Elizabeth “Betsy” Charles, DVM, MA combines a wide variety of professional experiences with her love of veterinary medicine in order to help others be the best they can be. She believes we all have the capacity to be exceptional people of influence by learning the skills sets necessary to become effective communicators, relationship builders and boundary setters. After completing an internship in equine referral practice, Charles spent a year in ambulatory practice followed by six years in performance horse practice where she was the director of her practice’s imaging center. She completed an alternative track residency program in diagnostic imaging while also serving as a member of the faculty at Western University of Health Sciences where she taught until 2017. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Washington State University for several years.

Charles holds a master’s degree in Organization Leadership and pairs that expertise with veterinary medicine to help veterinary professionals understand how emotionally intelligent servant leaders can facilitate the development of high functioning organizations. Her master’s thesis dealt with implementing change initiatives within veterinary practice. She is passionate about helping others understand that change, whether personal or professional, can be difficult but is necessary and exciting. She also believes that veterinary medicine in the 21^st century requires new leadership models and strategies in order to thrive. She has presented on leadership topics at the state and national level in numerous venues including over half of the veterinary colleges in the U.S., numerous state VMA’s, the AAEP national convention, NAVC, and the AVMA-VLC. She has served on the AVMA’s Council on Communication, the AAEP’s Leadership Development Committee and was a long time member of AAEP’s Student Programs Task Force.

Currently, Charles is the Executive Director of the Veterinary Leadership Institute. She is also developing an online radiology training opportunity for veterinary students, new graduates and veterinary technicians called Radiology Rules. When she takes a break from trying to make a positive difference for the profession, she enjoys having meaningful and authentic conversation with all who cross her path, developing young entrepreneurs as they pursue their passions, riding her horse Lenny, reading, and hiking with her red heeler, Sadie.