Our Board Members

Dr. Pallavi Oruganti

(she/her/hers) puhl-luh-vee oh-roo-gun-tee

Board Member

Dr. Pallavi Oruganti was born in India and raised in Detroit, Michigan and Dayton, Ohio after her family immigrated to the US. After completing her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at The Ohio State University, she went on to complete a Master of Public Health- Veterinary Public Health also at OSU. Dr. Oruganti received her DVM from The Ohio State University in 2022. During her time as a student, Dr. Oruganti was involved in SAVMA as a House of Delegates Member and the Cultural Outreach Officer on the SAVMA Executive Board. During this time, she served on the newly formed AVMA/AAVMC DEI Commission. Dr. Oruganti was also engaged in global One Health research at Ohio State and is pursuing a career in veterinary epidemiology, public health practice, and policy. Dr. Oruganti was a USDA Saul T. Wilson Scholar and is currently serving as a field Veterinary Medical Officer for USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services in Colorado. Dr. Oruganti is passionate about creating a more inclusive and representative profession and raising student voices in these important conversations. In her free time, Dr. Oruganti enjoys cooking, yoga and meditation, and exploring the outdoor activities in Colorado with her tripod dog, Makalu.

Feliza Lopez, LVT, VTS(ECC)

(she/her/ella) Fuh-Lee-ZAH LOH-PEZ

Board Member

Feliza Lopez is a first generation American born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Ecuadorian immigrant parents. After completing her Bachelors of Science at Mercy College in 2011, she spent a year completing her clinical externships at the Animal Medical Center (AMC) of New York. Feliza obtained her credentials as a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2012 and continued to pursue her interest in specialty medicine. During her time there, she worked in various departments including; Diagnostic Imaging, Internal Medicine, Surgery, and she eventually found her calling in Emergency and Critical Care (ECC). In 2017 she stepped into a leadership role where she mentored students, technicians, interns, and residents. Feliza is the recipient of the AMC’s 2017 “Technician of the Year” award and in 2022 she obtained her Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) credentials in ECC.

Feliza believes no matter where you go in life, it is important to never forget where you came from and to always give back. Because of her roots, she prides herself in the ability to provide culturally competent nursing care; bilingual English and Spanish. And for her, there is nothing more humbling than being able to serve her community as a representative and advocate. This led her to work with Veterinarians International in 2015 on veterinary outreach and sterilization programs in underserved Latin American communities. She currently serves as their Lead Technician and field campaign expert. In 2022, Feliza decided to pursue a new career opportunity at Bond Vet. She is the Medical Education Associate for all Veterinarians and Technicians on the Medical Operations Team. Feliza’s passions include philanthropy, compassionate mentorship and leadership, and she is dedicated to helping develop career pathways for veterinary technicians and in raising vet tech standards and competencies.

Feliza is unafraid to have the uncomfortable conversations regarding Diversity and Inclusion based on her personal experiences, and she looks forward to working with the MCVMA in creating an inclusive and safe space for all BIPOC in veterinary medicine.

Feliza lives in Brooklyn with her loving three-legged cat Agnes and is often on the search for the perfect cup of coffee with her Toy Aussie – The Phoenix.

Pablo Lopez, MBA, MSc

(he/him/his) pah-b-loh loh-pai-z

Board Member

Pablo Lopez is a 20 year veteran of the Animal Health Industry having held roles in Executive Leadership, Operations and Strategy. Pablo holds Undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Northwestern University and a MBA from Louisiana State University.

Pablo has a deep passion for mentorship and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Animal Health Industry. Pablo was born on the Island of Puerto Rico and is a native Spanish speaker. He is currently a resident of Fort Worth, Texas. In his spare time Pablo enjoys Golf, Learning and Family.

