Meet The WVP Team
Executive Team
Medical Advisors
Support Team
Carollee Brinkman
Chief Executive Officer
Carollee has over 20 years of healthcare industry experience holding numerous operational and senior executive management roles throughout her career. Prior to joining Western Veterinary Partners, Carollee served as a National Group President of Surgery Partners, an operator of over 120 ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals across 32 states with over $2 billion in annual revenue. Carollee had operational oversite of approximately 4,000 employees within Surgery Partners, managing over $1 billion in annual revenue for the company. Prior to Surgery Partners, she was a Senior Vice Present of operations with National Surgical Healthcare, a previously privately held company that specialized in operating surgical hospitals in partnership with doctors. She served in numerous roles at National Surgical Healthcare, but spent substantial time partnering with doctors and clinicians to build and operate surgical hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers across the country. Carollee has also held leadership positions as a hospital Chief Executive Officer and a physician practice consultant. Carollee was raised on a ranch in Southwestern North Dakota and received her degree in Healthcare and Business Administration from Concordia College.
Peter Jacobson
Chief Financial Officer
Peter has over 15 years of finance and accounting leadership experience, including over ten years serving as a Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Western Veterinary Partners, Peter served as the CFO of BridgeHealth, a surgery benefit management company that provides its members with access to high quality healthcare while reducing costs. Prior to BridgeHealth, he worked as a CFO with other privately held high growth businesses in the technology, software, and manufacturing sectors, overseeing all financial reporting and integration related efforts. Earlier in his career, Peter was a Vice President of KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he worked with small and mid-sized businesses in capital raising and M&A activities. Peter is a Certified Public Accountant and received his MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and undergraduate BA with honors from Harvard University.

Kristin Moritz
Chief Operating Officer
Kristin has over 15 years of experience working with private equity-backed businesses in the education, healthcare, and veterinary fields. Most recently, she led operations for the equine business line at National Veterinary Associates (NVA) and helped build the foundational support capabilities for equine practices and practitioners. She also worked with the specialty and emergency practices on the West Coast during her time at NVA. Prior to that, Kristin served as Director of Operations and Strategy for DaVita Medical Group (now Optum) and supported specialty and ancillary operations for a 100+ physician organization in Colorado. Kristin started her career as an Associate at Summit Partners, a global private equity firm. She received a B.S. in Management Science and Engineering and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration, both from Stanford University.

Kevin DeWitt
Chief Development Officer
Kevin has over 8 years of investment banking and finance experience. Most recently, he served as a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance group for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, a middle market focused investment bank. Kevin helped structure and raise debt capital for both public and privately owned companies to fund acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, dividend recapitalizations and other general financing needs. Kevin received a BS in Finance from Miami University (Ohio).
Dr. Doug McInnis
VP of Veterinary Leadership
Dr. McInnis grew up with animals on their small family farm; it was there that he discovered a love for helping animals and decided to pursue a veterinary career. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oregon and Washington State Universities’. After graduating, Dr. McInnis became incredibly active in organized veterinary medicine locally, statewide, and nationally.
He is a past president of the Klamath and Lake Counties Veterinary Medical Association, past president and board member of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, and currently serves as the Oregon Delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates. He is a past member of the American Veterinary Medical Association Foundation and is currently a member their Advisory Board. Dr. McInnis is a member of the Rotary Club of Klamath County where he has held roles as Treasurer, President, and served on the Board of Directors. He is also the past president of the Klamath County Rotary Club Foundation. Dr. McInnis is currently serving his community as a member of the Sky Lakes Medical Center Board of Directors, a member of the Sky Lakes Medical Center Foundation Board, and a board member of Klamath County CASA (Child Abuse Special Advocates).
Dr. McInnis is dedicated to his profession and often fosters that dedication for high school students and the youth interested in the veterinary field. He encourages his veterinary hospital staff to pursue continuing education and career advancement, while providing preceptorships to students in the veterinary field. Dr. McInnis serves on two local scholarship committees: The Rotary Foundation Scholarship Committee and the Merle and Emma West Scholarship Committee.
Dr. McInnis is a great animal advocate and has served the Klamath Humane Society on the Board of Directors and has held the role of Vice President. Dr. McInnis continues to support the efforts of the Humane Society, donating many services and providing assistance to the shelter and its animals.
