Andy Roark, DVM
Founder of Uncharted Veterinary Conference
Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and his popular Facebook page, website, and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.
Andy Roark, DVM
UVVC Culture
Bret Canfield
Bret Canfield is the Director of Organizational Development for Summit Veterinary Referral Center in Tacoma, WA. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing our industry with unbiased customer-specific recommendations and solutions, develop team culture, communication, workflow and engagement. Through his consulting and outreach work he has been fortunate enough to work with hundreds of clinics, including many of the most successful groups and organizations within the Animal Health Community.
Specializing in efficiency, engagement, and learning + development, Bret brings value to his clients by seeing the world through different eyes, identifying latent needs, making open-minded observations, and providing customized solutions. He works with his partners to help them improve their business, engage their staff, challenge their status quo, and solve the struggles that keep them up at night.
Bret Canfield calls the beautiful American Pacific Northwest his home base. When he is not saving the world with the veterinary heroes at Summit, you can find him hiking, kayaking, or doing yoga with his wonderful wife, Moriah, or relaxing with his mischievous torby cat, Eve, and his lazy pitbull, Rookie.
Bret Canfield
UVVC Culture
Robin Brogdon, MA
Robin Brogdon, MA, is the founder and chief executive officer of the award-winning BluePrints Veterinary Marketing Group. After earning a master’s degree in Communication and Marketing, Robin began her career in sports marketing. Her three decades of experience, include work for a Big Ten university athletic department, a professional sports franchise, an action sports media company, management of veterinary specialty hospitals, and most importantly, as a pet owner, gives Robin the breadth of knowledge and pure passion to help her clients achieve their goals. Robin has experience with companies at all stages from start-up to acquisition and divestiture, along with management of multiple construction and relocation projects, most notably the building and operational launch of City of Angels Veterinary Specialty Center in Los Angeles, a 30,000 square foot multi-specialty hospital. Among the projects for which Robin is most proud was the opportunity to rename and rebrand Kansas State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Robin Brogdon, MA
UVVC Culture
Carol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP
Carol has been in the veterinary industry since 2005 when she graduated tech school and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Even more than helping furred and feathered friends, she found that she enjoyed being able to affect the positive change within her clinic that having a leadership role afforded her. She managed for twelve years. After many years of study, she gained the designation as a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager in November of 2017. Her proudest accomplishment is the work that she’s performed for her local management group. She has been a member since 2010 and served as the President up until December 2019. In 2018 she started as an instructor for Patterson University’s courses and in 2019 she joined forces with the team at VetSupport, taking on a role as a full-time consultant. Her family includes 1 boxer, her “furry” child, a husband and the newest addition, Rowyn, her “non-furry” child.
Carol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP
UVVC Culture
Tracy Sands, DVM
Tracy Sands, DVM is on a mission to empower veterinary support staff and to improve mental wellness in the veterinary profession. A practice owner and mom, Tracy strongly feels that the way to do this is to normalize conversations about mental health and well-being, incorporate core values into a positive culture, and share our veterinary journeys. As part of her journey, she hosts the Vet Med After Hours Podcast, founded the #VetYouMatter campaign, and speaks on topics of staff wellness and improving client experience.
Ron Sosa
Ron initially started his college career in computer science at Rowan University, recently he has restarted and majoring in business management to obtain his Master's degree. Ron has been working in the veterinary field since 2002 and has had every role in the clinic other than being a veterinarian. He has a special passion for solving complicated problems with out-of-the-box solutions. He is working on obtaining his CVPM, but already achieved his CVBL along with fear-free certification and certified compassionate fatigue professional. He is currently the chief visionary officer for Bark Avenue Enterprises, which encompasses 3 animal hospital locations, 2 pet retailers, and 1 pet resort.
Ron Sosa, CVBL, CCFP
UVVC Culture
Andy Roark, DVM
Founder of Uncharted Veterinary Conference
Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and his popular Facebook page, website, and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.
Caitlin DeWilde, DVM
Dr. Caitlin DeWilde is the founder of The Social DVM, a consulting firm devoted to helping veterinary professionals learn how to manage and grow their social media, online reputation and marketing strategies. Working with large industry groups and individual practices alike, Caitlin and her team are passionate about translating the geek speak to veterinary speak and helping vets reach more clients and pets.
