Veterinary Leadership Institute

It was an epic week. Here is a glimpse at the all the magic.

VLE 2024 Highlight Video We can summarize this year's event with John's six word memoir- They arrive alone. They left together.

Ready and waiting for the VLE 2024 participants to arrive! 🎉

Hello everyone!! Betsy here. I’m going to be at the SAVMA symposium all day tomorrow. I would love to connect. I’m doing a radiology talk at 3pm (I think) but otherwise I’m open. Let me know if you’ll be there and we can connect!!!

🚴‍♂️🌟 What an incredible ride! 🌟🚴‍♀️

We are thrilled to announce that the Go The Distance challenge at Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine was a massive success! 🎉 10 riders and walkers raised $12,616 and MWU is able to send all 8 students who applied to VLE 2024.

First and foremost, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Jeff Thoren, the driving force behind this remarkable event. His dedication, passion, and tireless efforts were instrumental in making this fundraiser a resounding triumph. From coordinating logistics to rallying participants and garnering support, Dr. Thoren went above and beyond to ensure that their mission was accomplished.

A heartfelt thank you to all the participants, sponsors, and donors who made this possible. 🙏

If you are interested in funding additional students at your veterinary school, there is still time! Email us at [email protected] for more information.

We are so excited host Trek 2024, a week of discovery and training with our team of expert facilitators and presenters. We would like to offer an added bonus for sending more than one employee from your practice. Multiple team members going through Trek together will create camaraderie due to the shared experience and could potentially shift the culture in your workplace. All members of your veterinary healthcare team are welcome. This offer is also available to friends who would like to register together.
For the last few spots we have available for Trek 2024, we’re offering a discount on multiple registrations. If you send two or more participants, each will receive a 20% discount on registration. Send me their names and emails and I will send them information about how to register with a customized discount code. They will receive a code for $600 off! It’s that easy!
Please let me know ASAP if you would like to take advantage of this new opportunity. Registration is open through March 1st.

You only have about 2 weeks left to sign up for Trek 2024. We promise your experience will be just as meaningful as the veterinary team members who provided these quotes.

Dr. Marci Kirk, Associate Director at the American Veterinary Medical Association, attended Trek in 2022. She joined our VLE facilitation team in 2023. Here’s what she has to say about Trek.
“VLI Trek was an incredible experience. It was obvious how much thought went into every detail of the experience so that each session had maximal impact. The blending of large group and small group sessions as well as self reflection was perfect. On top of the content that was given to attendees, the relationships that were established between individuals is hard to replicate anywhere else. It is an inspiring and life-changing experience that I highly recommend veterinary professionals explore for themselves.”
Sign up now to experience Trek for yourself!
Marci shares much more about her Trek experience on her podcast, My Veterinary Life. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vli-trek-experience/id1455412037?i=1000559682942

Dr. Emily Tincher, our very own VLI board president, was featured on the podcast, Vet Life Reimagined! Watch it to learn about her interesting career path, how she got to where she is today, and how she got connected with VLI.

Finding the right career in vet med & spectrum of care (Emily Tincher DVM) Vet Life Reimagined guest is Dr. Emily M Tincher.About the Guest:Dr. Emily Tincher is a 2016 Auburn University veterinary grad and a second-generation veteri...

Jump into 2024 by signing up for Trek, our hands-on, immersive program developed to help veterinary health care professionals better understand their leadership capacity so they can experience more fulfilling careers.
https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/vli-trek/

If you've ever been interested in being trained as a VLE facilitator, now is the time to apply! This year, we have one application for new facilitators and one for returning facilitators. As long as you are no longer a student and have attended one of our programs, you are eligible to apply. Contact us for more information.

Betsy here. I am in my house in CA, a place I haven't spent much time in over the last 6 months. I am going through a HUGE stack of mail and I just opened this.

We introduced the painting activity into the VLE curriculum, I believe, in 2011. Schools all over the country have incorporated it into their first year orientation programs. I think it is a really cool activity for a million reasons.

To see this on the cover of JAVMA is pretty awesome and caused me to reflect on the HUNDREDS of people who have invested so much of themselves since the first VLE in 2003. 20 years later, our influence is visible to the profession at large.

Thank you, Drs. Kathy Ruby and Rick DeBowes, for your way ahead of its time vision for a sustainable profession.

And thank you to the thousands of people who have experienced VLE. It just goes to show you that a little patience and perseverance are totally worth it. Well done , well done. Our legacy is TEAM awesome.

Here's to a transformed profession in 2024.

VLE 2023 participants-Your letters are heading your way! ✉️

There is still another opportunity to attend Trek in 2023 and we have spots available! See our website for details.

We had another amazing week at Ross Point Camp & Conference center for . I think this year's video is pretty awesome. Thank you to Kobe and Daniel for so beautifully capturing the essence of the Veterinary Leadership Experience.

Enjoy!!!!

VLE 2023 We had another amazing week at . Here are the highlights!!!

Team VLE 2023 is excited to be together again and ready for amazing week! This will be a gorgeous week at Ross Point Camp and Conference Center.