Dr. McInnis received the Diamond Collar Award in 2018 for his efforts in animal welfare from the Oregon Humane Society. Follow the link below.
https://youtu.be/Q4OZTf1h7_M
Darlene Geekie, RVT
Leader of Technician Training and Development
Darlene Geekie, RVT has worked in veterinary medicine since 1996 and received her RVT certificate from Pierce College in 2001. In 2005, Darlene became co-owner and practice manager of a veterinary clinic which exposed her to all aspects of practice management. As an owner of a veterinary practice, Darlene learned that staff education is a critical element in a veterinary practice’s success. Throughout her career, Darlene has had a special interest in the fields of dentistry, ultrasound, anesthesia, and exotic care, which inspired her to teach others in the veterinary community. She has lectured for companies and organizations such as Webster, PDX Biotech, Midmark, IM3, AZVMA, AHAA, and SCVMA. Darlene also works with various rescue organizations and is on the Board of Directors at the Monterey Zoo in Salinas, CA.
Darlene joined WVP in October 2021, as the selling owner of Veterinary Angeles Medical Center in Agoura Hills, CA. She was appointed to the WVP Medical Advisory Board in January 2022, becoming the first Technician Advisor to work alongside DVM Advisors and add the technician perspective to elevate the quality of patient care.
As Leader of Technician Training and Development, Darlene focuses on the growth and retention of our veterinary technicians and support team members.
Dr. Tammy (White) Renteria
Honorary Medical Advisor
Board Certified Veterinary Dentist
Dr. (White) Renteria is a graduate of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine class of 1996. She became a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College in 2009. Dr. (White) Renteria is the founder and owner of Pacific Northwest Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery in Longview, WA, and Inland Northwest Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery in Coeur d’Alene, ID. The practices offer advanced veterinary dentistry, teaching, and consulting services for dogs and cats. Dr. (White) Renteria has been a part of the Adjunct Faculty at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine since 2010 and offers a dental rotation to 4th-year veterinary students providing them with the opportunity to learn more about small animal veterinary dentistry.
Dr. (White) Renteria continues her passion for helping people and pets by advising and teaching veterinary dentistry to veterinarians within Western Veterinary Partner practices.
Dr. Britt Dubil
Medical Advisor
Dr. Dubil has been in veterinary medicine most of her life, starting in her teenage years as kennel help. After completing her veterinary degree, she pursued a small animal medicine and surgery internship at a large referral practice in New Jersey. She has worked at many types of practices over the years, including emergency, surgical referral, private as well as corporately owned practices. Her pride, however, is the practice she built from the ground up in Park City, Utah, where she works tirelessly to improve the health of many furred friends. She joins Western Veterinary Partners as Medical Advisor, and is excited to combine her passion for veterinary medicine with improving the lives of veterinarians as well as those of pets. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University, and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in German from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.
Dr. Nicole Canon
Medical Advisor
Dr. Nicole Canon is an alumna of both UC Davis and Colorado State University. She completed her undergraduate degree and received her Master’s degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, and achieved her Veterinary degree in Colorado. She also lived in Springfield, VA, while completing an extensive internship that covered small animal emergencies, internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, and radiation oncology. She’s also completed coursework in veterinary acupuncture. She came to work at the Animal Hospital of Sebastopol in 2002 and liked it so much that she bought it in 2007. For fun, Dr. Nicole spends her time outside skiing, sailing, and stand-up paddle boarding. She shares her home with her husband, two cats, and a dog.
Dr. Krista Gibson
Medical Advisor
Dr. Gibson grew up in Scottsdale and left years ago to pursue a career as a veterinarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison Veterinary School in 1996. Her adventures took her all over the country, and finally came back full circle to Scottsdale, where she owned Kierland Animal Clinic. She spends her free time with her husband, Tom, four dogs, and two cats. She enjoys mountain biking, painting, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Charles Hurty
Medical Advisor
Dr. Charles Hurty graduated from the North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002 and completed a 1-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. In veterinary medical practice, Dr. Hurty has a special interest in internal medicine, dermatology, ophthalmology, preventive care, and senior pet wellness.
Additionally, he has developed a strong curiosity about creating and maintaining meaningful team cultures and supporting confident, high-functioning teams. Personal wellbeing initiatives, mindful self-care, and organizational approaches to thriving cultures are his jam these days. In fact, Dr. Hurty made his veterinary conference public speaking debut at the Oregon Veterinary Conference in March of 2024; he addressed how a cultural focus on the employee experience is mission-critical to establishing sustainable workspaces.
Serving and supporting the Oregon veterinary community is a fantastic opportunity; Dr. Hurty seeks to continuously examine and understand the challenges of the veterinary caregiving space to achieve improved sustainability of all the professionals that make up our veterinary profession. He is the Medical Director at Grove Veterinary Clinic and the current (2024) President of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association.
