degree she relocated to Canada to continue her education at the Ontario Veterinary College. As a final year veterinary student, Melanie strives to show the value that Black veterinary professionals bring to veterinary medicine.
Monique Y. Wells, VMD, MS, DACVP, DECVP, DABT
Dr. Monique Y. Wells is a visionary, a change maker, and a steward of legacy. She is a native of Houston, Texas and a 28-year resident of Paris, France. Through her entrepreneurial work as a veterinary pathologist and toxicologist, travel professional, writer, speaker, and mentor, she embraces and harnesses the power of education to change lives. Prior to launching her travel company and her scientific consulting business, Monique worked for 13 years in the corporate world, including four years at L’Oréal Cosmetics in Paris.
She has combined her passion for life sciences, literacy, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), the arts, travel / study abroad, and women’s empowerment under the umbrella of her U.S. non-profit organization, the Wells International Foundation (WIF). WIF serves women and people of African descent. Its mission is to cultivate global citizenship through education and culture. Monique hosted WIF’s first Women’s Empowerment event – a workshop/retreat on leadership, communication, and creativity (LCC) – in Paris in 2016. After the success of the second LCC workshop in 2017, she decided to increase the scope of this activity and organized WIF’s first International Women’s Day event, The Successful Woman: Lifestyle, Legacy, and Leading by Example, which was held in Paris on March 7-8, 2019.
Niccole Bruno, DVM
Dr. Niccole Bruno, works as Chief of Staff of Companion Animal Hospital in Spring, TX. She grew up in Queens, New York and became interested in veterinary medicine at the age of 12. Dr. Bruno would often feed the neighborhood stray dogs and cats with her weekly allowance. Shortly after, she began volunteering at an animal hospital and her passion grew. She attended Tuskegee University graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2002. Thereafter, she went on to earn a DVM degree from Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2006.
Following veterinary school, Dr. Bruno completed a one-year medicine and surgical internship at Long Island Veterinary Specialists. For 11 years she continued working in Long Island in high volume general practice hospitals. Her primary interests include endocrinology, renal disease, allergic management and veterinary dentistry.
Dr. Bruno enjoys mentorship and has done numerous speaking engagements to students in New York City and Long Island to promote veterinary medicine on behalf of Cornell Cooperative Extension Program. She has been nominated as Best of Long Island Veterinarian from 2013-2015. Leaving New York for a better quality of life, she relocated to Katy, Texas in April 2017. Now that she has settled in Texas, she has resumed her work in mentorship, speaking to high school and college students across the country. She was instrumental in the formation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce for her corporation, Vetcor. Their mission is not only to create a pathway for students of color to enter veterinary medicine but also to ensure that there is an inclusive hospital culture to receive them upon graduation.
In her spare time, Dr. Bruno enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She has one dog – Jimmy, a Shih-Poo she rescued as a puppy. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, (AVMA), Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) National Association for Black Veterinarians, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Quincy Hawley, DVM
Dr. Quincy Hawley is a 2013 graduate of NC State’s CVM. Dr. Hawley has 6 years of experience working in small animal general practice, and is currently practicing as a small animal relief veterinarian. He is the co-founder of Get MotiVETed LLC, a company that provides wellbeing solutions for veterinary professionals and organizations. He is a Certified Professional Coach, self-published self-help and fitness author. Dr. Hawley has experience coaching a variety of veterinary professionals including but not limited to veterinarians, practice managers, and various veterinary hospital support staff.
Dr. Hawley volunteers his time as the president of the NC Association of Minority Veterinarians, a 501-3c non-profit organization with a purpose of improving diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency for the profession. He also volunteers his time as a member of NC State’s CVM admissions committee, and is currently serving his 4th term on the committee. Dr. Hawley is also one of the creators of Get MotiVETed University: School of Wellbeing for Veterinary Professionals, an online platform that provides a robust supply of veterinary-specific, RACE-approved and non-RACE-approved wellbeing content and courses. Through Get MotiVETed, Dr. Hawley aims to make poor veterinary well-being a thing of the past and True Wellbeing the way of the future! Dr. Hawley is married to Dr. Tierra Kershaw Hawley – a mobile veterinarian – and they have two beautiful daughters, 7 dogs, 3 chickens, and a blue-crowned conure named Jack aka “Satan”.
