Galaxy Vets announces 11 new additions to leadership team

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Galaxy Vets announced the addition of 11 new members to its leadership team. The recent appointments will lead initiatives related to medical operations, telehealth, retail diagnostics, membership services, hospital integrations, and learning and development.

“Only eight months since the inception, and Galaxy Vets is already a highly mature organization with a strong team, established business processes, systems, and a data-driven value creation plan for 2022 and 5 years beyond that,” said Ivan Zak, DVM, MBA, and Galaxy Vets CEO. “Our healthcare system is thoughtfully devised to increase access to care for pet owners and deliver a lifetime of quality care to their pets while providing financial security, flexibility and task variety to the veterinary teams. We are excited to see that our purpose of reducing burnout in the industry is attracting so much support and talent.”

Galaxy Vets is an employee-owned, vertically integrated veterinary healthcare system that partners with general practices within small regions across the US to build new surgical and emergency specialty hospitals with their own reference laboratories. It plans to grow into the virtual care space, developing a network of retail diagnostic centers to accommodate the client demand for veterinary services, distribute caseload through teletriage and teleconsulting, and to provide flexibility and task variety to veterinary teams with the goal of improving clinician and client experience.

Following is a list of the new leadership team appointees, provided by a Galaxy Vets press release:

• Lowell Ackerman, DVM, MBA: Head of Global Veterinary Strategy—With deep knowledge of global veterinary needs and markets, and extensive experience in primary care practice, specialty medicine, industry and academia, Lowell will be responsible for developing and improving medical policies, processes, and procedures to ensure quality, consistency and alignment in medical standards across all verticals in the Galaxy Vets healthcare system. These include general practices, emergency and specialty hospitals, and virtual care services.
• Emmitt Nantz, MBA: Chief Operating Officer—Nantz spent nearly 2 decades in the veterinary industry as part of Banfield Pet Hospital, SmartFlow, and IDEXX. He uses his experience of creating large-scale operational improvements to increase hospital performance, enhance the employee experience and leverage processes to relieve burnout.
• Dean Cornwell, DVM, PhD: Diagnostic Operations— Cornwell is a veterinary industry veteran specializing in medical technology and clinical pathology. After 23 years at IDEXX, he joined Galaxy Vets to set up a network of retail diagnostic centers, an integral part of its business model.
• Sarah Wallace, DVM: Vice President of Telehealth—Wallace is driving the development of Galaxy Vets' virtual care model as VP of Telehealth. With a background in growing virtual care platforms at Fuzzy Pet Health and Modern Animal, Wallace is committed to increasing the use of telehealth to improve access to care and mitigate workload for veterinary teams.
• Tina Stofiel: Membership Services—After 21 years of designing and growing wellness plan programs at Banfield Pet Hospital, Stofiel brings her expertise and deep market insights to build out a membership services platform at Galaxy Vets with the goal to improve lifetime care for pets, improve access to care for pet owners, and ultimately achieve zero economic euthanasia.
• Tara McCarthy, DVM: Head of Community Engagement—A veterinarian with 16 years of experience, she is focused on attracting like-minded people who share Galaxy Vets’ purpose of reducing burnout in the veterinary profession. McCarthy has a background in health and wellness along with her career in veterinary medicine. Her particular passion is helping working moms, especially DVM moms with their health and finding their own personal balance.
• Steve Kemph, MAOM: Vice President of Field Operations; Shannon Gervais, RVT: Director of Hospital Integrations—Kemph and Gervais are responsible for ensuring a smooth and stable transition for veterinary hospitals into the Galaxy Vets system and enabling predictable and sustainable growth for years to come. Kemph has over a decade of field leadership in the veterinary space, including work as a Region Manager at Banfield Pet Hospital and Vice President of Operations at Pet Vet Care Centers. Gervais has held multiple positions in the veterinary industry, from companion animal clinical nursing; sales; regional and key account management; marketing and recruiting operations. In her previous capacity, she was in charge of Veterinary Technologist learning and development at VCA Canada.
• Rory Lubold, Sr: VP of Information Technology—Lubold is in charge of IT systems, cybersecurity, and data protection. He is a multidisciplined engineer with a vast background in IT services, aeronautical, electrical and mechanical engineering, and software and hardware development in a variety of settings—including the military, civil service, and Hollywood. He believes in leveraging technology to provide a better customer experience.
• Jennifer Keller, Med: Learning and Development—Keller has nearly 2 decades of experience in the talent development space with Columbia Sportswear Company, Banfield Pet Hospital, and others. She is passionate about creating a culture of continuous learning, prioritizing employee well-being, and creating tools and resources that help employees do their best work and reach their career goals.
• RJ Peters, MBA: Head of Finance—Peters is a finance leader with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries, including veterinary, financial services and child care. He has led M&A projects and built FP&A teams at Cash America, EZCorp, and Lakefield Veterinary. His focus is on building high-performance teams with strong cultures by putting people first.

Reference

Galaxy Vets presents its leadership team, enhances the integrated services model. News release. Galaxy Vets. March 1, 2022.