Caitlin is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and a recipient of their Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and also an alum of the AVMA’s Future Leaders Program. She served as medical director for a large AAHA/Fear Free/Cat-Friendly certified hospital in St. Louis before stepping back to focus on her marketing passion. Today, she divides her time between practice, consulting, and writing. She is the author of a new book from AAHA Press, “Social Media and Marketing for Veterinary Professionals,” and a columnist for Today’s Veterinary Business.
Caitlin DeWilde, DVM
UVVC 2021
Craig Spinks
Co-Founder & Senior Producer, Veteos
Craig Spinks is a seasoned video producer who specializes in veterinary video production and emotional marketing. The company he co-founded in 2017, Veteos, has quickly become the go-to resource for veterinary video production. Its growing staff has worked with numerous veterinary practices and industry partners and has received eighteen NAVC Vetty marketing awards, including “Best in Show – Nonprofit” in both 2019 and 2020. Craig lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife, two kids, a rescued dog and cat, and backyard chickens.
Craig Spinks
UVVC 2021
Stacee Santi, DVM
CEO/Founder Vet2Pet
Dr. Stacee Santi is a 1996 DVM graduate from Colorado State University and the founder of Vet2Pet, a technology startup that builds personalized custom apps for veterinary practices. With over 20 years of clinical experience in small animal and emergency practice, Stacee brings an “in the trenches” approach to innovation and solutions for veterinary teams. She has also served as a medical advisory consultant for NVA for 5 years, medical director for a general/ER practice in Colorado as well as President of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association.
Stacee Santi, DVM
UVVC 2021
Stephanie Goss, Practice Management Goddess
Stephanie Goss started in the veterinary field quite by accident but fell in love with the experience of being able to serve people and their pets. With over 15 years of experience both on the floor and in the office, Stephanie is passionate about staff education, team culture, management and training. Stephanie loves helping managers and owners control their inventory and leverage their profits by maximizing their home delivery using online pharmacies. She is a vetmed nerd who loves to geek out about technology, especially Practice Management Software. She has experience as a practice manager in both private and corporate practices, ranging in size from one to seven doctors. She has experience as a consultant and trainer with AVImark software, paperlite/paperless transitions, practice management and staff. Stephanie currently runs a four doctor practice in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to her work in the practice, Stephanie is the Director of Community Development for Uncharted Veterinary Conference. More notably she’s the co-host of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast where her laughter highlights the start of every episode and her knowledge bombs reign down like massive chunks of enlightenment from on high.
Stephanie Goss
UVVC 2021
Dr. Michael W. Miller is the co-owner of a four-hospital small animal practice, seeing patients at Lakewood Animal Hospital in Morris, Illinois. In addition to dogs and cats, he has a special interest in reptiles which led him to start a wildlife rescue at his practice for hit-by-car turtles. He has volunteered on committees for the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians and serves on the Illinois Veterinary Medical Alumni Association executive board. After being a contributing author to the DrAndyRoark.com and UnchartedVet.com websites, he started his blog called Harry Potter Vet, where he uses comparisons to the wizarding world to help veterinary professionals and himself discover the magic in veterinary medicine. Outside of vet med, he also is discovering the magic of parenthood as he and his wife raise their two young sons.
Michael Miller, DVM
UVVC 2021
My name is Brittany Alfino and I am a veterinary practice manager in beautiful Orange County, CA. I have been in the veterinary field for 10 years starting as a receptionist, then a kennel attendant, then a technician, and ultimately managing the veterinary hospital my husband and I have owned for the past 4 years. I have helped grow our hospital from a 1 doctor practice to a 7 doctor practice, as well as starting out with 4 employees total, to now having a staff of 40 and counting. As our practice quickly grew, we began to see the extreme need for remote support staff and this only increased when the pandemic hit in 2020. We now have a staff of 15 remote client service representatives. I have 2 daughters, 6yrs old and 4 months old, who keep me very busy in my off time! My favorite place to recharge is at the beach and I am a die-hard Laker and Dodger fan! I am passionate about helping individuals step into their purpose in veterinary medicine, as well as, helping to bridge the gap between clients, their pets, and the veterinary community.