Dr. Mari Sato Quicksall

(she/her/hers) muh-ree sah-toh kwik-sawl
Treasurer

Dr. Mari Sato Quicksall comes from a multiracial Japanese and American family. Born in Japan, she moved to the US with her family as a toddler. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University for both her bachelor’s degree in zoology and her veterinary degree. Upon graduating veterinary school in 2011, she began her professional career as a small animal general practitioner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before relocating to the west coast. She currently practices on Bainbridge Island, Washington. In 2020, Dr. Quicksall completed additional coursework to become Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture. Her professional interests include surgery, pain management, and feline medicine.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion has long been a passion for Dr. Quicksall. As a first year veterinary student, she founded the Ohio State chapter of VOICE (now Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment), and later served as national president of VOICE. In support of her other passion, ice hockey, she coached for a group that promotes diversity and inclusion in the sport when she was in Pittsburgh. In 2017, she became a founding board member of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA). Dr. Quicksall currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the MCVMA.

Dr. Karryssa Fenderson

(she/her/hers) kuh-RIH-suh FEN-der-sun
Secretary

Dr. Karryssa Fenderson was born in Long Beach, California to a multicultural Black and White family. She is a first generation college graduate, earning her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Dance from Cornell University in 2014. She went on to graduate as a member of the Phi Zeta Honor Society with her DVM from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2018. As a veterinary student, she was an active member of VOICE and mentored pre-veterinary and high school students interested in the veterinary profession. Karryssa is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, specializing in Canine and Feline Practice. She is pursuing a second specialty in Small Animal Internal Medicine, and is currently an Internal Medicine Specialty Intern at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. Prior to specialty training, she worked as Medical Director and Associate Veterinarian at a small animal general practice in Southern California alongside six other doctors. 

Karryssa has previously served terms on the Board of Trustees for the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA) and on the California VMA House of Delegates. She volunteers to provide veterinary services that increase access to care in local communities. In her spare time, Karryssa dances at a local studio, hikes for the best views, and loves to travel (especially to National Parks – 28 and counting)!

Dr. Christina V. Tran

(she/her/hers) chris-tee-na v. tran
Past President

Dr. Christina V. Tran is a first generation Filipino-American raised outside of Chicago, Illinois. After completing her undergraduate degree at University of California, Davis, Dr. Tran received her veterinary degree from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has spent the majority of her professional career in small animal private practice — as a full-time associate, relief veterinarian, and house call practice owner. In addition, Dr. Tran has worked in shelter medicine and in academia. She served as veterinary technology faculty at Portland Community College and as veterinary technology program director at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Tran is on faculty at University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine as associate professor and Clinical Relations Lead Veterinarian.

Dr. Tran is passionate about volunteering and currently serves in several veterinary medical organizations including the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (president and founding board member), AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee (at-large alternate), Arizona Veterinary Medical Association (Board of Directors), Arizona Veterinary Medical Examining Board (Investigative Committee member), and the AVMA’s Council on Education (site visitor and selection committee). In addition, Dr. Tran and her dog Marley are a registered pet therapy team with Pet Partners.

Dr. Cherese Sullivan

(she/her/hers) shuh-reese
Past President

Dr. Cherese Sullivan graduated from Cornell University in 2010 with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She attended undergraduate at Penn State University, graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Animal Bioscience. She then attended Tuskegee University with a master’s degree in Veterinary Science before going to veterinary school. She has been in Houston, Texas since 2011 and is originally from the Washington, DC area.

Dr. Sullivan has worked in general practice, emergency, and shelter medicine. Her veterinary interests include surgery, neurology, behavior, and exotics.

Since veterinary school, Dr. Sullivan has promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion in veterinary medicine. As a student, she was the first president of National VOICE in addition to being Cornell’s chapter president. She was also a SAVMA delegate and Chair of the Multicultural Student Outreach Committee.

Dr. Sullivan is currently a relief veterinarian in the Greater Houston area. She continues to mentor youth through programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Black MBA Associations Leaders of Tomorrow.

