Scott Bormann
Senior Vice President, North America, Merck Animal Health
Scott Bormann is the senior vice president of North America operations for Merck Animal Health. In this role, he oversees the management of the commercial businesses in the U.S. and Canada.
Scott joined the animal health industry in 1991 and has held positions of increasing responsibility across livestock, companion animal, and equine segments in several areas of commercial operations. Some of his former positions include director of companion animal business and vice president of livestock and equine business at Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Scott currently serves on the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Board of Directors and is past president of the Board. He has also served on the National FFA Foundation Sponsors’ Board, working to cultivate future generations of animal health leaders. He holds both a Bachelor of Science in agriculture education and a Master of Science in animal science from Texas A&M University.
Scott and his wife, DeeDe, live outside of Kansas City, MO, and have three adult children and four grandchildren.
Phil Boutet, DVM, Ph.D.
Vice President, Global Medical Affairs Operations, MARS Veterinary Health
Dr. Phil Boutet is a leader who fosters high performing team environment and enjoys creating an environment where inclusion of diverse perspectives thrives so that the organization will move from good to great.
Building strong relationships with colleagues across the organization is what engages him, and he has vested interest in others development and value their interest in his. Dr. Boutet is always looking for ways to capture opportunities that challenge the status quo and push his team to look at challenges through innovative ideas and empowering each other to create as partners.
Michael Canic, Ph.D.
President, Making Strategy Happen
Dr. Michael Canic is president and Chief Flag-Bearer of Making Strategy Happen®. Through high-impact workshops, compelling keynotes, and executive advising, Michael helps committed leaders across North America turn ambition into strategy, and strategy into reality. He is the author of the #1 bestselling and acclaimed book, Ruthless Consistency.
Kevin Good
CattleFax Vice President, Market Analysis and Industry Relations
Kevin Good, Vice President, Market Analysis and Industry Relations has been with CattleFax since 1982. Kevin works with producers as well as Agricultural related Companies in helping them understand the changes taking place in the commodities industries with emphasis on animal proteins and in particular beef. This includes analyzing interactions between supply, demand, leverage, global trade, production trends, weather, and other factors affecting commodity markets. He has given over 1000 presentations/outlooks in 40 states in the United States as well as Canada and Mexico. Kevin is a graduate of Kansas State University where he was a member of both the meats and livestock judging teams. Kevin has been married to his wife Kammie for 42 years and they have three grown children.
Susan Groeneveld
CEO/Founder, Sylvester AI
Susan Groeneveld is the founder of Sylvester.ai and WS, where she leverages her expertise in AI and marketing to solve some of the world's biggest challenges. Sylvester.ai is a platform that uses data and machine learning to predict and prevent health issues in pets, while WS is a marketing agency that helps mid-large size companies grow with customer-centric and data-driven strategies.
With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, she has co-founded and led several ventures in the agricultural and pet care sectors, such as Cat Healthy, a program that improves the quality of life for cats and their owners. Susan is also a graduate of the Birthing of Giants Fellowship Program, a selective leadership development program for entrepreneurs. Her mission is to work with the best thinkers and innovators to create positive impact for humanity and the planet.
Calbert Lai
AskVet, Chairman, President and CEO
Cal Lai is a successful serial technology entrepreneur. He has built companies that utilize AI, data, and technology to transform and modernize industries. Cal is widely considered a pioneer in e-commerce. In 1993, he transformed the retail industry with the development of the world’s first commercial e-commerce websites. Since 2014, Cal has applied his deep knowledge of technology, AI, and data to revolutionize the animal health industry.
Julia Loew
Senior Vice President, Commercialization Services, MWI Animal Health
Julia Loew currently serves as the senior vice president of commercialization services at MWI Animal Health, a division of Amerisource Bergen. In her role, Julia leads the strategic direction for the company's sales and customer service teams, development and execution of business development plans and securing new customers and expanding opportunities for the current customer base, managing strategic business relationships and commercialization processes, and enabling growth across the companion animal segment. She is driven to achieve results through an exceptional customer experience while developing a highly engaged and motivated team.
Prior to her current role, Julia was the senior vice president of U.S. pet health at Elanco Animal Health, where she was responsible for the development and execution of the commercial strategy and the pet health portfolio within the U.S. veterinary channel. In her time at Elanco, Julia also served as vice president of global companion animal marketing, executive director of commercial operations companion animal for Europe, Middle East, and Africa and additionally, executive director of channel strategy and sales force excellence for North America. Julia's career spans over 25 years in the animal health industry, spanning both the companion animal and food animal businesses.
