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Meggan Harris - Chairperson

Senior Director Sustainable Delivery, MWI Animal Health

Meggan has over twenty years of experience in animal health. She has long served as a sales leader at MWI Animal Health and is now spearheading their strategic initiative to integrate sustainable and reusable totes into their commercial delivery operations. She is committed to sparking change that impacts the broader animal health industry and moves us all toward a healthier future and more intentional consideration of our actions and their impact on our environment.

Meggan also has a sincere interest in empowering women in the animal health industry to achieve their professional aspirations. She currently serves as both Chairperson and Treasurer for WILMAH. She previously served on both the MWI Animal Health and AmerisourceBergen Women’s Impact Network Operating Committees. In addition, she is a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.

Meggan holds both an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University. She resides in the Nashville area with her multiple cats and dogs and her little flock of chickens. If you’re coming to town, reach out and she’ll share her list of things to do and maybe take you out for a fried bologna sandwich and a Moon Pie at Robert’s!

Jessica Bayer - Vice Chair

Head of Distributor Account Management

Jessica is currently the Director of the Distributor Account Management Team and is responsible for the go-to-market strategies for Boehringer Ingelheim’s key partners. She has more than 20 years of experience holding multiple roles in sales, marketing, and training within the human and animal pharmaceutical industries. Prior to her current role, she was the Commercial Business Manager for the U.S. Livestock and Equine division.

Jessica is devoted to developing female leaders and creating an environment of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. She has been an active member since the foundation of WILMAH, serving as a board member, secretary, and now Vice Chair. Her passion for the development of leaders continues to grow with participation within her organization, WILMAH, and her community service activities.

Jessica graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and has an MBA from Liberty University with a focus on Strategic Management. She lives in Georgia with her husband Russ, her two boys, Tyler and Jacob, their dog Tank, and three cats, Wally, Gunner, and Cutter.

Lisa Foley - Membership Chair

Inside Sales Manager, Animal Health International- a Patterson Company

Lisa currently leads the Production Animal Inside Sales team in the SE Region at Animal Health International- a Patterson Company. She is a graduate of the University of Findlay, majoring in Equestrian Studies and Equine Business Management. Lisa began her career training to show horses professionally, competing at all levels before she discovered her love of the animal health industry. As a former mentee in WILMAH’s mentorship program and now serving as a facilitator for Patterson’s own mentorship program, Lisa knows firsthand the power of mentorship in the development of emerging talent.

Lisa resides in Ocala, FL with her husband Mike, two children Emily and Dylan, two dogs, and two cats.

Julia Loew - Board Member

Chairperson

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, secures new customers and expands opportunities for the current customer base, manages strategic business relationships and commercialization processes, and enables 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 US 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 US 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, the Middle East, and Africa, and additionally, Executive Director of Channel Strategy and Sales Force Excellence for North America. Julia’s career spans over 26 years in the Animal Health industry spanning both the Companion Animal and Food Animal businesses.

Julia also serves on the board 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, and Indy Humane, an Indianapolis-based non-profit organization committed to helping central Indiana’s pets in need.

Keri L. Weppler - Board Member

Mentorship Committee Liaison

Keri Weppler has more than 30 years of experience in Animal Health and is currently responsible for leading the Diagnostics sales team in the Pacific Northwest.  She is a current member of WAVES (Women Achieving Vision, Excellence, and Success) and former President of the Zoetis Women’s Council. Prior to her current role, Keri served as an Associate Director of the Pork Division.  She began her career with Pfizer Animal Health in 1999 as a Territory Manager in Northern Virginia and has held multiple roles of increasing responsibility within the PetCare and Pork division, including Territory Manager, Strategic Account Manager, Regional Business and Development Manager, Associate Director, and Area Business Manager. Keri and her husband Mark reside in Portland Oregon.

Lesli Stasiek - Board Member

Advocacy Committee Liaison

Senior Director, Human Resources, MWI

Lesli Stasiek is human resources leader with 20+ years of human and animal health commercial experience. She is currently the Senior Director of Human Resources, at MWI Animal Health supporting the MWI executive leadership team and organization guiding talent, culture, and change strategies to advance the business forward.

Previously, Lesli spent nine years at Elanco Animal Health in both marketing and human resources roles, most recently as the HR Strategic Business Partner supporting the US Commercial and Global Marketing organization. In this role, she developed and led the execution of people strategies for the US Commercial Farm Animal and Pet Health organization and led organizational design efforts as part of the Bayer acquisition. Prior to joining Elanco, she worked in sales and marketing at Eli Lilly and Company and AstraZeneca.

Lesli holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University in Lafayette, IN, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Lesli is passionate about developing current and future female leaders and creating a culture that empowers women to achieve success. She is proud to have been actively involved in the foundation of WILMAH and served as a board member since its’ inception. Her passion has grown as a result of her favorite role of raising her two beautiful girls Adeline and Gwendolyn and her desire for them to pursue their dreams without glass ceilings.

