As NAPHIA VP, Bob Capobianco is ideally suited to lead a thoughtful conversation navigating the many perspectives on virtual veterinary care.

A consultant and IPG’s representative on NAPHIA’s board, previously, Bob served as Senior Vice President of Industry & Government Relations at Independence Pet Group, and spent 14 years at American Modern Insurance, serving in various leadership roles, including Vice President of the company’s pet health insurance program. A natural born leader and strategic thinker, he can often be found with sleeves rolled-up in deep discussion about a particular area of the business. It’s this drive to fully dissect a topic, in the trenches with the team, that makes Bob an inspiring, effective leader.

Bob has a B.A. in economics from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Rollins College. He and his wife, Barbara, have two adult children and share a home with their cat, Hank.

Mark is the Founder & CEO of the Animal Policy Group. A long-time political strategist, government regulatory advisor, corporate executive and former litigator, Mark focuses his advocacy practice on providing high-level strategic advice and services to clients with needs at any level of government, and key trade/industry associations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Since 2004, Mark has specialized in animal health, animal welfare, veterinary and veterinary educational issues and accreditation, developing a cutting-edge practice across these sectors. He currently leads several industry coalitions and initiatives. Mark has guided successful accreditations for a growing list of veterinary colleges, and is co-founder of the Veterinary Virtual Care Association.

An adjunct faculty member at Lincoln Memorial, Lewis & Clark and University of Oregon law schools, Mark is also the past Chair of government relations practices at Tonkon Torp, a prominent Northwest law firm and Winstead Sechrest & Minick, a major Texas-based firm.

Mark is the recipient of the 2023 VIS Veterinary Innovation Award and the author of Pet Nation, a book released by Penguin Random House that tells the inside story of how companion animals are transforming our homes, culture, and economy. He is a frequent speaker at veterinary medicine and other animal policy-related conferences.Mark is an Honors graduate with distinction from Stanford University and the Willamette University College of Law.

Dr. Golab is Associate Executive Vice President and Chief Veterinary Officer for the American Veterinary Medical Association, overseeing the association’s Animal and Public Health, Animal Welfare, and Global Outreach Divisions. Previously, Dr. Golab has served as Chief Advocacy and Public Policy Officer, as Director of the Animal Welfare Division, and in a variety of other roles in the AVMA’s Publications, Education and Research, and Communications Divisions. Before her tenure at the AVMA, she spent several years in private companion animal practice, and prior to that served as Biochemical/Biomedical Research Consultant at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Golab is best known for her more than 30 years of work in the human-animal interactions/animal welfare field that began as an undergraduate; transcends both professional degrees; has included opportunities for exposure to a variety of concerns affecting diverse species; and includes experience in research, policy development, and practical applications. Accordingly, she has served on advisory committees on the care and use of animals in agriculture, biomedical research, the pet industry, entertainment, transport, and human healthcare applications.

She graduated with a PhD from Texas A&M University, a DVM from the University of Illinois, is certified as a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare), is a charter diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare (an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty board), and a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice.

Garth Jordan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as CEO of AAHA. Before joining AAHA, he served as the senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). Over the past 20 years, he has held various executive and board positions in non-profit organizations, including: CEO, COO, CFO, and CSO. This diverse experience has equipped him with the skills and knowledge to build dynamic teams and achieve organizational goals effectively.

Deb Leon has grown whiskerDocs into a leader in pet telehealth, developing patented, industry-wide best practices that ensure the highest quality support for every pet and pet parent, every time. The company has earned the trust of loving pet parents, leading pet insurers, employers, retailers, and pet health professionals to provide rock-solid advice for their pets and those of their customers.

Prior to co-founding whiskerDocs®, Deb Leon had launched an enterprise scale health services call center that provided support to families 24 hours a day as they attempted to navigate the complexities of the healthcare system.

Health Contact Partners served over 7 million people in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with its foundational service being MyNurse 24/7™, a 24 hour a day Decision Support service that helped its members decide the best action to take on behalf of their families. Their staff of over 200 specialists included registered and licensed Nurses, social workers, benefit consultants, telemonitoring and customer service agents.

In 2008, Health Contact Partners was purchased by one of its client companies, leaving time for Deb and her family to make their next commitment to families, by offering the same support to pet parents.

Dr. Lori Teller is a graduate of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine (TAMU CVM) and is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) in Canine and Feline Practice. She is a Clinical Professor at TAMU and is passionate about her teaching role in Primary Care Services, as well as the role telemedicine plays in veterinary medicine. She was awarded a grant from Petco Love to improve access to veterinary care for low-income, elderly pet owners in rural Texas. She is the author of several articles on veterinary telemedicine and on primary care services. Dr. Teller recently completed her service as President of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Chair of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Dr. Teller is a Canine/Feline Regent for the ABVP and serves on their Board of Directors. She has a monthly radio spot on NPR in Houston, Texas discussing veterinary care for pets and continues to mentor veterinary students and recent graduates.