Brittany Alfino
UVVC 2021
Tyler Grogan is a certified veterinary technician with experience in a variety of practices and a social media manager for the Uncharted Veterinary Conference. Tyler is passionate about the veterinary profession and the never-ending opportunities it offers her to keep learning, whether through medicine, writing, marketing or teaching others. She’s written on topics including client communication and cataract management in dogs and is proud to be Fear-Free Certified.
Tyler Grogan, CVT
UVVC 2021
SARA HOGAN
Sara Hogan, a veterinary hospital manager and newly-dubbed culture coach for small workplaces, has spent the last five years with Clarendon Animal Care hospitals in the Washington D.C. area growing the practices and cultivating leadership from within.
Sara Hogan
PMS Speaker
Amy Deshotel
Amy Deshotel has been in the veterinary industry since 1993. She has served in many roles in the veterinary hospital as well as an outside sales representative in the industry. In 2003, she returned to practice in order to fulfill her dreams of creating a better culture and developing staff learning programs for her husband’s hospital. She has a strong focus on building a better community by developing employees to reach their maximum potential. She also loves to find new ways to work smarter, not harder, by implementing technology into practice and is a strong advocate for full utilization of electronic medical records and inventory control through practice management software.
Amy Deshotel
PMS Speaker
HEATHER PRENDERGAST
Heather has spent over 25 years in the veterinary industry, with 20 years in small animal practice. She has taught several years for both veterinary technology and assistance programs and has authored the book “Front Office Management for the Veterinary Team”, now in its 3rdedition. Heather is well known and lectures nationally and internationally and has authored several articles with the goal of developing leadership and management structure in the veterinary practice. Currently, Heather is the Director of Operations for Encore Veterinary Group. She serves on several advisory boards, including the WVC Board of Directors and Pet Nutrition Alliance. She has received Speaker of the Year awards for both 2016 and 2017 from the Western Veterinary Conference.
Heather Prendergast
PMS Speaker
Philip Richmond, DVM, CAPP, CCFP, CHC-BCS, CRTDr.
Richmond practices in New Port Richey, Florida. He currently serves as the chair of both the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s Outreach and Professional Wellness & WellbeingCommittees. He is a member of the UFCVM wellbeing curriculum committee. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Medical Professionals Group, an organization that supports medical professionals in recovery in the state. Dr. Richmond is a published writer and speaker. He is Certified in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP), a Certified Resilience Trainer, Certified Health Coach — Behavioral Change Specialist, Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, and a Certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor.
He is married to Dr. CarlaChannell, also a veterinarian. They have two children, three dogs (an Aussie, a Beagle/Dachshund, and a Maltese/Affenpinscher), a bevy of cats and turtles, a sulcata tortoise, a ball python, and a corn snake. He is a Krav Maga practitioner and enjoys weightlifting and functional training.
Philip Richmond, DVM, CAPP, CCFP, CHC-BCS, CRTDr.
Practice Owner Summit
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 careers. She hopes to inspire others with her drive, authenticity and confidence to boldly take on challenges in veterinary medicine.
Tierra Price, DVM, MPH
GSD Speaker
Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA
Dr. Peter Weinstein attended Cornell University undergraduate and the University of Illinois to receive his DVM. After graduation, he worked as an associate for three years before opening his practice.
While he was managing and practicing full time, he attended University of Redlands to receive his MBA.
As a result of the MBA, he was able to relocate, expand and sell his practice to a corporate consolidator.
Politically, he served as President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association and President for VetPartners, the national consultants association.
In the veterinary industry, he acted as Medical Director overseeing the Claims Department for Veterinary Pet Insurance.
Dr. Weinstein provides small business and corporate consulting via his company, PAW Consulting
He was the 2018 Speaker of the Year for the Western Veterinary Conference Practice Management Section. And is the Chair of the Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee of the AVMA.
He co-authored with Michael E Gerber, “The EMyth Veterinarian- Why Most Veterinary Practices Don’t Work and What to Do About It”.
On top of all that, Dr. Weinstein is the Executive Director for the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.
Peter Weinstein, DVM MBA
GSD Speaker