Julia also serves as the founder and chair of WILMAH (Women in Leadership and Management in Animal Health), which focuses on career development, mentorship, networking, and advocacy of women in the industry. Additionally, Julia is also currently serving as a board member of KC Animal Health Corridor focused on public policy, workforce advancement, and advancing innovation in the animal health space.
Connor Lokar
Senior Forecaster, ITR Economics
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 everchanging business cycle.
Kent D. McClure, DVM, JD
Associate Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, American Veterinary Medical Association
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 20 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.
Rustin Moore, DVM, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University
Dr. Rustin M. Moore, professor and the Ruth Stanton Chair in Veterinary Medicine is the 11th dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and has served in this role since September 2015.
A two-time graduate of the college, Dr. Moore returned to the college in 2006 and has served as the chair of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, executive director of the Veterinary Medical Center, associate dean for Clinical and Outreach Programs, and associate executive dean.
He has taught at all levels of the undergraduate, professional, and graduate curricula, both at Ohio State and at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he served on the LSU faculty from 1994 to 2006.?He has served as an advisor, co-advisor, or committee member for 21 doctoral or master's students, as well as the clinical advisor for more than 25 interns and residents.
He has published more than 120 peer/editor reviewed manuscripts; nearly 20 book chapters; and presented/published greater than 175 scientific abstracts, over 100 continuing education lectures/conference proceedings, and more than 100 outreach and professional presentations.
A native of Spencer, WV, he earned a BS degree (1986), summa cum laude, from the West Virginia University; a DVM (1989), summa cum laude, and a PhD (1994) from The Ohio State University. In addition, he is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
He serves on boards and in other roles for several organizations including the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Ohio Wildlife Center, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, American Association of Equine Practitioners, and Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition, among others.
Dr. Moore is passionate about and a frequently invited speaker on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the veterinary profession and more broadly; health and well-being in the veterinary profession; the power of the pet and the human-animal bond; access to care and healthcare disparities in veterinary medicine; One Health; and more.
Brad Seipel
Executive Vice President & Group Director, Account Management at M/A/R/C Research
Brad is Executive Vice President and Group Director of Account Management at M/A/R/C® Research, which is a consulting firm focused on providing insights and strategies that enable clients to make informed decisions to move their business forward. In his role Brad serves as executive leader of M/A/R/C’s Animal Health Practice—a practice area he has been serving for 20 years.
With his knowledge of Animal Health and thought leadership in the space, Brad is a frequently sought guest speaker for a myriad of conferences and webinars, including Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), Western Veterinary Conference (WVC), Owners of Doggy Daycares (ODD) Ball in 2022, a three-part webinar series for DVM360 in 2021, and the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Homecoming Event in 2020.
Brad is a member of the Insights Association and sits on the board of directors of Project Evergreen, a national non-profit organization committed to bringing people together to create healthy green spaces for both humans and animals alike.
Jim Thomas, PhD
President - The Beta Group, LLC
Dr. Thomas has spent about half his career in advertising, marketing, and research companies and about half in corporate insights and market intelligence in animal health. As a social scientist, for many years his research focused on both companion and production animal veterinarians, pet owners, and livestock producers. While with Bayer and then Elanco he occupied a global role where functioning was one of the connections between research & development and the marketplace. His role included pre-launch and launch experience with EPA, FDA, and USDA products in early-stage development to the marketplace. After leaving Elanco he founded The Beta Group, LLC, and continued working in the animal health sector.
As an adjunct professor Jim has taught undergraduate classes in advertising, industrial/organizational psychology, statistics, marketing, and marketing research, at the graduate level classes included marketing, strategic management, and research.
Jim’s education includes roots in a rural country school in the Midwest and concluded with a doctorate in psychology.
Penny Zenker
Speaker, Strategic Busienss Coach, and Author
Penny Zenker (aka The Focusologist) is a captivating international speaker, business strategy coach, best-selling author, and one of America's leading experts in the psychology of productivity to eliminate distraction, perfectionism, and self-sabotage to maximize results personally and professionally. She will help you and your organization own your focus and grow further faster.
By the time she was 31, Penny built and sold her first multi-million-dollar business in Zurich, Switzerland. Her first book, The Productivity Zone, was an instant Amazon bestseller, and her TEDx talk, "The Energy of Thought," has gained attention around the world with more than one million views.
Her engaging, inspiring, and interactive work teaches people to think and act more strategically and has been featured on NBC News, Forbes.com, ESPN, and Wharton Business Radio, among others.
