Meet the speakers: 2017 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference

Coming to the 2017 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference in Kansas City? Lucky you! In preparation for the fantastic education and advice you're going to receive, get to know the speakers below. Want to know more about the conference sessions? Click here. Looking for things to do while staying in Kansas City? Check out our traveler's guide for places to drink, dine and relax.

Dan Chapel, AIA, NCARB

ChapelDan Chapel is president of Chapel Associates Architects in Little Rock, Arkansas. Chapel Associates is a nationally recognized firm specializing in animal facility design. Practical, award-winning designs are the hallmark of this 39-year-old firm. Chapel Associates has participated in the design of more than 700 veterinary hospitals, boarding kennels and animal shelters. Past projects include two Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition Hospital of the Year Award winners and many Merit Award winners.

Dan is a nationally recognized expert in the field of veterinary architecture. He has served as a featured speaker on topics of animal facility design at all major veterinary conferences, including the CVC, NAVC, WVC and AAHA. He has been a speaker at the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference since 1981. He has authored or contributed information relating to hospital design to veterinary related books and publications. Dan has also served on the Editorial Board of Veterinary Economics magazine since 1985.

Dave Gasser, AIA, NCARB

GasserDave Gasser joined BDA Architecture in 1999, with an architectural degree specializing in the design of animal care facilities. Over the past 16 years, he has completed more than 100 animal-care-related projects all over the United States and Canada. Along with programming, conceptualizing and designing facilities, he also manages many of the projects through their construction. His expertise includes both small and large animal practices as well as shelter and boarding facilities.

Gary Glassman, CPA

GlassmanGary Glassman has been a practicing CPA since 1976. In 1988, he became a partner of Burzenski & Company PC, an accounting and financial management consulting firm in East Haven, Connecticut. Gary focuses on the field of veterinary practice management and specializes in financial management and tax planning for veterinary practices and their owners. Additionally, he has extensive experience in the areas of practice valuation, related practice sale, merger and acquisition activity and structuring buy/sell agreements as well as hospital expansion and financing.

He is a regular speaker at national, regional and local veterinary conferences on financial and tax topics, including "Tax Tips for the Practice Owner" and “Financial Reporting to Improve Practice Results.” He is quoted on a regular basis in national veterinary publications.

Gary is a member of AAHA and the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. He is a charter member of VetPartners, a national organization of veterinary advisors and consultants. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Scott Learned, MS, MBA, PE, LEED AP

LearnedScott Learned is president and founder of Design Learned Inc. He has overseen the engineering of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and noise control design since the company's inception in 1993. The company specializes in veterinary hospital and animal shelter engineering, having designed hundreds of projects throughout the country. He also has substantial experience in many types of human-occupied buildings. Scott is a frequent speaker on building system engineering at national conferences and has published a range of articles addressing the challenges of engineering for animal care facilities.

Heather Lewis, AIA, NCARB

LewisHeather Lewis joined Animal Arts in August 2000 and has since become a principal in the firm. She has managed the design of companion animal hospitals, equine and large animal hospitals, assistance dog campuses and animal shelters. Over the last two years, she has been working with the Fear Free? Initiative to develop an array of stress-free approaches to hospital design.

Heather has managed the drawing production and construction administration for significant animal care facilities, including the 80,000-square-foot Dumb Friends League in Denver, Colorado, and Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville, South Carolina, which was awarded Hospital of the Year in 2003 by the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition. She was project manager for the 36,000-square-foot LEED Platinum Denver Animal Shelter completed in May 2011. She's working on the expansion of the HD Competition award-winning Upstate Veterinary Specialists' satellite facility in Asheville, North Carolina. Heather was the designer for Tryon Equine Hospital, a 2016 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition Merit Award Winner. 

She has spoken on animal care facility design at CVCs, NAVC, the HSUS Animal Care Expo, the American Association of Equine Practitioners Conference, The Wild West Veterinary Conference, Texas Unites for Animals, the American Association of Feline Practitioners Conference and the UC Davis International Symposium on Feline Health. She has been published in Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Practice Management Consult and has written numerous articles for Veterinary Economics and EquiManagement magazines.

Vicki Pollard, AIA, CVT

PollardVicki Pollard brings unique experience to Animal Arts with degrees in both architecture and veterinary technology. These combined skills give Vicki the perspective to design interior spaces that work on every level-from complex veterinary hospital function to specific equipment layout.

Prior to joining Animal Arts, Vicki worked as the owner's representative during the construction of the $5 million Alameda East Veterinary Hospital campus, which was featured on the program Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. As the owner's representative, her daily tasks included working closely with the veterinarians and staff to design individual spaces to meet their needs. Equipment layout and procurement were among Vicki's responsibilities. She also served as the general manager of the Animal Lodge, the boarding, daycare, and rehabilitation facility for dogs and cats at Alameda East. 

Vicki has worked on a number of large veterinary hospital projects since joining Animal Arts in 2006, including the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition and AAHA-award-winning Coral Springs Veterinary Hospital in Coral Springs, Florida; VCA Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland; VCA South Shore Animal Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts; and the 42,700-square-foot, multi-level specialty referral VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital. She is currently working on the design of a new hospital for Sage Centers for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care in Redwood City, California.

Vicki has spoken on veterinary hospital design at the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference and NAVC.

Ashley M. Shoults, AIA

ShoultsAshley has been a member of the Animal Arts' team for twelve years and has been a principal since 2012.  Ashley's specialty is in the technical aspect of design, including expertise in AutoCAD and Revit, a

comprehensive understanding of building codes, and the development of intricate design details.

Her versatility is demonstrated by the diverse projects that she has spearheaded and coordinated.  These projects include the 35,000 square-foot Olde Towne Pet Resort in Sterling, Virginia, the 43,000 square-foot, three-story VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, the Morningside Animal Hospital in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the kennel renovation and new adoption building for Animal Humane New Mexico in Albuquerque.  She currently is working on the Pablo River Veterinary Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, which is scheduled to complete construction this summer.  Ashley's ability to mediate the needs and wants of owners with engineers and contractors has proven to be crucial to seeing a project successfully through from programming to occupancy.

Ashley has spoken on veterinary hospital design at the VCI Seminars at Sea for the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Wayne Usiak, AIA, NCARB

UsiakWayne designed his first animal hospital in 1977, and in 1981 won his first Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition award. In 1986, he founded BDA Architecture PC to specialize in the design of animal care facilities. Since that time, more than 700 projects have been completed in 46 states and 11 countries. Projects include small animal general practice, specialty referral, emergency, mixed practice, equine, veterinary university design, and boarding. More than 50 specialist-referral facilities have been completed, including facilities for surgical, ophthalmology, oncology, dermatology and critical care. The firm has been awarded more than 30 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition awards, including Hospital of the Year numerous times.

In 1998 BDA founded CMP, Inc., their in-house construction division. Since 1998, CMP has completed construction on over 60 animal care facilities.

Wayne speaks regularly at both national and international veterinary conferences.

Becky Valentine

ValentineBecky Valentine joined BDA Architecture in 2010 after graduating with a degree in architecture. Her love for animals combined with her passion for design inspired her to pursue a specialized career in the design and construction of animal care facilities. As a project manager and project designer at BDA, she has completed more than 20 animal care facility projects all across the United States, ranging from pet resorts and veterinary hospitals to animal shelters and guide dog facilities. Her architectural and interior design skills have contributed to several award-winning veterinary hospital projects, including the 2016 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition Hospital of the Year. Becky is a speaker at Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference, NAVC and the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo.