Dr. Bailey is originally from Hopewell, New Jersey, where he completed his undergraduate degree at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University. He obtained his DVM from the historic Tuskegee University, College of Veterinary Medicine in Tuskegee, Alabama. He then completed a small animal rotating internship and radiology residency at Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Before joining IDEXX Telemedicine Consultants as a Medical Director, Dr. Bailey served on faculty at Tuskegee University, Michigan State University, and was tenured faculty at The Ohio State University. Dr. Bailey completed an AAAS congressional fellowship on Capitol hill. He spent five years building and supplying patient-centric imaging services in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania referral and ER facility, and was the lead radiologist for an extensive (950+) national hospital practice. Dr. Bailey has authored over 30 publications and has spoken on diagnostic and therapeutic radiology worldwide. Dr. Bailey has been active in local, state, and national organized veterinary leadership positions and is an active member of the Board of Directors of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Matthew Bealor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rowan University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from California State University, his Master of Science in Biology from San Diego State University and his doctoral degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from University of Colorado.

Dr. Bealor's interests center on the evolution and function of feeding and prey-handling behaviors, as well as chemical communication and mating behavior of vertebrates. His studies on these topics have centered on the behavior of lizards, snakes and fishes. Dr. Bealor is also interested in the repeatability of behavior relating to the construction of structures that function as extended phenotypes, such as bubble nests built by fishes. In addition, his group works on the population dynamics of introduced Italian Wall Lizards in Mount Laurel, New Jersey in partnership with zoologists from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 

Emily Beardsley graduated with a bachelors in biological sciences from Rowan University in May 2020 and is currently a DVM student at Ross University. In May of 2019 she was given the opportunity to travel to South Africa and shadow a wildlife veterinarian, confirming her career path. 

Dr. Matthew C. Edson was named founding Dean of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University in June of 2021.

Founder and owner of Rancocas Veterinary Associates, a multi-doctor, multi-location mixed animal practice based in South Jersey, Edson leads a group of veterinary professionals that treat a wide range of species. He has special professional interests in miniature pig and small ruminant medicine and surgery and has lectured nationally on those subjects. He is an advocate for the advancement of affordable, clinically-relevant veterinary education.

A native of Eastampton Township, Dr. Edson is a former executive board member and the immediate past president of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, a former site visitor for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education, former chair of the AVMA Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues, and former vice chair of the AVMA Practice Advisory Pilot Panel. He also has served as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine.

Dr. Edson earned his veterinary medical degree from Kansas State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and biology from Rutgers University and also completed training as a Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic through Virtua Health. He is a licensed veterinarian in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.  He has strong interest in veterinary business and practice management is also a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM).

Named a top veterinarian by South Jersey Magazine in 2017, Edson was voted “Best Veterinarian” in Burlington County by Burlington County Times readers in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Dr. Edson was named to the 2022 and 2023 NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 lists, which ranks the top influencers in health care in New Jersey.

Steven Fernandez received his undergraduate degree from Cook College at Rutgers University followed by his professional veterinary degree from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. During his veterinary school career, he was involved in the admissions process and was a part of many international veterinary events. He spent the following 6 years after UPenn training in internship and residency programs carving the way towards becoming a board-certified specialist in Small Animal surgery. His passion in the animal field is advanced surgeries especially minimally invasive orthopedics. He is a native of New Jersey who enjoys time with his wife, pets, cars, traveling, and working with his hands whether in the O.R. or at home. 

Dr. Margaret Fordham is the Director for Veterinary Clinical Skills and Associate Professor for the School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University. Dr. Fordham received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. She was a clinician in pet exotics practices and small animal emergency medicine for many years, after which she completed a residency in exotic pet medicine and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and was a clinical instructor at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

As one of the founding faculty at the Long Island School of Veterinary Medicine at Long Island University, she served as Director of Veterinary Skills. Dr. Fordham will lead efforts to develop a robust curriculum that includes the necessary technical and professional skills needed to educate students to be “Day One Ready” Veterinarians.

