Our VCA family, together with Mars Veterinary Health, is recognizing Black History Month across the U.S. and Canada. We have a responsibility to ensure our Associates are valued, respected, and encouraged to be their unique selves.
Just as important as celebrating our differences and embracing them is knowing the role business plays in driving systemic change. We need to act together to create the world we want to see.
At VCA, our commitment also extends through our five Associate-led Diversity Resource Groups: AAmbition, LatinX - Stronger Together, Pride, Women Impacting Success for Everyone (WISE), and APIDA Community Empowerment (ACE). These groups support building inclusive environments, activating workplace allies, and developing diverse leaders. All VCA Associates are invited to join.
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.
Dr. Iverson C. Bell was born in northeast Texas in 1916 and after graduating high school, began his undergraduate education at Kansas State University. He left KSU to serve in the US Army during World War II and returned from war to complete his education at Wayne State University in Detroit. In 1949, using his GI bill benefits, Bell earned his DVM from Michigan State University. After graduation, Dr. Bell went on to be a founding professor of Small Animal Medicine at Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. After relocating to Indiana to start a family, Dr. Bell built a private veterinary practice which would thrive for 35 years under his management. Dr. Bell was very active in veterinary leadership, political and social justice organizations. He held several positions within the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association and served with honor as the Vice President of the AVMA from 1971-1973. Dr. Bell valued education, working as a mentor to countless future veterinarians and helping to found the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. He held a vast array political leadership positions including those for fair housing and criminal justice, and was honored with an ambassadorship to Nigeria by President John F. Kennedy. Throughout his life, Dr. Bell worked hard to combat the discrimination of his era, serving as chairman of the executive board his local chapter of the NAACP. In recognition of his accomplishments as a veterinarian and champion of the marginalized, a biannual Iverson Bell Symposium is held by the AAVMC, honoring and continuing his commitment to diversity within veterinary medicine.
August Nathaniel Lushington became the first African American to earn Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (V.M.D.) at the University of Pennsylvania in 1897. He was born August 1, 1869 in the south Caribbean on the island of Trinidad. In 1894, Dr. Lushington graduated from Cornell University with a degree in agriculture and went on to the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school where he graduated in three years. Augustus practiced mostly as a veterinarian treating farm animals. He did most of his work out of Lynchburg, Virginia, where he would walk miles to treat sick animals in farm country. He took a break from his practice with a teaching job in veterinary sanitation at Bell Mead Industrial and Agricultural College in Rock Castle, Virginia but decided to return to his veterinary practice. Finding that there was only one other veterinarian in Lynchburg, Lushington opened his practice there. Lushington treated cows, horses, and other livestock, often walking for miles through the woods from Lynchburg to reach the farms where his services were needed. White farmers often availed themselves of his services but then refused to pay him—and in the repressive atmosphere of the South in the early 1900s, Lushington had neither the option of taking legal action nor even the practical right to refuse services to deadbeats. Despite Dr. Lushington's unfair treatment in Lynchburg, Virginia, he finally earned a reputation as a superior practitioner in the community.
Founder of Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine
Named after the famed journalist and anti-slavery leader, Dr. Patterson was born in 1901 and was raised by his older sister after being orphaned at age two. Overcoming hardship, he went on to attend Iowa State College, where in 1923 he earned his DVM. His academic career also included earning a Master of Science from Iowa State and a second doctorate degree from Cornell University. Dr. Patterson began teaching at Tuskegee University in 1928 and in 1944 he founded the Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine, which to this day has graduated an estimated 75% of African American veterinarians. Among his many accomplishments was the founding of the United Negro College Fund, which today remains a major financial supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 1987, Dr. Patterson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan. Dr. Patterson has an extensive list of accomplishments in his life; please click the link below to learn more about this pioneer in veterinary medicine.
Dr. Earl H. Rippie, Jr. graduated from Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine in 1967. Dr. Rippie built a successful 45-year career as veterinarian, owner, and director of the Pennsauken Animal Hospital in New Jersey. During his career as a veterinarian, Dr. Rippie served as President of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and served 9 years as a delegate for the AVMA. In 1999, Dr. Rippie was elected president of the North American Veterinary Association where he went on to serve as secretary-treasurer for 13 years. Among his many accomplishments and contributions to veterinary medicine, he was a founding member of the Latin American Veterinary Association. Dr. Rippie was posthumously honored for his contribution to veterinary medicine at the opening ceremony of this year’s NAVC Conference.
Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb was born in 1923 in Mobile, Alabama. After completing a bachelor of science degree at the Tuskegee Institute (now University) she attended the Tuskegee Institute College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1949, Dr. Johnson Webb graduated as the first African American woman to graduate from veterinary school, becoming the first African American woman licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the US. Dr. Johnson Webb remained at the Tuskegee Institute where she taught anatomy until 1959, completing her tenure at there as an Associate Professor. She then served as a professor of biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T) from 1959-1978. During her time at NC A&T, she was a member of the planning committee which founded the School of Veterinary Medicine of North Carolina State University. Dr. Johnson Webb went on to serve as a legislator, holding several positions within the Democratic Party of North Carolina. In 1971, she became the first African American woman in the North Carolina General Assembly, serving on many committees including serving as the Chairperson of Minority Affairs, president of the Democratic Women of NC, and a member of the NC Council on Sickle Cell Syndrome. We honor Dr. Johnson Webb as a pioneer in our field and a champion of justice and democracy.
Treasury Manager
Kim Berry worked for VCA from 1997 through 2000. Back when there was only the Accounting department. VCA was a growing business with about 180 animal hospitals and each accountant had about 25 animal hospitals for which they did the entire accounting cycle. Kim returned to VCA in 2015 after accepting the role of corporate accounting supervisor. Overseeing the accounting and reporting for 401k, health insurance, worker’s compensation and general liability insurance for VCA, Antech, Camp Bow Wow and Sound, was the largest of the many duties of the position. While in this role, Kim grew personally and professionally, learning new things and mentoring staff. After five years in the CAS role, Kim was promoted to another exciting position as Treasury Manager.
Regional Operations Director
Maya Davis hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. She aspired to be a leader and advocate for people who needed a voice. This led to her exploration of different work fields until her best friend at the time recommended a job as a receptionist at a veterinary hospital. Maya eventually found her way to VCA Animal Hospitals and has had the pleasure of joining several teams throughout the Bay Area in different roles such as area manager I, area manager II, and finally as a regional operations director in Northern California, NC02 Region. Maya's last seven years with VCA have been some of the most fulfilling, rewarding experiences due to her colleagues and hospital teams. She looks forward to many more years!
Medical Operations Lead, Urgent Care Hospitals
Dr. Timbrala Marshall has worked as a veterinarian in the Atlanta area for over 10 years. She joined VCA as an associate veterinarian in 2014 and became medical director at VCA Terrell Mill Animal Hospital in Marietta, Georgia in 2017. In 2021, Dr. Marshall served as the first director of veterinary equity inclusion and diversity programs for VCA. She is currently the medical operations lead for VCA Urgent Care Hospitals. In this medical leadership role, she focuses on supporting the expansion of VCA’s Urgent Care Hospitals and shaping how medicine is practiced across current and upcoming VCA Urgent Care Hospitals..
Vice President of Payroll
Amber McMullan joined VCA Animal Hospitals approximately two years ago. She brings over 20 years of leadership and payroll systems experience to her role as vice president of payroll. In this role, she is responsible for all components of the payroll function, which include leading and providing guidance to our diverse payroll team.
Amber holds an MBA, is a member of the American Payroll Association (APA), and is a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP). She recently completed Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in management and leadership from Pepperdine University.