Charles is married to Dr. Natasha Knight; they have two children, Claire (18) and Ben (16). Their family is completed by one cat (Rio – an orange tabby), and five dogs: Chi Chi Bean (a wild Pomeranian), Barry (his favorite but don’t tell the others), a black and white Papillion, Bandit, a black and tan Chihuahua, Buddy Cake, a rambunctious black and white Papillion, and Pol (a super sweet fawn chihuahua). They also have 2 chickens (Crazy Taco Lady & Sabrina Duncan).
Dr. Hurty served as one of the original Board of Directors for the local nonprofit organization Friends of the Lincoln County Animal Shelter (FOLCAS) to save our local animal shelter from a controversial defunding plan. He has previously served as the Chair of the Oregon Coast Therapy Animals (OCTA) Board and the Chair of the Lincoln County Animal Shelter & Wellness Committee. For the 14 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Hurty organized the veterinary care clinic portion of the Lincoln County Project Homeless Connect event; this program provided pet care for those pets living with underserved members of the community.
Dr. Hurty has been an avid advocate for the profession as a regular speaker and presenter at all local Newport school levels, from kindergarten to high school.
Charles enjoys fishing, projects at the house, gardening, cooking/BBQ, and hanging out with the family. He also loves live music, traveling, skiing, surfing, and spending time outside. Additionally, he has participated in youth athletics, contributing as a head coach in soccer, baseball, and softball. Most recently, he finished a 6-year tenure as a Newport Swim Team Board Member and Swim Board President.
Dr. Monique Weldon
Medical Advisor
Dr. Monique Weldon has always been passionate about animals and while in high school, decided to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. She earned her degree in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 2003. After graduating, Dr. Weldon worked in general practice for seven years before starting and building from the ground up Loving Family Animal Hospital. Providing high-quality, personalized medicine has always been her goal and the practice became AAHA accredited within 10 months of opening, earning the distinguished award of “AAHA Hospital of The Year” in 2017. While still the sole owner and medical director of Loving Family Animal Hospital, Dr. Weldon opened Animal Dental Clinic to focus on dentistry. Dr. Weldon has focused heavily on training and continuing education in the dental field for the last 19 years and has a passion for dentistry and oral surgery.
Dr. Jill Sullivan
Medical Advisor
Dr. Sullivan was raised in Boston, MA before moving to Florida for college and veterinary school. She graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012 and practiced in Florida for two years before moving to New Mexico. Dr. Sullivan has a special interest in surgery and is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist.
Dr. Jennifer Severt
Medical Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Severt is a 2006 graduate of the Ohio State University and a passionate practitioner of small animal medicine. She is especially invested in soft tissue surgery, cardiology, ultrasound, and nurturing the human-companion animal bond. She is also deeply committed to building a strong and positive team dynamic and practice culture. Jen shares her life with her husband of twenty years and their two teenage children as well as her beloved pets – a golden retriever named Arla and four feline family members. Her outside interests include traveling, cooking, hiking, scuba diving, martial arts, and playing games with her family.
Dr. Rachel South
Medical Advisor
Dr. South grew up in Bel Air, Maryland, where she fell in love with veterinary medicine while working as a veterinary assistant in an emergency practice. She graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine with her DVM degree in 2013 and completed her clinical year of the program at Oklahoma State University. While attending Ross University in St. Kitts, West Indies, she met Dr. Trevor South. Upon completion of her DVM degree, she moved to Arkansas, where Dr. Trevor South was already practicing.
Following graduation, Dr. South worked in an emergency practice while doing relief work for several general practices in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. South genuinely enjoys emergency and critical care medicine, falling in love with the fast-paced environment as a veterinary assistant in Maryland. She and her husband soon knew they wanted to start their own practice in Arkansas while incorporating that passion for emergency care in some capacity. They founded River Valley Animal Hospital in 2017, an extended hours practice providing urgent care as well as wellness services, and haven’t looked back! Dr. South is excited to be a part of Western Veterinary Partner’s Medical Advisory team to help support professional growth and quality patient care!
Dr. Janis Shinkawa
Medical Advisor
Dr. Jan is the Medical Director and founding partner of Ohana Pet Hospital in Ventura and Santa Paula, CA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Dr. Jan first pursued a degree in accounting and became a Certified Public Accountant and auditor for Ernst and Young in Honolulu. There, she was exposed to various industries including health care, retail, government, and hospitality. Dr. Jan graduated from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine and moved to Ventura, CA to complete a small animal rotating internship at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group (VMSG). From there, Dr. Jan worked as a general practitioner in both Orange County and Ventura before founding Ohana with her veterinarian colleagues in 2012. Dr. Jan is an active member of her community having previously served as president of both the Santa Barbara-Ventura Veterinary Medical Association and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) of Ventura County. She currently serves on the NAWBO National Board as the Chair-Elect and Advocacy Committee Chair. Dr. Jan also helped start and develop the veterinary assistant program at Charter College and the local Veterinary Technology program at Ventura College, which is an accredited American Veterinary Medical Association teaching program for registered veterinary technicians. Always striving to contribute to the betterment of the veterinary profession, she, along with her veterinary colleague and business partner, established Lokahi Foundation, which is a 501c3 non-profit helping to create pathways for people to enjoy sustainable long-term careers in veterinary medicine and business management, while delivering exceptional client service to pet owners and high-quality care to pets.
