Meet the Team

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Heather Prendergast, RVT, CVPM, SPHR

  Board-President

  

  Heather Prendergast, RVT, CVPM, SPHR:

   

  Heather has spent over 30 years in the veterinary industry, with 20 years in small animal practice. She has authored the book “Practice Management for the Veterinary Team, now in its 4th edition which was released in March 2024. Heather has also authored the book “Review Questions and Answers for Veterinary Technicians” that are preparing to sit for the VTNE, now in its 6th edition.

  Heather is the founder of Synergie Veterinary Consulting Group, a team composed of CVPMs, Credentialed Veterinary Technicians, Veterinarians, and a graphics designer that focus on developing leadership and culture in practices while employing appropriate team leveraging to increase efficiency and enhance the ‘flow of services’.
  
  When she is not lecturing, writing, or consulting, she instructs Practice Management courses with Appalachian State University Veterinary Technology Program, volunteers for industry organizations such as NAVTA, VHMA, and VetPartners, and is the current President of the Viticus Group (formally known as WVC).

• Travis McDermott, DVM

  President-Elect

  

  Travis McDermott, DVM
  
  Dr. Travis McDermott was born in Galveston, Texas, and grew up in a small, rural town called La Grange, Texas. He obtained both his undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. After receiving his veterinary degree in 2006, Dr. McDermott moved to Las Vegas and has been practicing small animal medicine since that time with a passion for three things: providing the best possible care for his patients, contributing to his profession by involvement in organized veterinary medicine, and enjoying time with his wife and three children.
  
  Dr. McDermott has worked for over 16 years providing care to the pets of Las Vegas (including furry things, scaling things, and feathered things).  He has also been actively involved in providing pet owner education through social media, community outreach, and work with local news outlets. While he has been practicing for quite a while, Dr. McDermott has been involved with organized veterinary medicine for even longer – 2 decades.  He has served as President of the Student AVMA and the Nevada VMA as well as in the AVMA House of Delegates, on the AVMA Political Action Committee, and now as a member of the Viticus Group Board of Directors.  If all things veterinary medicine is his passion, everything else in his life is his family.  Dr. McDermott is married to Dr. Nasim McDermott, a board-certified gastroenterologist, and they share their life with their three children – Owen, Aiden, and Emma.

• Brian Darrow, DVM

  Vice-President

  

  Brian Darrow, DVM

  Brian Darrow is a mixed animal practitioner from Anamosa, Iowa. He established the Anamosa Veterinary Clinic in 1984, and it has now grown to a 10-doctor practice. 
  
  Brian has served as an Anamosa City Council member, an Anamosa School Board member, and numerous economic developmental roles. In 2012, he started the Sharon Live on Foundation, which has the mission to eradicate rabies in Kenya, and continues to serve as the foundation President. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Citizens Savings Bank in Anamosa, and is an affiliated faculty member of Iowa State University. 
  
  His memberships include AVMA, IVMA, AABP, Academy of Veterinary Consultants, and American Embyro Transfer Association. He has received the Rotary International Award, the Iowa Veterinary Associations Presidents Award, the Iowa State Alumni Merit Award, and has been inducted into the Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa Business Hall of Fame. 

  Brian has considered it a privilege to serve on the Viticus Group Board of Directors for the past five years. He credits the WVC conference and skills he has acquired at the Oquendo Center for where his practice is today. It would be an honor for your consideration as he runs for Vice President of the Board of Directors, and he is truly excited to see this organization continue to grow and support our industry.

• E. David Stearns, RVT

  Secretary/Treasurer - Parliamentarian

  

  Mr. David Stearns is currently the general manager for VitalRads, a Houston-based teleradiology company. Mr. Stearns’s experience includes many years of sales and marketing leadership for industry-leading companies in diagnostics and animal health, as well as teaching in an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program. He worked as an RVT in a mixed animal practice and as the hospital administrator of a small animal practice. Mr. Stearns was part of the founding group of NAVTA and is the past-president of the Oklahoma and Kansas Veterinary Technician Associations. He has lectured and authored several articles including a chapter in the Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians. He has served on the AVMA’s CVTEA and chaired the National Board Exam Committee. Mr. Stearns served as the veterinary technician director on the Board of Directors for a five-year term and is currently serving as the secretary-treasurer for WVC.

• Mrs. Linda Markland, RVT

  Director

  

  Linda Markland, RVT, has been a member of the veterinary community for more than 40 years. Her work includes a diverse range of experience, from small animal clinical practice and teaching, to corporate management. She has a special interest in engaging, educating, and empowering veterinary nurses and technicians. She is an active member of veterinary nurse/technician related organizations and has served in many leadership roles including NAVTA, as the Global Outreach Chair and on the CE Committee. Linda has received many awards from the organizations she supports.

• Megan Skeffington, DVM

  Director

  

  Dr. Megan Skeffington is a Professional Services Veterinarian for IDEXX, Laboratories. For almost 15 years she practiced as an associate veterinarian for both private and corporate hospitals, as well as a Chief is Staff. She loves all aspects of veterinary medicine and has a special interest in diagnostics, soft tissue surgery, and endocrinology. She is very passionate about the human-animal bond and making sure that pets are healthy, happy members of the family for as long as possible. Dr. Skeffington has worked in several capacities of the veterinary profession, including mentoring new veterinary graduates, developing critical skills and has been a speaker and advocate for veterinary communication. She has spoken at WVC Annual Meeting and Recent Graduate Symposium and has worked to develop the new Clinical Skills Training continuing education course at WVC.Dr. Skeffington was born and raised in Eastern Iowa where her veterinary career started at the age of 11, riding along on farm calls and working in the kennels. She attended Iowa State University, where she obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. She and her husband moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Upstate New York in 2010, where they enjoy traveling, hiking and camping with their two Brittany Spaniels.

• Miguel Ortiz, DVM, MID, DACVPM

  Director

  

  Dr. Miguel Ortiz, DVM, MID, ACVPM

  Hello!

  I am Dr. Miguel Ortiz, a small animal veterinarian from Pittsburgh, and am running for Vice President of the Viticus Group's Board of Directors. I have a solid academic foundation and diverse real-world experiences and am an excellent choice for this leadership role.

  I graduated from the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, hold a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Pittsburgh, and am board certified by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. I have practiced in small animal clinics, non-profit shelters, and mobile and telehealth practices in Washington and Pennsylvania.

   I am deeply moved by the transformative power of the human-animal bond. I am a committed volunteer for the Street Dog Coalition of Pittsburgh, an active member of the Pawsibilities Vet Med network, and I portray “Morph Mouse” for the League of VetaHumanz at Purdue. 

  As veterinary professionals, we celebrate a child's first kitten one day and respond to a food security crisis or a global pandemic the next. We are vital to the wellbeing of all communities and rise to this challenge through tenacity, innovation, and unending curiosity.  The vibrant learning community nurtured by the Wester Veterinary Conference is invaluable in this work. I am grateful for all that I have learned at WVC over the years and the lifelong friendships that I have found here. Your support in my campaign for the Vice Presidency would be an honor.