Meet the Speakers

Stith Keiser

Track: Practice Management and Opening Keynote

Description: This track focuses on strategies for elevating client experiences, supporting your team, and building lasting profitability. Participants will walk away with practical tips for creating a thriving practice that balances financial success with high-quality care.

Bio: Stith Keiser is the CEO of Blue Heron Consulting, where his team partners with practice owners to improve operations, team culture, and client service. He’s an adjunct faculty member at several veterinary schools, a frequent international speaker, and a managing partner in multiple veterinary practices.

Carolyn McKune, DVM, DACVAA

Track: Anesthesia and Pain Management

Description: This track explores findings from a global study of over 55,000 dogs to better understand anesthesia-related mortality. Attendees will gain insight into key risk factors—such as ASA classification, age, and procedure urgency—and learn protective strategies including sedative choice and analgesia protocols.

Bio: Dr. McKune earned her DVM from Michigan State University before completing an internship at Washington State University and a residency in Anesthesia and Critical Patient Care at UC Davis. A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, she now runs Mythos Veterinary LLC, providing independent anesthesia consultation and services worldwide.

Nicole Clausen, CSSGB, CCFP

Track: Inventory Management

Description: This track covers the essentials of inventory management, teaching veterinary teams how to streamline systems, reduce stress, and boost profitability, all while making inventory a little less intimidating.

Bio: Nicole Clausen is the founder of Veterinary Care Logistics and the Veterinary Inventory Strategy Network. With over a decade of experience in inventory management and practice operations, she helps veterinary teams build sustainable systems that make practices more efficient and profitable.

Danielle DeCormier, LVT, VTS (Oncology)

Track: Oncology

Description: Cancer cases in veterinary medicine can be complex, urgent, and unpredictable. In this track, Danielle DeCormier, LVT, VTS (Oncology), explores real-world case studies and critical topics including uncommon disease presentations, oncology-related emergencies, feline lymphoma, and hypercalcemia of malignancy. You’ll gain practical tools to improve diagnostics, guide treatment decisions, and provide the best possible care for oncology patients, whether in routine practice or emergency situations.

Bio: Danielle is a licensed veterinary technician and VTS(Oncology) with over ten years of experience. As Director of Clinical Services Education at Med Vet, she leads technician training, scholarships, and strategic planning. She lectures internationally and serves as AIMVT’s Director-at-Large for Oncology, sharing her expertise in oncology, education, and leadership.

Wendy Hauser, DVM

Closing Keynote

Description: Veterinary practices today face unprecedented challenges—from burnout and staffing shortages to changing client expectations and economic pressures. At the heart of these challenges lies a powerful and overlooked solution: employee engagement. In this transformative keynote, Dr. Wendy Hauser will explore how engaged team members are not just more productive—they’re more resilient, collaborative, and committed to delivering exceptional patient and client care.

Drawing on data-driven insights and practical strategies, this session will illuminate what true engagement looks like in the veterinary workplace and how to cultivate it at every level of the practice. Attendees will learn how to create a culture of purpose, recognition, psychological safety, and growth—turning disengaged employees into empowered practice advocates.

Attendees will walk away with immediately applicable tools to strengthen communication, empower leadership at all levels, and build a cohesive, energized team that stays committed for the long term.