There are only a few days left to sign up for the Veterinary Leadership Experience 2023. Registration closes after April 15th! Send an email through our website if you're interested.

There is only one week left to register for our spring Trek March 27-31 and we still have a few spots available! https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/vli-trek/

Our final TREK FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT-Dr. Julie Settlage served as a facilitator at VLI Trek in 2022 and she is returning in 2023. Dr. Settlage is an equine Professional Services Veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. In this position she provides consultation and education to equine veterinary practices in all aspects of their business - including veterinary care, practice culture, and team development. She currently serves as a small group facilitator at the Veterinary Leadership Experience and also served in 2012-2017 and 2019. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Settlage was a senior research veterinarian and board-certified surgeon at Virginia Tech where she led a diverse team of researchers, animal caretakers, and veterinary staff. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Settlage was an equine surgeon and educator at the Virginia-Maryland Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Dr. Settlage has a Master’s degree in Veterinary Education from the Royal Veterinary College with a focus on small group learning. Dr. Settlage has completed advanced facilitator training through the Veterinary Leadership Institute, Leading with Integrity Leadership program, and implicit bias training through Virginia Tech. She has honed her knowledge by becoming a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional and Certified Behavioral Consultant (DiSC trainer). She loves all things outdoors, especially when she can share them with folks she loves.

TREK FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT-If you have attended any VLI programs, you already know John Batchelder. He has been involved with VLE and VLI since the very beginning and is the only person who has attended every single VLE as well as our inaugural VLI Trek in 2022. He is an ordained minister and Certified Camp Director who grew up in Utah. He is currently the Executive Director at Ross Point Camp and Conference Center in Ross Point, Idaho where he leads ~30 groups per year through small and large group facilitated challenge course activities. He is the owner of Challenge Research and Development company which is dedicated to challenge course design, building, and maintenance. In 1991, John achieved certification through the Direct Instructional Support Systems Program to lead facilitation of low and high rope challenge courses. John is the co-developer of experiential education-based curriculum for the Veterinary Leadership Experience and the experiential education-based orientation and facilitation of Washington State University first year veterinary students. He also serves as a small group facilitator at the Veterinary Leadership Experience and is the training manual co-developer.
https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/vli-trek/

TREK FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT-Dr. Kimberly Chappell is a Regional Consulting Veterinarian for Elanco Animal Health. In this role she provides medical and technical consultation for Elanco's US Pet Health veterinary customers and sales team members. Kim received her DVM degree at NC State University. She’s served in private clinical practice, academia, and held roles in the animal health industry (product R&D and sales technical support). Kim is a longtime volunteer for the Veterinary Leadership Institute, serving in various committee roles, and as an active facilitator for the Veterinary Leadership Experience since 2011. She currently serves on the VLI Board of Directors as well as the Program Development and Facilitator Training Committee. Dr. Chappell is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, and uses her voice and skills to encourage wellbeing and leadership development within the veterinary profession. She strives to “nurture and grow the people of our veterinary profession, so that we can do more for animals, people, and the world.”
https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/vli-trek/

TREK FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT-Dr. Chuck Wiedmeyer is currently a Scientific Director of Clinical Pathology at Charles River Labs after 18 years as an assistant/associate professor of clinical pathology at the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine. He attended the Veterinary Leadership Experience in 2008 and he has served as a VLI small group facilitator since 2010 at VLE, VLI Trek, the Connecting Colleagues program and the Veterinary Student Summit. Chuck is also an Advisor to the VLI Board of Directors and head of the Program Development and Facilitator Training Committee. At the Fetch dvm360 Conferences he has acted as a large group facilitator since 2017. He received a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Southern Illinois University in 1988, and a DVM and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign. While at the University of Missouri, he served as a small group facilitator at the Improving Resident and Intern Nontechnical Training (IMPRINT) program from 2010-2015 & 2018 and the Veterinary Enrichment and Team Building (VET) Camp from 2007-2015 & 2018. Dr. Wiedmeyer has completed numerous leadership training programs including the Leading with Integrity Leadership program and Lead with Your Strengths Training program through the Veterinary Leadership Institute and the University of Missouri’s Leadership Development Program. While at Charles River, Dr. Wiedmeyer continues mentoring activities through co-chair of the Early Career Pathologists committee and the American College of Veterinary Pathologist Mentoring program. He has provided several online seminars dedicated to professional development and personal growth, as well as one on one coaching.

The dates are set for our newest program, VLI Trek!
Click here to register. https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/vli-trek/

Facilitator Applications for VLE 2023 went out today. Contact us through the website if you did not receive it and would like to apply. In order to be a facilitator, you must have attended either Trek or VLE and have graduated from vet school.

The VLI board of directors met last weekend to do some strategic planning for the future of the organization. The future is bright! 😎

A little over a week ago, we completed our first Trek Program. After years of planning and preparing, we sent 20 veterinary professionals back into the world equipped with the tools they need to be excellent leaders.