New practice management speakers at CVC in Washington, D.C.

Brenda Tassava, CVPM

Speaking Wednesay, May 4, on social networking

Brenda Tassava, CVPM, has been the hospital administrator at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center in Indianapolis, Ind., since 2003. In those years, Tassava has worked with her practice owner to grow the clinic from a five-doctor single location to a seven-doctor two-location practice. She’s also helped create a standalone dog training facility to meet the needs of the community.

Tassava is a member of the Firstline Editorial Advisory Board. She also belongs to the Veterinary Hospital Managers’ Association, where she serves on the membership committee, and is co-chairperson of the CVPM board of directors. She is one of the cofounders of the Veterinary Management Association of Indiana, where she currently serves as an officer and board member.

Tassava has a deep interest in the owner-manager team concept and in training strong management teams that work toward fulfilling the practice owner’s vision and goals. She became an avid social media enthusiast when she discovered the local blogging and social media community in Indianapolis in 2009. She frequently writes and speaks on these topics, as well as other areas of veterinary management.

In her personal life, Tassava is a mixed-media artist and enjoys attending her daughter’s viola performances. She and her husband also enjoy traveling with their papillons.

Click here to read Tassava's articles in Firstline.

Dave Nicol, BVMS

Speaking Thursday, May 5, on performance management

Dave Nicol, BVMS, is a graduate of the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine in Glasgow, Scotland. He has worked as a practitioner in Northumberland,Newcastle, and London in the U.K., and he also runs a successful veterinary management consulting business. He’s worked at several practices—most recently in Sydney, Australia—helping them turn around team performance and become more successful financially.

Dr. Nicol is an active blogger on the dvm360.com Community and at The Hamster Wheel Veterinary Business Blog. He has also recently released an e-book titled The Yellow Pages Are Dead on marketing a veterinary practice. In his spare time Dave enjoys running, swimming, and mountain biking. He can be often be heard cheering on his local rugby team at Blackheath Rugby Club.

Click here to read Dr. Nicol’s articles on dvm360.com.Click here to read more about his sessions at CVC in Washington, D.C.

Jill Cody, MA, LCPC

Speaking Saturday, May 7, on life balance

A licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland as well as North Carolina, Jill Cody earned her master's degree in counseling psychology from Hood College in Frederick, Md. She's a trainer for the American Hypnosis Training Academy in Silver Spring, Md., teaching Ericksonian hypnosis and neurolinguistic programming to mental health professionals, and maintains an active full-time private practice in Frederick.

She is the co-author of Collaborative Healing: A Shorter Therapy Approach for Survivors of Sexual Abuse published in 2002, and is the author of Win the Weight War: Ten Successful Strategies to Take It Off and Keep It Off! published November of 2008. (These books will be available during CVC at a book signing event in the Interactive Business Zone in the exhibit hall.) An enthusiastic public speaker, Cody is a professional member of the National Speakers Association.

Click here to read more about Cody's sessions at CVC Washington, D.C.

Donna Bauman, CVPM

Speaking Sunday, May 8, on communication

Donna Bauman, CVPM, has worked in the veterinary profession for more than 18 years. She owns Visions Veterinary Consulting, a consulting company offering management coaching and mystery calls for veterinary practices. She's also hospital administrator for Veterinary Specialty Care, a 24-hour emergency, surgery, and internal medicine specialty group in Charleston, S.C. Bauman earned her bachelor's degree in business management from Davenport University.

Bauman's passion lies in team building and providing outstanding client service and education. She was one of the consultants who took part in the Idexx/Veterinary EconomicsPractice Management Overhaul contest and contributes frequently to Veterinary Economics and Firstline. She's also a course writer and instructor for VetMedTeam.

Donna lives with her husband and five children in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Her four-legged children include two miniature dachshunds, a Great Dane and two cats. In her free time she enjoys bike riding, exercising, and doing anything in the sun.

Click here to read Bauman's articles in Veterinary Economics. Click here to read her Firstline articles.