Meet the VIC Board of Directors

Douglas G. Aspros, DVM is the Chief Veterinary Officer for Veterinary Practice Partners, where they work to enhance the value of veterinary ownership to the profession and the public.

As a companion animal veterinarian, Dr. Aspros has been an owner of two AAHA-accredited practices and the managing partner of an ER in New York.

Dr. Aspros served as the 2012-13 President of AVMA and is a Past-President of the NYSVMS. He has worked on behalf of the profession in diverse leadership roles in education, public health, nutrition, licensure and credentialing and risk management.

He has been a determined voice for diversity and in promoting women into leadership roles in veterinary medicine including practice ownership, and is a founding board member of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Diversity Initiative (WVLDI).

Dr. Jules Benson is a strategic industry leader focused on ways technology and data can transform the veterinary profession and the lives of animals. He is a 2004 graduate of the University of Liverpool’s School of Veterinary Medicine, a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and practiced clinically in the Philadelphia area before transitioning to roles within the animal health industry. Jules brings his experience in marketing, start-ups, and data insights to his role as Nationwide’s Chief Veterinary Officer. He has been active in conservation efforts in Africa and shares his home in Costa Mesa, CA with his wife (Melissa), four cats (Jethro, Wes, Jackie, and Biggs), dog (Bean), and seven bicycles.

Since 2011, Christine has been with VCA Inc and currently serves as the Director of Specialty Technicians in Medical Operations.

Clinically, Chris has been dedicated to veterinary surgical and critical care medicine for over 25 years and has a strong interest in emergent anesthesia & dynamic patient care. In 2003, she attained board specialization with the Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists, followed by the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians and Nurses in 2007.

It became apparent to her that medical expertise in specialty and emergency medicine disciplines is essential to global care of the patient. With the many layers of care needed, Chris believes the future sustainability of veterinary medicine hinges on leveraging highly skilled nursing staff. Learning from both essential successes and challenges in human nursing, she has a focus on aptitude, engagement and systems of quality to ensure safe and reliable outcomes.

Outside of the hospital, she speaks with the industry and technicians on the future of the profession, is an instructor with the Midmark Animal Health AMTEN network and enjoys publishing and lecturing both domestic and internationally. She has served with various boards including the AVTAA, AVECCTN and the IVAPM. When called Chris is dedicated to supporting disaster operations and working dog activities.

Dr. Camille DeClementi oversees the ASPA Animal Hospital (AAH) which focuses on increasing access to veterinary care in three critical ways: Direct Care, Teaching and Research. AAH provides expert, urgent medical care to some of NYC’s most vulnerable animals. As a component of the NYC safety net system, we provide subsidized care for animals whose owners are experiencing financial challenges and could not otherwise afford medical care for their pet. We also provide medical care for animals who come to us through our internal partners, including victims of cruelty and neglect as part of our partnership with the NYPD. In AAH’s direct care work, we develop and use less costly, yet effective protocols to address common medical conditions with good prognoses in the patients we serve. In our teaching programs, we influence the next generation of veterinarians by teaching our access to care philosophies and techniques to our veterinary interns, fellows, and externs. And in our research work, we test treatment protocols to identify effective, lower-cost options to common conditions and share our findings with the broader veterinary community to influence others to provide greater access to care. Dr. DeClementi received her BS in Biology from Lebanon Valley College of Pennsylvania, and her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She practiced emergency and general medicine in Pittsburgh and Tennessee before joining the ASPCA Animal Poison Control in 1999. Dr. DeClementi became a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology in 2006 and the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology in 2007 and is a Certified Veterinary Journalist. She has spoken on various clinical veterinary toxicology issues and has authored several peer-viewed articles and book chapters. Dr. DeClementi is a past co-owner of the Animal Emergency Clinic in Champaign, IL.

