Description – We will discuss how to build strong mentorship relationships with your managers, as well as how to guide junior teams to create future leaders.
Description – They will discuss key market movers and winning strategies in animal health.
Ahmed Abdelsalam, an Associate Partner at Stonehaven Cozmix group, has over 10 years of experience in consulting and finance. He has successfully delivered strategy and DD projects in a wide range of sectors, including major animal health due diligence projects and value creation projects for major PE funds. Prior to joining Stonehaven, he was a consultant at Bain & Company. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Chad Terrel, Head of Business Development at Stonehaven Cozmix Group, has 30+ years of experience in sales, marketing, and operations within the Animal Health industry and holds a certification in Leadership and Performance Coaching from Brown University. He has held executive leadership roles at Patterson Animal Health, where he drove significant growth in private label brands and led cross-functional marketing and business development teams. His executive experience also includes senior commercial roles at Novartis Animal Health. He holds a BSA from University of Georgia.
Description – Let's own the stage to avoid acting the wage! It all starts by protecting the people who deliver the care. This session dives deep into the pillars of employee well-being (flexibility, mental health, vulnerability, and connection) and how they translate into loyalty, performance, and trust. Attendees will learn how to lead teams where asking for help is a strength, not a stigma, and where well-being is embedded into daily operations. Because when veterinary professionals thrive, so do the patients, clients, and practices they serve. Through powerful and humorous storytelling, Dr. Christman will bring the wit, the knowledge and the dance moves to show you how amazing it is to be in veterinary medicine!
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, is the chief veterinary officer for dvm360® — an MJH Life Sciences® company — who oversees content strategy and development and is the brand voice and personality for dvm360®’s multimedia channels. As a charismatic leader, he brings wit, humor, and authenticity to animal health care as the host of a new web-based talk show, dvm360 Live!™, The Vet Blast Podcast, continuing education webinars, and live media broadcasts. Christman also has been in private practice and shelter medicine for 18 years and is currently a member and treasurer of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. He received his DVM degree from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa, and his MBA from Aspen University in Denver, Colorado.
Description: Building on last summer’s popular UVSA Policy and Advocacy webinar, this panel will weigh in on topics such as regulatory reform, animal testing, borne animal diseases, the PAWS Act, and others.
Berend Koops leads Merck Animal Health’s North American public policy team. Berend focuses on engagement with key trade and industry associations to shape both company and industry positions on critical issues affecting the U.S. and Canada. In addition to these responsibilities, he serves as the North American policy lead for technology supporting Merck Animal Health’s growing animal health technology portfolio. Prior to joining the Animal Health business, Berend was on the Merck Human Health state policy team for nine years, leading engagement in four states to support key legislative and policy issues for the company’s human health portfolio.
Will leads strategy, execution and teams supporting Zoetis’ corporate and commercial advocacy and public policy priorities. Will brings 30 years of public affairs experience to the Corporate Affairs team at Zoetis. Prior to joining Zoetis in 2022, Will was the Senior Director of Public Affairs for Pfizer’s Hospital Business Unit which included leading public affairs engagement for the PAXLOVID launch. Previously, he held senior-level communications and public affairs roles with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, American Insurance Association (AIA), The Hartford Financial Services Group, Aetna, and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Earlier in his career, he worked on congressional and presidential campaigns.
Jesse Sevcik is responsible for global corporate affairs for Elanco Animal Health. Elanco develops, manufactures, and markets animal health and veterinary products in more than 90 countries. His responsibilities include overseeing Elanco’s global public affairs and policy team and representing the interests of Elanco before governments, stakeholders, and global institutions. He has testified or presented before governments on trade, antimicrobial resistance, sustainability, food safety, biosecurity, life-sciences innovation, and access to veterinary medicines.
Description: AVMA’s positions on current legislation and key issues affecting the veterinary profession.
Dr. McClure is an Associate Executive Vice President of the American Veterinary Medical Association and Chief Advocacy Officer, leading the federal and state advocacy teams. He has over 25 years of experience advocating on policy issues important to veterinary medicine and veterinary practice. He is also a trustee on the AVMA trusts, including the AVMA PLIT and LIFE. Prior to AVMA, Dr. McClure was the General Counsel for the Animal Health Institute, the trade association for manufacturers of animal health products. He has practiced law in Dallas, Texas where he represented healthcare providers in malpractice litigation and has practiced veterinary medicine in Arlington and Austin, Texas. His DVM is from Texas A&M University, and his law degree is from the University of Texas.
