Current Professional Activities

• Director of Animal Welfare Section and Spay/Neuter Program for the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – November 2014 to present
  Director of the section which oversees the enforcement of the NC Animal Welfare Act and its associated rules and regulations; enforces regulations of public and private animal shelters, boarding kennels, pet shops, and the euthanasia of dogs and cats; oversees the administration of the NC spay/neuter program.

Past Professional Activities

• Sheriff’s Veterinarian – 8/2009 to10/2014
  Dona Ana County, New Mexico – Veterinarian for Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office (DASO). Responsible for providing forensic veterinary services and animal care for criminal cases involving animals such as felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty, hoarding, animal fighting, etc; Director of the DASO Protective Custody Animal Shelter.
  
  
• High Desert Animal Hospital – 8/2006 to 9/2010
  Rio Rancho, New Mexico - Owner/Veterinarian. Responsible for all aspects required to operate a full service, high-quality veterinary hospital including medicine, surgery, preventative health programs, radiology, ultrasound, and telemedicine.
  
  
• Gabriels Creek Veterinary Clinic – 7/2005 to 6/2006
  Mars Hill, North Carolina – Owner/Veterinarian. Responsible for all aspects required to set up and operate a new veterinary clinic including medicine, surgery, preventative health programs, radiology, ultrasound, and telemedicine. Initiated and wrote a pet health advice column for Asheville Citizens-Times daily newspaper. Provided veterinary and euthanasia services for county shelters.
  
  
• Greenville Veterinary Hospital – 2/1996 to 2/2005
  Greenville, NC – Owner/ Veterinarian. Responsible for all aspects of veterinary hospital ownership – medicine, surgery, preventative health programs, radiology, ultrasound, telemedicine, personnel management, computerization of the business, and medical records.
  
  
• Duke University - 6/1990 – 2/1996
  Durham, North Carolina – Primate Center Veterinarian. Responsible for their prosimian veterinary care program and the Primate Center’s compliance with the Federal Animal Welfare Act. Member of Duke’s IACUC which monitored the University’s animal welfare and research programs.

Special Interests

• Veterinary Forensic medicine and Forensic Sciences

Memberships

• International Veterinary Forensic Science Association
  • Immediate Past President (2022),
  • President (2021),
  • Vice President (2020)
  • Secretary – (2018, 2019)
    
    
• International Veterinary Forensic Science Association Board of Directors (2014- 2017)
  – elected to serve on the Board of Directors for this scientific association.

Relationships/Spouse/Children/Pets

• Horses
  • Cowboy Magic the Quarter Horse
  • Clyde the Rocky Mountain Horse
• Dogs
  • Jethro – the nutty Australian Shepherd
  • Charlie – the genetic reject of a Cavalier King Charles Cavalier Spaniel
• Fainting Goats
  • Phineas and Gerald – they came with the farm
• 2 Guineas – they came with the farm
• Chickens – 9 hens and 1 rooster – they came with the farm
• Feral “neutered male” cat – came with the farm and graced us with 5 kittens – 2 of which remain and they are Junior Samples and Callie

Hobbies

• Horseback riding
• Hiking in the mountains
• Needlework – specifically counted cross stitch

Favorite Book, Movie, and/or Song

• Beauty in the Flaws by Sophia Scott – there’s a line in the chorus that goes “Peace in the Chaos” – I have named my small farm this.

Favorite Quote

• Maya Angelou:
  • “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ...
  • "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”