Jon E. Higgins VMD is an ambulatory farm veterinary practitioner in Somerset County New Jersey, working throughout NJ and bordering areas of Pennsylvania. Dr. Higgins was raised in Belle Mead NJ, obtained a BS in Animal Science from University of Vermont, and graduated 1989 from University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He started own practice then, specializing in bovine repro and embryo transfer and over the years expanded into more general farm animal practice, becoming Acorn Farmvets LLC. Dr. Higgins is a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Embryo Transfer Association, The Sheep Veterinary Society, and currently Region One director for the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners.

Dr. Inzana is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Clinical Sciences for the School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University. Dr. Inzana received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from University of Tennessee and completed a residency in Neurology at University of California at Davis. She obtained a Master of Science and doctorate in Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin before joining the faculty at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech as Head of Clinical Neurology Service. 

In 2006, Dr. Inzana was a recipient of an Advance Fellowship in Academic Affairs funded through the National Science Foundation Advance Award which initiated her career in Academic Affairs. As one of the founding faculty at the Long Island School of Veterinary Medicine at Long Island University, she served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Dr. Inzana’s current interests include the development of clinical reasoning, longitudinal assessment planning and curriculum development.

Dr. Keegan, originally from New Jersey, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 2010.  As a veterinary student, he earned the CSU PVM award for clinical research.  He then pursued a rotating internship at Oradell Animal Hospital. With a fascination for physiology, Dr. Keegan completed a 3-year residency in Cardiology at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital becoming board-certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2014.  Dr. Keegan founded Veterinary Cardiology Services, providing treatment and diagnosis of heart disease throughout New Jersey with a focus on quality of life and strengthening the human animal bond.  Since 2006, he has remained passionate about animal welfare, alongside his wife who is a veterinarian, assisting several spay/neuter, rescue, and shelter organizations in NJ, NY, and Puerto Rico. 

Dr. Kim grew up in New York and received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania. After two years at the National Cancer Institute performing cancer genetic research, she attended veterinary school at Tufts University. She then returned to NY completing a rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan, New York followed by an oncology internship at Cornell University. Emergency medicine brought her back to NJ/PA and she spent 2 years as an emergency doctor before accepting a medical oncology residency at Michigan State University School of Veterinary Medicine. She has been in private practice in the region for the last 12 years. Dr. Kim serves on the executive board of the NJVMA and she has held committee and taskforce positions within the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is passionate about promoting mental health and diversity within the veterinary community.

Originally from New York City, Dr. Knafo received a BS in biological sciences from Cornell University in 2004, followed by her DVM degree from Tufts University in 2008. She went on to complete internships in Large Animal Surgery & Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, and Zoological Medicine & Surgery at the University of Georgia in 2010, respectively. In 2013 she completed a residency in Zoological Medicine & Surgery at Cornell University, and then joined the faculty at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University where she served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Zoological Medicine until 2018. She is currently a Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine on staff at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital (Tinton Falls). Dr. Knafo is a member of the NVA-CF Specialty Advisory Board, and also chairs the SAB Retention and Wellness Committee. Within the American College of Zoological Medicine, Dr. Knafo serves as the chair of the avian subcommittee of the ACZM exam committee. She has published numerous scientific articles, textbook chapters, and is a competitive equestrian as well as endurance runner. 

Bob Palmer, chief solutions officer for Wedgewood Pharmacy, has full strategic and operational accountability for business operations and information technology. As a member of the Wedgewood Pharmacy leadership team, he is accountable for performance measures and for marshaling available resources to the most productive uses, with the aim of creating maximum value for the company and its customers. He has been in the information technology profession since 1989.

Prior to joining Wedgewood in 2011, he was senior vice president and CIO for Franklin Credit Management Corporation; vice president, IT and CIO for Brown-Forman Corporation-Lenox Group, Inc.; senior programmer analyst for Johnson & Johnson-Janssen Pharmaceutica; and lead analyst for Emerson Quiet Kool.

He holds a B.S. degree in Management from Rowan University; and an M.B.A. degree from Rider University. He received a post-graduate Darden Partnership certificate from the Darden Graduate School of Business from the University of Virginia.

In 2001, he was recognized by Computerworld magazine as a 100 Premier Leader, receiving an exclusive Best in Class award.

Dr. Perris was born and raised in Trenton, NJ. He is the youngest child of Greek immigrants.  The family owned a luncheonette in downtown Trenton. His Mother’s day off was Saturday and dad would babysit at Keystone Racetrack (currently Parx), this is where his fascination with horses began. Dr. Perris is a 1986 graduate of Cook College/Rutgers University and was fortunate enough to get a contract seat to The Ohio State University for his veterinary education.  Dr. Perris completed his DVM in 1990 and is a graduate of The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Perris then pursued a residence in Internal Medicine at Texas A&M University.  Dr. Perris is a Diplomate of the American College of Internal Medicine (LAIM).

Dr. Perris returned to the Trenton area in 1995 and started an ambulatory Equine practice that continues to this day.  Dr. Perris has been a lecturer for the animal science department of Rutgers University since 2014. He is currently the president of the New Jersey Association of Equine Practitioners, an organization whose mission is to guard, improve, and advocate for the health/welfare of the horse, promote a collaborative forum among equine practitioners, further the professional development of its membership and foster relationships within the industry of the State.

Dr. Lorraine C. Ricchezza is the Associate Provost for Academic Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost, and serves concurrently as Vice President, Academic Initiatives for Rowan Education Partners (REP), an affiliate of Rowan University established to provide centralized operational and administrative support to postsecondary affiliated institutions.

She has over 25 years of combined experience as an educator, early childhood master teacher, higher education administrator, and academic leader. Dr. Ricchezza holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from La Salle University, a master’s degree in teacher education with academic honors from the School of Human Service Professions at Widener University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Rowan University.

Dr. Ricchezza joined Rowan University in 2006 as Director for Children’s Early Learning Programs. In 2014, she was appointed Assistant Vice President for the Division of Global Learning and Partnerships, where she was responsible for overseeing professional graduate degree programs and undergraduate degree completion programs for adult, contemporary learners, and working professionals across multiple campus locations and online.  

With extensive experience advancing University strategic curricular initiatives originating from the University colleges, community college partners, business, industry, and community organizations, as well as other emergent and entrepreneurial curricular ventures, Ricchezza was appointed Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and shared responsibility for leading, coordinating, and implementing academic offerings through the Center for Academic Innovation, a fluid organization designed as a space for University-wide, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strategic academic innovation on behalf of the Office of the Provost. 

In 2020, Dr. Ricchezza was appointed to support the creation of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. On staff since its inauguration, she has had the unique opportunity to play an integral role in the development of the school’s policies, procedures, and programs and was charged with inspiring and accelerating the school’s strategic initiatives, overseeing administrative and operational activities as the school’s Associate Dean for Administration.

In her current role as Associate Provost for Strategic Academic Initiatives and Vice President for Academic Initiatives, Dr. Ricchezza leads efforts to generate and execute academic initiatives that serve responsive to new market trends in higher education while maintaining the highest standards of academic quality, rigor, and student satisfaction. She deeply engages with faculty and leadership within the University and with affiliated partnership institutions to create synergies and expand on strategies for academic program growth and sustainability. 

Ricchezza is highly regarded as adept at seamlessly transitioning from strategic-level vision to day-to-day operations. With a forward-looking perspective to capture new academic opportunities and adjust to changing environments, she has considerable experience working with others to shape a vision for success and to accomplish ambitious goals as an action-oriented leader and champion for entrepreneurial academic program development. 

The founder of Veterinary Dentistry Specialists, Dr. Rice is a board-certified veterinary dental specialist and Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC), with a strong track record of both academic and professional achievement.

He completed an internship in dentistry and oral surgery at Florida-based All Pets Dental Clinic under the mentorship of renowned veterinary dentist Dr. Jan Bellows, former president of the AVDC. He then completed and academic residency at the University of Wisconsin under the mentorship of Dr. William Gengler, also a former president of the AVDC. Dr. Rice then became the attending clinician of the dentistry and oral surgery service at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Rice has authored several research publications, lectures nationally and internationally on topics relating to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the mouth and face of dogs and cats.