Dr. Cara Williams

(she/her/hers) kair-uh wil-lee-yahms
Board Member, Founder

Dr. Cara Williams was born to a multicultural, Black and White family in Chicago, IL. She earned a B.S. in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and went on to become the first woman doctor in her family, graduating in 2013 from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Williams worked as a mixed animal practitioner in southern Illinois, a relief veterinarian in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a small animal practitioner in the New Jersey suburbs of NYC. She joined the federal government in 2017 as a Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian for the USDA in New Jersey, ensuring the safety of the nation’s food supply. Dr. Williams currently serves as a Veterinary Medical Officer in the CDC regulating the importation of animals that pose a zoonotic threat to the nation’s public health.

While in veterinary school, Dr. Williams served as the president of both the Wisconsin chapter of Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity (VOICE) and of National VOICE. She authored the “Students” chapter of Navigating Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine edited by L. Greenhill et. al., published in 2013. She also was the vice president of the veterinary school’s Public and Global Health Interest Group, earned a Certificate in Global Health, and pursued additional coursework in (human) public health.

Dr. Williams co-founded the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA) in 2014 with Dr. Rachel Cezar-Martínez, established the founding board of directors in 2017, was the first president of MCVMA in 2019, and currently serves as the Executive Director of the association. Her professional interests include zoonotic diseases, foreign animal diseases, and disparities in health outcomes for humans and their animals attributable to institutionalized systems of oppression.

Ashley Neal, CVT

(she/her/hers) Ash-lee
Board Member

Ashley was adopted from an orphanage in Calcutta, India at the age of three months. She grew up in a suburb outside of Minneapolis Minnesota where her passion for animals first developed.

She graduated from Argosy University, Twin Cities Minnesota in 2015 with her Associate of Applied Science emphasis in Veterinary Technology (AAS). Her externship included three months at Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel Island, Fl. Upon completion, she passed the National Veterinary Technician Exam (VTNE) gaining her credentials as a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. She has spent the majority of her professional career as a certified veterinary technician in both small animal corporate practice, emergency critical-care specialty clinics, and academia specializing in anesthesia and pain management. She serves as a relief veterinary technician and continues to seasonally volunteer at the Minnesota Zoo, and Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of St. Paul, Minnesota. In pursuit of her DVM, she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in animal science with an emphasis in pre-veterinary medicine in 2020.

Her professional interests include wildlife conservation, anesthesia and pain management, and livestock management including their humane slaughter, along with animal tissue and carcass evaluation. Her interests have led her to a project as a research technician at the University of Wisconsin Meat Science Animal Biologics Department. She also currently serves as the National Audobon’s Climate Watch Coordinator for the city of Madison and its surrounding areas diligently recording target bird species’ responses to the dynamic climate shifts in the midwest.

Shaelyn St.Onge-Cole, RVT

(she/they) Shay-Lin
Board Member

Shaelyn has been a veterinary technician for over 20 years. Working in private GP clinics, shelter medicine, small animal rescue, specialty, and emergency clinics. For over 10 years she’s had the pleasure to teaching veterinary technicians in the SF Bay Area and working as a relief technician. She is currently the Co-Program Director at Foothill College in Los Altos. Talking about diversity in the field and increasing diversity has become an integral part of her career now. She teaches classes at Foothill for the Vet Tech students about diversity, equity and inclusion, providing spaces for students of color to talk about and share their experiences with classmates. She is devoted to outreach for the field and has been expanding Foothill’s veterinary assisting program to include underrepresented high school students and incarcerated folks. Sitting on the board of the MCVMA is an honor and a privilege, she is so excited to be a part of MCVMA and the amazing work that is being done

