Medical Advisory Board
What is the Lakefield Medical Advisory Board?
The Lakefield Medical Advisory Board is a dedicated group of experienced veterinarians and certified veterinary technicians from across the Lakefield network. Formed with the goal of strengthening collaboration and communication among our clinics, this board serves as a vital resource to ensure the highest standards of veterinary care throughout our organization. Together, we are committed to building a stronger, more connected medical community—one that reflects our shared passion for excellence in veterinary medicine.
Who serves on the board?
Crystal Warming, DVM
Dr. Warming is the Medical Director at Rockford Road Animal Hospital in Plymouth, MN and Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital in New Hope, MN. Dr. Warming has served as a Medical Director for LVG since 2021 and became the Chair for the LMAB in 2024. She is passionate about cultivating a culture of open communication and collaboration and strives to make it easier for clinicians to share resources, learn from one another, and deliver exceptional care—while also finding pride, purpose, and genuine joy in being a member of this challenging, but uniquely amazing profession!
Tom Zelenski, DVM
Dr. Tom Zelenski is the Medical Director at Deer Grove Veterinary Clinic in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. He has been serving on the Medical Advisory Board since 2021, mainly in the areas of Controlled Substances and Pharmaceutical Regulation compliance and more recently on the Equipment Recommendations Committee. In practice, he has interests in integrative pain management including veterinary medical acupuncture and laser therapy.
Mary Jo Wagner, DVM
Dr. Mary Jo Wagner serves as the Medical Director for East Valley Animal Clinic in Apple Valley, MN. She joined the LMAB in 2018 to be a part of the body that helps shape the goals and direction of medicine within the company. She enjoys the collaboration within the group and the great ideas and perspectives everyone brings to the group.
Rebecca Talbott, CVT
Rebecca Talbott has been working in the veterinary field for 25 years and as a VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia) for 12 years. She joined the LMAB in 2021 and has served on multiple committees since. Currently, she chairs the Webinar Creation Committee and serves on the Fear Free Committee. She has a passion for teaching and training in a fun way that benefits both team members and patients. Her favorite part of participating in the LMAB is how it fosters collaboration between hospitals and regions to share the wealth of knowledge that exists in our community.
Joshua Vigdal, CVT
Josh Vigdal has worked in the veterinary field since 2012. He joined the Emergency Department at Sugar Land Veterinary Specialists & EC in 2013. He has worked his way through different positions from Lead ER Tech, Emergency Manager, Director of Training and has also been a Lakefield Regional Trainer. Currently he is managing the Emergency and Critical Care departments at SLVS. Josh has had the opportunity to be on the Lakefield Medical Advisory board since 2022 when he . He is currently on the Continuing Education, Equipment, and Adverse Events Committees. Josh enjoys passing his knowledge on to younger technicians, having the chance to help others, and getting to work with smaller committees to help the LMAB guide decisions for the company as a whole.
Lisa Martinson, DVM
Dr. Lisa Martinson is the Medical Director at Blaine Central Veterinary Clinic. She joined the LMAB to become involved in the larger Lakefield community. She enjoys working with the group to help support all Lakefield clinics and is particularly passionate about embracing Fear Free techniques.
Catherine Keyes, DVM
Dr Keyes has practiced for over 20 years in disciplines from dairy medicine to shelter medicine, but with a goal to find work-life balance, she moved overseas. While working in Europe, she developed an interest in the Europeans’ rationale and more sparing use of antibiotics. She initiated the formation of the LMAB Antibiotic Stewardship Committee in 2025 and as chair, her goal is to shed light on the threat that the overuse of antibiotics poses to both human and animal health. During her time in Europe, she also found a love of working overnights in Emergency settings, and she now spends her time at Animal Emergency Clinic NE in Humble, Tx.
Christopher Lewis, DVM
Dr. Lewis is a graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and has been part of Lakefield Veterinary Group since 2015. He currently serves as the founding partner and Medical Director at Bellevue Veterinary Emergency and Specialty which was established in 2023. He brings his passion and commitment to high quality medicine to the Lakefield Medical Advisory Board. He has been a member since its inception with a desire to learn, share, and expand the scope of medicine companywide. The opportunity for collaboration between doctors and technicians across the country, for the common goal of supporting the best medicine, makes serving on the board a privilege.
Max Rinaldi, DVM
Dr. Rinaldi and his wife had long hoped to settle in the Pacific Northwest, and in 2014 he joined the Emergency Veterinary Hospital as an associate veterinarian. He became medical director in 2019 and in 2023, became a partner in the hospital. He remains deeply committed to the continued growth of the practice and its service to the community.
