Western Region

UC-Davis, Western, Washington State, Colorado State, Oregon State

Mariah Woodbury, Washington State University

Mariah completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at the University of Idaho, and is currently a first year veterinary student at Washington State University. She is interested in international veterinary medicine with an appreciation for a variety of species. She hopes to work in a mixed animal practice with plans for travel including adventures to Africa and Europe. In the past she has interned at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and worked in a local small animal clinic, but recently developed a fondness for dairy cows. Outside of school, Mariah enjoys outdoor activities including running, hiking, and camping, interspersed with the occasional domestic activities of knitting scarves and baking pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies. She looks forward to being the regional leader for the West Coast and is excited to delve into the endless opportunities that VBMA has to offer!

North Central Region

Minnesota, Iowa State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State

Julie Peterson, University of Minnesota

Julie is originally from San Diego, CA. She earned her B.S. in Zoology from Humboldt State University. Julie is currently a second year of veterinary school at the University of Minnesota. She enjoys spending time with her 13yr old Chow mix, Tiger, and her recently adopted a 3-year-old Dalmatian, Penny.
Before starting veterinary school Julie worked as the office manager of a small animal clinic, which sparked her interest in business education. She saw, first hand, how important business knowledge is, along with medical knowledge, to be a successful practitioner. Julie is very excited to have the opportunity to help others develop their business skills and looks forward to helping improve business skills in veterinary medicine.
Julie is currently planning to practice small animal medicine with a little bit of zoo/exotic/wildlife medicine mixed in. She is also interested in owning her own practice.
In her spare time she enjoys attending musicals, watching movies, eating out with friends, reading, traveling and enjoying the outdoors. She looks forward to serving as the 2012 North Central Regional Leader!

South Central Region

Kansas State, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M

Tammy Oseid, University of Minnesota

Tammy is eager to serve the South Central Region over the next year! Tammy grew up in Minnesota and worked first as a newspaper journalist and then as a freelance writer/editor before veterinary school. She’s currently in her second year at the University of Minnesota, where she is pursuing a joint DVM/MPH degree. Last summer, she attended VLE, worked for the USDA, and finished most of her remaining MPH coursework. She is tracking mixed and currently lives on a small hobby farm. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends and spending time with her two horses, three cats and one dog. As your regional leader, Tammy is committed to enhancing communication and helping your great clubs become even more successful.

Northeast Region

Cornell, Tufts, Pennsylvania, Ohio State

Brandi Bayliff, Western University of Health Sciences

Brandi is excited to continue being involved in the VBMA as a Regional Leader for the Northeast region! She is a member of the 2013 class at Western University of Health Sciences, CVM in Southern California. During her second year, she was the Western University VBMA Chapter President, Treasurer for SC-AAHA and SC-AAFP, and the Royal Canin Student Representative. She was also the SCAVMA Events Committee chair and a member of the Josh Project Committee for two years. She is a Student Representative for the California VMA RVT Committee, and participated in a HSVMA Rural Animal Services trip in North Dakota this summer.
Prior to veterinary school, Brandi worked as a veterinary technician for over eleven years in two small animal practices in the Salt Lake Valley. At her second practice, she was promoted to Lead Veterinary Technician, where she managed both the inventory system and a technical staff of fifteen. She earned her BS in Biology (Business and Chemistry minors) from the University of Utah, and plans to own a progressive, AAHA-accredited, small animal practice. Her interests lie in relationship-centered care, nutrition, and oncology. Brandi shares her life with her husband Todd, Jules (Great Dane), Clark W. Griswald (DSH Tabby), and Rupert (Siamese mix). Yoga and gardening help keep her sane.

Mid-Atlantic Region

North Carolina State, Virginia-Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia

Nikki Laia, University of Tennessee

Nikki is in her first year at the University of Tennessee. She is from California, where she earned a BS in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She wants to practice small animal medicine, and possibly specialize in internal medicine. She is excited about supplementing her education with the business skills she will gain in VBMA and helping others become more business savvy as well. When she has free time, Nikki enjoys cooking, playing with her dog Tonka, wine tasting, reading, and snowboarding. She is looking forward to the opportunity to meet and learn from veterinary students from other schools, while contributing to the National VBMA as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader.

Southern Region

Florida, Louisiana State, Mississippi State, Tuskegee, Auburn

Kate Kirby, Auburn University

Kate is thrilled to serve as a regional leader for the southern CVM’s! She is currently a second year at Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine and is just so happy to be there. She grew up in Houston, TX, and went to undergrad at Texas Tech, but moved to Kentucky in 2005 for a career as a Catering Sales Executive. While she was successful and enjoyed the position and the country club she worked for, she knew there was something missing in her life. She decided to pursue her lifelong dream as a veterinarian and has yet to look back with even the slightest of regrets! She loves being involved in several clubs on campus: AASRP, Shelter Vets, SAVMA, Sports medicine, AAHA, and working at the Equine ICU. But VBMA holds her heart. She is passionate not only in medicine, but in practice management, and hopes to own my own clinic in the coming years. She considers herself lucky for all the experienced she has encountered that has brought her to this place and look forward to the coming year!