A former Navy fighter pilot and a venture capitalist are among the speakers who will address attendees at the inaugural Women’s Veterinary Summit in Las Vegas. The event, scheduled for July 17 and 18 and sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, is designed for veterinarians and students. Topics will include practice ownership, contracts and negotiations, leadership skills, and career goals. The keynote speakers are Carey Lohrenz, the U.S. Navy’s first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, and Sharon Stevenson, DVM, Ph.D., the co-founder and managing director of Okapi Venture Capital in Laguna Beach, Calif. Also set to speak are: Kathleen Ruby, Ph.D., director of counseling and wellness skills development at Washington State University. Karen Bradley, DVM, a Vermont practice owner and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association board of directors. Carla Gartrell, DVM, JD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate dean for academic affairs at Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine. S. Dru Forrester, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, director of global scientific affairs at Hill’s. Ellen Lowery, DVM, Ph.D., MBA, director of U.S. professional and veterinary affairs at Hill’s. Valerie Ragan, DVM, director of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. The two-day event will take place at Oquendo Center, an educational facility operated by WVC. Attendees can earn 14 continuing education hours. “We put a lot of energy into this curriculum and consulted with partners such as the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative to ensure topics covered were of the utmost relevance to the audience,” said WVC’s CEO, David Little. More information is available at www.wvc.org/wvs.