His professional interests include emergency and critical care, emergency surgery, exotic animal medicine, and the mentorship of early-career veterinarians. He is passionate about fostering clinical confidence and professional development in the next generation of doctors.
Laura Gardner, CVT
Laura Gardner has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician for 40 years and has been fortunate to work in several positions in the veterinary field. She feels very fortunate to be part of the Lakefield Medical Advisory Board and to be part of a group that is instrumental in encouraging changes aimed at providing gold standard care for our patients. When she was asked to be part of the board, one of the things that convinced her to accept was the inclusion of the veterinary technicians’ input in decision making. She is grateful that Lakefield as a whole values their veterinary technicians, which makes her happy to be part of this company.
Jessica Acree, CVT
Jessica Acree is an experienced certified veterinary technician with over two decades of hands-on experience in veterinary medicine. She holds a Veterinary Technician Specialty License in Emergency and Critical Care. Throughout her career, Jessica has held a diverse role across general practice, specialty hospitals, and teaching environments, giving her a well-rounded perspective on patient care. Her true passion lies in managing critical cases in the ICU, where her ability to stay calm under pressure while providing compassionate care makes a difference in patient outcomes. Jessica is dedicated to advancing veterinary nursing through mentorship education, and continuous professional development.
Megan Steele, DVM, DACVIM-Neurology
Dr. Steel is a board-certified veterinary neurologist practicing at Bridgetown Veterinary Emergency & Referral in Portland, OR. She wanted to be on the board to help her stay current with new advances in general practice and to help figure out ways to improve our clinical practice. She enjoys learning and trying new ways to do things.
Tracie Romsland, DVM, MS, DAVCP (clinical pathology), MS-TCVM
Dr. Romsland has been involved in Veterinary Medicine for many years and worked in multiple facets of the profession prior to vet school including client care, veterinary assisting, and eventually became a licensed veterinary technician and companion animal massage and physical rehabilitation practitioner. She attended Washington State University for veterinary school and completed a rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at the Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital of the ASPCA in NYC. Following that, she returned to Washington State University to complete a clinical pathology residency. She worked in academics and diagnostics prior to joining private practice, where she has now spent the majority of her career. Besides clinical pathology, she is also passionate about acupuncture and integrative therapies.
She joined Lakefield in the fall of 2022 and is excited to be part of the Medical Advisory Board. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues across the Lakefield community to help further advance both patient and client care as well as to foster a network of support for our hospital teams.
Rebecca Rush, CVT
Becky has been a licensed CVT in Oregon since 2014 and joined the LMAB in the spring of 2024. She’s worked almost exclusively in emergency medicine for the past 15 years and is now focusing her sights on a VTS in ECC. Becky joined the LMAB to broaden her knowledge about the veterinary industry and particularly loves collecting and consolidating information to help others. Becky has a degree in Art with a focus in ceramics and met her husband while throwing pots in the studio – ask her how firing a kiln is similar to anesthesia!
Anastacia Davis, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Dr. Davis was interested in becoming a member of the board because she wanted to continue to find alternative ways to provide a positive impact to her patients as well as her hospital staff and colleagues. She hopes to achieve this with continued collaboration with various minds of the field who all have different learning approaches and experiences. She also finds being a member of the board helps her to zoom out and look at the big picture, so she can better understand the struggles our field experiences daily with providing the best medicine we can for our clients and their pets.
Josh Kuhn, DVM
Dr. Kuhn is the current Medical Director at Indian Trails Animal Hospital and was partial owner of said clinic prior to the sale to LVG. He graduated from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002 and has special interests in Internal Medicine, especially ultrasound, as well as Cardiology. He wanted to join the LMAB due to his interest in learning about new treatments, medications, and equipment as well as how to decrease adverse events & increase safety and longevity in our patients.
Alongside our many dedicated committee chairs and members, the following individuals serve as executive liaisons, providing oversight and strategic guidance to help steer our committee initiatives.
- Mark McConnell BVMS, MRCV – Chief Medical Officer
- Carly Lubeck, DVM – Vice President of Medicine, Western Region
- Heidi Mittelsteadt, DVM – Regional Director of Medicine, Midwest Region
- Heather Remark, DVM – Regional Director of Medicine, South Region
- Emily Brechner – Vice President of Operations
- Gary Goldstein, DVM, FAVD, DipAVDC – Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions
- Darren Taul, DVM – Director of Business Development Mergers & Acquisitions
- Lindsey Lachner – Purchasing Coordinator
- Rachel Yurcaba, LVT – Purchasing Coordinator
- Heike Mayes – Area Manager – WA Hospitals