Dr. Rice serves on the Board of Directors for the South New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association (SNJVMA). His term as Secretary runs throughout 2021-22.

Dr. Jenifer Sheehy earned her BS degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with honors from Colorado State University. She received her DVM from Colorado State in 2003 and completed a rotating medicine and surgery internship at The Ohio State University. Following a Fellowship in surgery at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, Texas, Dr. Sheehy practiced emergency medicine as the Chief Medical Officer for Sugarland Veterinary Specialist’s Emergency Service. Dr. Sheehy joined the pharmaceutical industry in 2013 as a Field Scientific Liaison for Bayer Animal Health, and recently joined the headquarters team at Zoetis as the Medical Lead for Canine Parasiticides. Dr. Sheehy has a special interest in clinical pharmacology.

Jenifer shares her home with a very tiny 17 year-old cat and spends her spare time riding motorcycles around the world.

Jennifer J. Smith DVM, DACVS is a graduate of the Worchester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Mechanical Engineering-Biomechanics. Dr. Smith earned her veterinary degree from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000.  She performed an internship at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY in 2001, and then completed her surgical residency training at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in 2004. In 2005, she became board certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.  Dr. Smith joined the professional staff of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in July 2006.  In 2014, Dr. Smith became the Hospital Director and Chief of Surgery at New Jersey Equine Clinic.

Dr. Smith's clinical and research interests include sports medicine and surgery, upper respiratory disorders, tendon and ligament injuries, and orthopedics.  She has gained notoriety for her expertise in performing dynamic respiratory endoscopic examinations as well as surgical treatments for upper airway disorders.  Dr. Smith has presented professional research topics at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Convention and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Symposium, and has published scientific articles in orthopedic and upper airway subjects.  Dr. Smith is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

He has over 30 years of higher education experience as an educator, researcher, academic leader and administrator. He holds a master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and a certificate in executive administration from the Wharton School.

Dr. Sosa joined Rowan University in 2006, as Founding Dean and later Vice President of the Division of Global Learning & Partnerships and has played a lead role in the creation of Rowan’s online education, extension programs for adult learners, and multiple educational and training partnerships with corporations and nonprofit organizations. In 2018 he joined the office of the President as the Vice President of Strategic Ventures & Initiatives to spearhead projects that culminated in the establishment of a new school of veterinary medicine, an esports center in partnership with a content expert company, and multiple exploratory transactions with for-profit and nonprofit higher education institutions and providers. 

Dr. Sosa has served on the boards of several educational and professional entities including the American Academy of Mechanics, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Journal of Thermal Stresses, and the Leap Academy Charter School. Since 2013 he continues to serve regularly as a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Renee Sparacio grew up in southern New Jersey on her family's strawberry farm.  She received her bachelor of science in Animal Science from the University of Delaware in Newark, DE in 2005. She went on to obtain her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009.  She completed her clinical training at the University of Pennsylvania School if Veterinary Medicine in 2010.  She has worked in private practice as an emergency veterinarian for the past 10 years.  Her interests include small animal soft tissue surgery.

Liza Wysong has been working in veterinary medicine for over 20 years and is a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Canine/Feline Clinical Practice and in Small Animal Internal Medicine. Liza is the Program Director for the Veterinary Technology Program at Rowan College of South Jersey and provides education and training to veterinary technicians through continuing education opportunities. When not teaching, Liza is an active member of multiple veterinary organizations and practices as a relief veterinary technician; spending most of her clinical time in specialty practices in both the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.

Kimberly Zullo is a DVM candidate at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors in biological sciences from Rowan University in May 2020. She has worked in animal hospitals since she was fourteen years old, and gained experience volunteering at Gumbo Limbo, a sea life rehabilitation center in Florida, shadowing an equine veterinarian at the New Bolton Center, volunteering at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, and most recently traveling to South Africa to shadow a conservation veterinarian and volunteer at Care for Wild, a rhino orphanage. Outside of Veterinary Medicine, she enjoys giving back to the community through volunteering.