Dr. Ashleigh Davis-Bergsohn

(she/her/hers) Ash-lee Day-vis Burg-son
Board Member

Dr. Ashleigh Davis-Bergsohn was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri to an African-American father and a Caucasian mother. After completing her undergraduate degree in Biology and Society at Cornell University in 2008, she spent a year researching in the Comparative Orthopedics Lab at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Davis received her DVM from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 and continued to pursue her passion for equine medicine and surgery as an intern at Reid and Associates in Wellington, FL. After her intern year, she married and moved with her husband and their 3 cats to New Jersey where she worked as an equine ambulatory practitioner. For the past 5 years, she has been living in Goshen, New York working for the New York State Gaming Commission as the Supervising Veterinarian at Monticello Raceway. Dr. Davis had the opportunity to attend the Chi Institute in Florida in 2018 and become a CVA (Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist). In the summer of 2020, Dr. Davis opened her own practice called Integrative Veterinary Services, providing acupuncture, herbal therapies, wellness and equine dentistry for her patients. Dr. Davis is very interested in exploring how to increase diversity and inclusion in our profession and in helping our students and affiliated organizations gain the tools and resources to do so as well. When she’s not working, Dr. Davis loves hiking and spending time outside with her husband and two small children, horseback riding, dancing, and listening to music.

Roxanne Sanchez, CVT

(she/her/hers) Rok-san San-chez
Board Member

Roxanne was born and raised in the Midwest. She received her certified veterinary technician license in the state of Illinois in 2014 and now holds a license in the state of Wisconsin as well. She practices mostly in small animal emergency and critical care but has also worked in general practice, shelter medicine and academia. She has been in veterinary medicine since she was 17 years old! Currently, she is a Senior Laboratory Coordinator at Madison College in the Veterinary Technician program.
Roxanne is a first-generation Laotian/Vietnamese American. She is currently attending the University of Tennessee at Martin to finish her undergraduate degree. This is Roxanne’s first time serving on a committee. As a young professional, she hopes to create a safe place for other BIPOC individuals to gather and find comfort. She is supported by her husband, their two children, and their two dogs.
“I want to be the reason people stay in the field, not the reason they want to leave.”

Melody Martínez, CVT

(she/her/ella) meh-loh-thee mar-tee-nes
President

Melody Martínez is a Certified Veterinary Technician and the first generation daughter of Afro-Caribbean, working-class immigrants from the Dominican Republic. She grew up in Massachusetts and began her veterinary career in 2007. Melody has worked in small animal general practice, emergency and critical care, and as a Senior Animal Caregiver at Farm Sanctuary, where she oversaw the medical care and husbandry needs of 800 rescued farmed animal residents at their New York shelter.

In 2015, she pivoted to a career in nonprofit management, community organizing, and fundraising with organizations dedicated to racial and economic justice. Melody currently works as a racial equity and organizational change management consultant at Acorde Consulting. She provides organizations with training, assessments, and executive coaching to advance their diversity, racial equity, and inclusion efforts. She helps teams create the healthier internal climate that is necessary for truly powerful work to take place.  As a result of her work, many of her clients have made meaningful culture shifts and have become more values-aligned.

Melody continues her work in veterinary medicine as a relief technician. She volunteers regularly by mentoring K-12 students interested in veterinary medicine, and by providing medical support at animal sanctuaries and organizations that increase access to veterinary care for people experiencing poverty or homelessness with animals.

Dr. Sohaila Jafarian

(she/her/hers) So-hey-la Jafarian
Board Member

Dr. Sohaila Jafarian is a first-generation Iranian who grew up in Dallas, Texas. She completed her DVM and MPH at Kansas State University in 2018. During her MPH project she developed a passion for community-based healthcare and realized the lack of community-based interventions in veterinary medicine. After graduation, she went on to a rotating internship with VCA in Albuquerque, NM, gaining valuable clinical experience in emergency, surgery, and internal medicine. After her rotating internship, she had the opportunity to work at the University of Pennsylvania as a Community Medicine Intern. Not only was this an invaluable experience to see the positive impact of veterinary community medicine in action, but also introduced Dr. Jafarian to the field of veterinary social work as another viable avenue to improve collective human and animal welfare. She lives in New Mexico and is working as a relief veterinarian. Beyond her clinical work, she is the Continuing Education Committee Chair for Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association and also a member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ DEI Task Force.