Lesli resides in Fishers, Indiana, and has the joy of raising two wonderful girls and her puggle Sydney. Some of her passions include playing soccer, traveling the world, and going to concerts.

Heather M. Fox - Board Member

Professional Development Committee Liaison

Executive Vice-President, Sales, LifeLearn, Inc.

Heather is the EVP of Sales for LifeLearn. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in marketing communications, and now has more than 15 years of experience in the veterinary industry. Heather has delivered superior business results at Advanstar Communications (DVM Newsmagazine and CVC/Central Veterinary Conference), Veterinary Learning Systems (Compendium, Veterinary Technician and Vet Forum magazines) and VetStreet, among others. Heather is a strong supporter of veterinary technicians and has worked with the North American Veterinary Technician Association to develop continuing education programs for the advancement of vet techs and their critical role in the veterinary industry. She is a tireless advocate for continuing education for the entire health care team and is passionate about collaborating with key opinion leaders across all specialties. Heather is a volunteer in her community and is a Board Member of the Cleveland Eyebank Foundation, as an ambassador/spokesperson for organ donation.

Nikkia S. Starks - Board Member

Community/Cause Committee Liaison

Founder and CEO – BGM Consulting, Inc

Nikkia is the founder and CEO of BGM Consulting Inc., a strategy and operations consulting firm specializing in the animal health and consumer packaged goods industries.  BGM Consulting Inc. was founded to develop and monetize emerging trends in the animal health industry including growth of pet ownership in the millennial / Gen Z segments, digital solutions for pet owners, early education on careers in animal health, and increased access to veterinary care in underserved communities.

Nikkia began her career in animal health at Boehringer Ingelheim where she ran and expanded the FRONTLINE portfolio, built a retail strategy & organization, and led global projects to improve cross functional processes. In 2019, she was recognized as Working Mother of the Year for Boehringer Ingelheim.

Nikkia is a member of the National Black MBA Association and Jack & Jill of America. She graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.

Cathy Martin - Board Member

Marketing Communications Committee Liaison

Executive Director Global Marketing, Merck Animal Health

Cathy Martin has been in animal health for over 30 years and is currently Executive Director, Global Marketing at Merck Animal Health. Before that, Cathy had her own consulting company, CD Martin Consulting, specializing in animal health. Previously, Cathy was at Elanco Animal Health, which she joined in 2004 to develop the companion animal commercial business and launch Elanco into the pet health space. After that, she held subsequent leadership positions in marketing for several years.  Before joining Elanco, Cathy worked at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, in both the US and International Marketing divisions.

Cathy has a degree in marketing and advertising from the University of Kansas. She is a past Dean’s Advisory Board member for the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and The Partnership for Preventative Pet Health Industry Alliance.

In her spare time, Cathy is an avid world traveler, tennis player, and adventure seeker. She has two children (Camden and Ellie)  and four fur babies. She resides in Melbourne, FL.

Trisha Wheeler - Board Member

Director, National Accounts – Companion Animal & Equine

Trisha Wheeler is a seasoned professional with 23 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. With a strong background in sales strategy and execution, she has achieved impressive results and gained a reputation as a notable Leader across Merck Animal Health.

Throughout her career, Trisha has demonstrated exceptional skills for managing both people and customer accounts, which incorporates an industry knowledge base. She is known for developing client relationships, aligning company and customer priorities, and displaying team leadership.

Trisha’s expertise includes building talent through recruiting, hiring, and developing a high performing team with a culture of inclusion. She has a proven track record of leading relationships internally and externally with senior leaders, key stakeholders, and decision-makers at all levels of complex matrix structured organizations.

As the Director of National Accounts, Trisha has built and maintained a profitable and strategic relationship with National Accounts. She has effectively provided solutions to improve and grow Merck Animal Health with National Accounts to deliver strong financial results. Overall, Trisha is passionate about Merck Animal Health’s unconditional culture and the business in hope that it inspires others to do the same.

Apart from her professional accomplishments, Trisha is also passionate about demonstrating ethics and integrity. She believes in treating and respecting each person individually and defining culture humility by acting as a role model.

With a strong focus on continuous learning and staying up to date with industry trends, Trisha is committed to delivering excellence in the animal health industry. Through Merck Animal Health’s mission, she is dedicated “To provide innovative, distinctive products and services that save and improve lives and satisfy customer needs, to be recognized as a great place to work, and to provide investors with a superior rate of return.”

Trisha has a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification to complement her MBA in Project Management. She continues to expand her knowledge through ongoing professional development and networking opportunities.

Whether she is collaborating with cross-functional teams, leading projects, or engaging with clients, Trisha consistently showcases her expertise, professionalism, and commitment to delivering exceptional results.