Jason is a proven leader who focuses his energy on igniting the veterinary space to envision the bold future we can create together. He is most satisfied creating platforms that perpetually give back to people and animals. Period. Passionate, credible, internationally recognized leader with 17+ years of leading change with within the veterinary space he was the co-founder/Vice President & Dean of LMU-College of Veterinary medicine, the 30th college of veterinary medicine in the USA, founder of the Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia, among other initiatives. His career has found him as a boarded veterinarian, private practitioner, practice owner, professor, VP & Dean, consultant, researcher, multiple board member & serial founder. Recognized in veterinary cosmos most notably as a visionary innovator, collaborator, expert communicator and team builder, and change agent. Skilled at inspiring teams toward a shared vision and a preferred future driven by sound business decisions and incessant evaluation of metrics. He has conducted international veterinary work across 7 countries and believes it is our distinct privilege and responsibility to elevate animal health around the globe.

Dr. Lester is a graduate of Oregon State and Washington State Universities, and a graduate of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Leadership Academy.

He spent his early career as a small town mixed animal practice owner before joining the founding leadership team at Banfield Pet Hospital. At Banfield he held positions in medicine, operations, franchising, human resources and professional relations. After a rewarding twenty-year career at Banfield/Mars Inc. he left as Vice President of Professional Relations. He spent the last four years on the founding team at the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine where he served as Assistant Dean. He continues to lead the LMU-CVM practice management course. Dr. Lester and colleagues most recently founded founded WellHaven Pet Health, a veterinary lead group practice that empowers veterinary leaders through personal and professional development. WellHaven Pet Health both buys and builds quality companion animal primary care practices.

In addition Dr. Lester serves on a variety of professional, university, and college committees, boards and task forces including as a two time gubernatorial appointee to the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board which he chaired from 2013- 2015, a state delegate to the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, a site team member for the Council on Education, consultant for Guidepoint Global, board member and Treasurer at Pet Peace of Mind a non-profit which keeps hospice patients together with their pets through end of life, and a board member for the North American Veterinary Community.

His family includes his wife Crystal, two daughters McKenzie and Paige, and two Yorkie’s Jessie and Woody.

Dr. Rustin M. Moore, the Ruth Stanton Chair in Veterinary Medicine, became the 11th dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine on Sept. 1, 2015.

A two-time graduate of the college, Dr. Moore has served Ohio State as chair of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, executive director of the Veterinary Medical Center, associate dean for Clinical and Outreach Programs, and associate executive dean.

He has taught at all levels of the undergraduate, professional and graduate curricula, both at Ohio State and at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he served on the LSU faculty from 1994 to 2006. He has served as an advisor, co-advisor or committee member for 21 doctoral or master’s students, as well as the clinical advisor for more than 25 interns and residents.

His clinical interests include equine lameness, surgery and colic and its associated complications, and his research has led to his being a principal or co-investigator on approximately 120 funded grants. In addition, he has authored or co-authored more than 15 book chapters, and his work has been published in over 120 peer- or editor-reviewed manuscripts and 175 scientific abstracts. His service on editor reviewed boards includes the journal Veterinary Surgery, and he has served as a manuscript reviewer for several additional prestigious journals. He has been a frequently invited speaker at national and international equine veterinary clinical, research and educational symposia. Today, he speaks regularly about the Human-Animal Bond and the Power of a Pet (zooeyia), the importance of Diversity and Inclusion, and the topic of One Health.

In addition to extensive and substantial service to his department, college and the university, Dr. Moore has contributed wide-ranging service and outreach efforts to his discipline, to the community and beyond. For example, while at LSU, he assumed emergency leadership of a large-scale rescue effort of nearly 500 horses and other animals during the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A national leader, he has served as president of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians, on the board of directors of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, on the board of regents of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and as an equine health advisory board member for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, among others. He currently serves as the dean representative on The Ohio State University Foundation Board, member of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Wildlife Center, member of the Board of Directors for the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, and an appointed member of the Ohio State Racing Commission Medication Committee.

In addition, among his numerous awards, he received the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Faculty, and the LSU University’s Distinguished Scholar Award. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot in 2013 and was inducted into the West Virginia University’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2015. He received the Jack Judy Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians in 2017.

A native of Spencer, WV, he earned a BS degree, summa cum laude, from the West Virginia University; a DVM, summa cum laude, and a PhD from The Ohio State University. In addition, he is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.