Russ Drury, DVM
Dr. Russ Drury joined Boehringer Ingelheim as a Professional Services Veterinarian in 2015, transitioning from a small animal private practice in Memphis, Tennessee. In this role he covered geographies in the Southeast and on the West coast. In 2019, Dr. Drury transitioned to a position within commercial operations supporting the sales, marketing, and innovation teams of the US retail business unit. After an e-commerce development opportunity, he joined the retail sales team as the associate director of the Amazon account in 2020. In 2022, Dr. Drury joined the U.S. Pet Leadership Team as the commercial business manager of the U.S. Pets team.
Commercial Business Manager, Pets
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA, Inc.
Serena Nayee, DVM
Hello! My name is Serena Nayee (DVM, UGA CVM ’20). My parents raised me, my younger brother, and my younger sister with a multicultural background, rooting from strong Gujarati and American values. Fishers, Indiana has been home to myself and my family for over 25 years. After graduating high school, I completed my Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Ohio State University and recently received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Within veterinary medicine, I have significant interests in emergency medicine and the development of affordable and accessible urgent/preventative healthcare (clinical and policy) to diversify the veterinary field and commit to the value of One Health. Recently, I founded Chapter VIII: Veterinary Inclusion and Intersectionality Initiative, to promote inclusive advocacy and education, intersectional art and story-sharing, communication workshops, community mentorship, and diversifying professional experience. Outside of veterinary medicine, I enjoy writing poetry and short literary fiction, singing, reading, and filming/editing videos!
Tierra Price, DVM, MPH
Dr. Tierra Price is a recent graduate of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, where she served as Vice President of her class and President of the Women’s Veterinary Development Leadership Initiative. She is currently a Community Medicine veterinarian in Los Angeles, California, but has a wide variety of veterinary interests including emergency/critical care, surgery, public health and lab animal medicine. As a veterinary student, in 2018, Dr. Price founded BlackDVM Network, a community that connects Black veterinary professionals for mentorship and advancing veterinary medicine. This safe space provides educational and networking opportunities for its members as well as a sense of belonging. Dr. Price’s commitment to highlighting Black veterinary professionals is directly related to her desire for a mentor she could identify with. In her free time, she loves dancing, yoga, reading and soaking up the sun. Most importantly, Dr. Price believes we should be able to show up as our entire selves in our career. She hopes to inspire others with her drive, authenticity and confidence to boldly take on challenges in veterinary medicine.
Tyron C. Vereen, Ed.D., MPA, PMP
Dr. Tyron Vereen is a passionate community advocate who leverages his eclectic training and experiences to enrich lives through quality programming. Tyron is a native of North Myrtle Beach, SC, who has resided in Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; New York, NY and now Houston, TX. His academic Alma Maters include Upper Darby High School, Howard University (Bachelor of Science in Health Management), Saint Joseph’s University (Master of Science in Education), Long Island University- Brooklyn (Master of Public Administration), and Baylor University (Doctor of Education). Additionally, Ty holds an Advanced Certificate in Not-for-Profit Management, a Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES®).
Dr. Vereen has applied his knowledge to management roles at various not-for-profit, community-based, healthcare, and educational institutions. His titles have ranged from educator, trainer, facilitator, counselor, consultant, adjunct professor, grant writer to program director. The arenas of his experiences include Education, Mental Health, Reproductive Health, Social Services, Workforce Development, and Youth Development. Specifically, Tyron has successfully written, been awarded, administered, and provided technical assistance for grants from institutions such as the NY State Education Department (NYSED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), among others. Currently, Ty serves as Sr. Project Manager- Operational Excellence for Harris County Public Health and owns TCV Consulting Services, LLC.
Tyron is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Finally, he mentors youth at Harris County Juvenile Detention Centers and provides pro bono services to Youth SOULutions, Inc. As a multi-discipline professional, Dr. Vereen strives to find synergies and opportunities to advance the causes of holistic human development through “Servant and Steward Leadership.”
Sherita Herring
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