As a Medical Advisor, Dr. Jan will help WVP stay focused on veterinarians and their practice teams, to improve their lives and the clients and patients they serve. Dr. Shinkawa will also be assisting with our Medical Director Leadership Development program to further support our current and future medical directors.
Lauren Gates
VP of Business Development
Lauren has over 14 years of experience in healthcare acquisitions, business development and sales. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Business Development within the Direct Investments division at Leon Capital Group. In this role, her primary responsibilities included the identification of add-on acquisition opportunities, crafting transaction structures, conducting due diligence, and seeking new ways to achieve organic and inorganic growth. Preceding her tenure at Leon Capital, Lauren was instrumental in establishing and leading the Business Development team at PetWell Partners, a veterinary owner and operator. She developed and set the teams strategic priorities resulting in the creation of valuable partnerships and seamless integrations. Lauren received her Executive MBA from Rice University and her BBA in Accounting from Texas Tech University.
Vance Toole
Vice President of Corporate Development
Vance has over 5 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Most recently, he served as a Senior Associate for The Cosine Group providing strategic M&A advisory and investment banking services for early and growth stage companies. Prior to working with The Cosine Group, he was an Associate with Pamlico Capital, a lower middle market private equity group based in Charlotte, NC focused on growth buyouts in healthcare, business technology, and software. Vance was raised in Southeast Missouri and received degrees in Economics and Spanish from Vanderbilt University.
Jessica Bird
Vice President of Recruiting
Jess has over 20 years of experience in the veterinary field. Most recently, Jess served as the Hiring Team Manager for VetCor, where she specialized in talent acquisition, veterinary school relationship building, and employee engagement. Prior to VetCor, Jess served as the Human Resource Generalist/Surgical Department Head for two large 24hr Emergency Specialty Veterinary Hospitals located in Massachusetts. She began her career working as a veterinary technician in her hometown of Bourne, Massachusetts. Jess attended UMASS-Amherst where she focused her studies on equine sports therapy and animal science.
Natasha Casper
Vice President of Operations
Natasha has over 10 years of experience in the veterinary industry. Prior to joining the team at Western Veterinary Partners, she served as a Senior Director of Operations at VetCor supporting the Northeast region. She has a great passion for people development and growth. Originally born in the US, Natasha spent most of her childhood in the United Kingdom where she graduated University with a B.A. in Business. She lives in upstate New York with her two children and French bulldog, Yogi. Outside of her work supporting WVP hospitals, she enjoys spending time with her family, being in the great outdoors, and traveling.
Isaac Ipson
Vice President of Operations
Isaac joins the WVP team as an experienced healthcare leader with a track record of success in team building, partnerships, and operations. Over the past five years, Isaac navigated rapid growth and forged partnerships with local home care agencies at Honor, a leading senior care company. Prior to that, he led operations and physician partnerships for over 20 dialysis clinics at DaVita in Dallas, TX. Isaac holds an MBA from Dartmouth College and a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University. When not at work, he enjoys outdoor activities and sports with his family.
Michelle Bakva
Vice President of Marketing
Michelle holds nearly two decades of B2B and B2C marketing experience focused on driving innovative business and growth strategies.
As the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Rexford Industrial (NYSE: REXR), Michelle led the marketing department transformation and global branding initiatives for an $11B REIT enterprise. Prior to Rexford, Michelle served as Vice President of Marketing at The William Warren Group, where she drove brand promotion and integrated marketing efforts for a $3.5B real estate portfolio. She also worked as Senior Marketing Manager at National Veterinary Associates, overseeing the execution of interactive, direct marketing, creative, and sales strategies that optimized hospital visits, acquisition and retention efforts.
Michelle earned her MBA with an emphasis in Marketing from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Cory Smtih
Controller
Cory joins WVP from IHS Markit, where he was Executive Director Corporate Consolidations and Americas Accounting. Prior to that he held leadership roles at Great-West Financial and The Gates Corporation, with responsibilities that spanned accounting, FP&A and reporting. Early in his career, Cory worked at accounting firms PWC and KPMG. His time at PWC included work in both Denver and England. Cory has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in accounting from Kansas State University. Outside of work, most of Cory’s time is spent with his wife attending the sporting events and activities of their three children.