Description: This session shares current AI capabilities that can improve your operations and provides actionable strategies for thoughtfully managing AI implementation within your organization. You'll learn techniques for integrating AI into your workflows and how to evaluate and adopt new AI features as they emerge. This session balances immediate productivity gains with sustainable approaches to AI adoption, helping you avoid common pitfalls while positioning your organization to benefit from AI's ongoing evolution. Leave with specific tools you can implement and a practical approach for managing AI growth in your business.
AI is evolving rapidly, and UVSA members need both practical tools and strategic approaches to keep pace without getting overwhelmed. In this session, Mike Foster shares current AI capabilities that can improve your operations and provides actionable strategies for thoughtfully managing AI implementation within your organization. You'll learn techniques for integrating AI into your workflows and how to evaluate and adopt new AI features as they emerge. This session balances immediate productivity gains with sustainable approaches to AI adoption, helping you avoid common pitfalls while positioning your organization to benefit from AI's ongoing evolution. Leave with specific tools you can implement and a practical approach for managing AI growth in your business.
Mike Foster is a true AI expert who lives and breathes the latest AI tools and technologies to help organizations stay ahead of the game. With his infectious passion for AI, Mike's presentation is not just informative but also incredibly exciting, offering unparalleled insights into the limitless possibilities of AI. Prepare to be amazed and inspired by the power of AI to transform your organization!
Monica has been involved in the field of veterinary medicine for more than 39 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Monica has been a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) for more than 20 years and remains a strong advocate for other veterinary practice managers to pursue this designation.
For over a decade, Monica managed a successful full-service, small animal eastern and western medicine veterinary practice in Raleigh, NC. As hospital administrator with Bowman Animal Hospital & Cat Clinic, Inc., she managed every aspect of the seven-day-a-week, nine-doctor hospital’s operations. For 15 years, Monica was a consultant/partner with Mark Opperman, CVPM at VMC, Inc. where she presented a seminar called Principles of Veterinary Practice Management throughout the United States and Canada. She has lectured at numerous national veterinary conferences and veterinary schools in the United States as well as presented at internationally.
As a consultant, Monica enjoyed lecturing and working with practices that participated in VMC’s on-site consultation services. Monica was also a part-time university lecturer at North Carolina State University in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics where she taught Veterinary Practice Management on the undergraduate level. In her current position, she is the Veterinary Division Senior Manager at BerryDunn and enjoys consulting with practices and lecturing nationally and internationally.
Monica is the 2024 President Elect of VetPartners, an active member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA), Youth Director at her church and sits on the board of Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School in Raleigh, NC. Monica will let you know that her two primary purposes in life are working with veterinary practices and their teams and being the best possible wife and mom. She shares her Raleigh, NC, home with her supportive and loving husband and their teenage daughter.
Description – This keynote blends practical gratitude strategies with heartfelt encouragement to help veterinary professionals thrive in an emotionally demanding field. Through relatable stories and guided reflection, participants will explore compassion of fatigue, team strain, and the quiet weight of caring for others. The outcome is simple and powerful: create practices where people feel seen, appreciated, and proud of the work they do, strengthening patient care, team connection, and long-term resilience.
Lisa Ryan, CSP, MBA, is the founder of Grategy® and a nationally recognized speaker who helps organizations create workplaces where people feel valued, connected, and inspired to stay. She is the author of multiple books on employee engagement and workplace culture and is known for delivering practical strategies leaders can use immediately to improve morale, communication, and retention.
Lisa frequently works with healthcare professionals and association audiences who face high expectations, emotional demands, and the challenge of keeping great people engaged in meaningful work. Her programs combine research, real-world experience, and relatable stories to help teams reconnect with purpose and strengthen the way they support one another every day.
When she’s not traveling for speaking engagements, Lisa lives in Ohio and proudly serves as a cat mom to three adorable cats: Sima, Bonnie, and Clyde. And yes, the kittens Bonnie and Clyde are exactly as much trouble as you’re imagining.
Few economists present their insights with the authority, accuracy, and humor that Connor Lokar brings to the stage. From the intimate executive retreat to trade association keynotes, he delivers with charm and candor, rousing and enlightening all who attend his talks. As a millennial, Connor brings a new perspective to the world of economics, delivering ITR’s industry-leading accuracy to current C-suite executives while forging connections with the next generation of business leaders. Connor specializes in construction but consults and presents to businesses across all industries, helping them grow revenue and remain profitable through an ever-changing business cycle.