Dr. Jafarian has always been passionate about diversity, equality, and inclusion, viewing them as public health issues of the utmost importance. She is also deeply passionate about combating implicit bias and discrimination within the veterinary community as well as towards communities of pet owners that have been historically discriminated against.

Sharnette Lewis, RVT

(she/her/hers) shaar-net loo-uhs
Board Member

Sharnette currently works as program manager for the VIN Foundation. She was born in Southern California, but was raised across the United States and Western Europe. She currently resides in Virginia. While completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Sharnette volunteered at a small mixed animal practice in Washington DC. After graduation, Sharnette began working as a caregiver at Animal Place Sanctuary and then Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary. While still living in California, Sharnette went back to veterinary medicine and once eligible through the alternative-route veterinary technician program, she worked as a registered veterinary technician in an exotic and small animal clinic. Although Sharnette’s career focus is making veterinary medicine a healthier and more inclusive profession, she still works relief at an emergency and referral veterinary hospital, as well as volunteering at the local animal shelter.

Sharnette shares her home with a 15-year-old jack russell and a 9-year-old cavalier king charles spaniel mix.

Dr. Jamila Cherry

Board Member

Jamila Cherry is a veterinarian, community advocate, and free lance artist. She brings compassion, creativity, and advocacy to her work.

A self-taught artist, Jamila has been painting for the public since 2005. Her work has been featured in galleries, restaurants, venues to support breast cancer as well as scholarship funds. Her work explores themes of identity and authenticity, often considering the ways individuals are allowed or constrained from showing up as their whole selves.

Jamila has been involved in diversity work through high school, college, and graduate studies. As a sophomore student Jamila was awarded a leadership in diversity grant which she used to fund Full Spectrum Veterinary Alliance, a student support group meant to foster diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine. In 2014, Jamila graduated from the University of Florida where she received her doctorate in veterinary medicine. She then went on to a Small Animal Internal Medicine and Surgery Internship. She practiced emergency medicine at the San Francisco SPCA which strengthened her commitment to working with marginalized families. Jamila is looking forward to serving the MCVMA and hopes to promote cultural competency within the profession to better serve our community members.

Dr. Cherice Roth

(she/her) shur-reese rawth
Board Member

Dr. Cherice Roth is a graduate of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. Before veterinary school, she earned a Master’s Degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Biochemistry. She spent time perfecting her exotic animal medicine and surgical knowledge in Australia, and upon returning to the U.S., mentored and guided veterinary assistants and DVMs in her home hospitals. She has held many roles within veterinary medicine from associate DVM, Medical Operations Support Manager all the way to Chief Veterinary Officer. Dr. Roth has done clinical, industry and administrative work within Veterinary Medicine. She was one of the developers of the RACE approved Virtual Care University as well as MyPetDoc. Dr. Roth has remained on the cutting edge of perfecting virtual veterinary care. She is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Fuzzy Pet Health. She believes that veterinary virtual care is the answer for health disparities in pets as well as part of the answer to psychological health issues of veterinary professionals. Outside of work, you can find her in the woods of Oregon with her many, many “Roth Ranch” animals, her sons (The Rothlings), and husband, or serving on the medical board for several boxer, Doberman and dachshund charitable organizations.

Erika Lin-Hendel, VMD, PhD

(they/them/theirs) air-i-kuh
Board Member

Erika is a proud multi-cultural AAPI veterinarian in Arizona. They graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program in 2016 after which they consulted in the swine industry before returning to small animal medicine to create more space for pursuing their social justice advocacy work. Dr. Lin-Hendel’s passions are centered on BIPOC LGBTQIA advocacy and educational and occupational equity from the lens of neurodiversity. They currently serve as a board member of Des Moines Pride Center, Tri-Chair of Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition, Chair of the Student Support and Mentorship Committee for NOMV, and co-lead the Gender Identity subcommittee of PrideVMC’s DEI committee. They are a co-author of the Gender Identity Bill of Rights with Dr. Ewan Wolff and Dr. Jenna Ward published by PrideVMC.