AAFSPHV Governing Board

Angela Demaree, President
She currently serves as the President-Elect for both the American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians and the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine's Alumni Board. She is also a member of the Indiana Animal Health Foundation Board and active in her state and local veterinary medical associations. She spends her free time with her horse, Tommy.
Chelsea Buckley, President Elect
A 2013 Graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, she also has an MPH degree from University of Minnesota School of Public Health (2017).

Dr. Donna DeBonis,
Past President
Dr. Donna DeBonis has been practicing veterinary medicine for almost 40 years. She has a special interest in pet food safety and has her Masters in Food Safety with an emphasis on Pet Food. Dr. DeBonis also served as Lt Colonel and Commander in the Army Reserve and has been deployed to Afghanistan and Kosovo, where she cared for Military Working Dogs in combat. She has two children, a herd of horses, 4 cats, and 4 dogs. Her favorite sport is horseback riding and she especially enjoys doing Horseback archery.

Carie (Catherine) Alexander,
Recording Secretary
Carie (Catherine) Alexander is a Risk Analyst on the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine's Secure Food Systems Team, researching the risk of animal movements (currently fish, swine, and poultry) in a foreign animal disease outbreak. After graduating with her DVM degree from Colorado State University, she practiced small animal medicine for many years before receiving a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota and diplomacy in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She has 3 grown children and lives with her husband and two dogs in Minnesota, where they tend their BeeOtch Honey apiary.

Kelly Vest,
Treasurer
Dr. Kelly G. Vest received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University
(1987) and his Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health (1994). Later, he completed his Doctor of Public Health degree in epidemiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS; 2003).
Over 35 years, Dr. Vest dedicated his efforts to veterinary and infectious disease epidemiology, public
health, disease surveillance, food safety, food defense, One Health, and research of military relevance. He served 20 years in the US Army Veterinary Corps. He is a Past President of the American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians and is presently serving as Treasurer. Dr. Vest joined the HACCP Consulting Group in October 2016 and is serving as a Vice President and is a registered HACCP and Safe Quality Food Trainer. His experience is with Dairy (fluid, cheese, powdered); Storage and Distribution; Bakery; Bottled water; Ice; Packaging; and agricultural products.
Dr. Heather Brake
Representative, Uninformed Services
CDR Heather Brake, MS DVM, DACVPM is with the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and serves in the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the CDC.. She is also in a PhD program at Michigan State University where her research is focused on polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). CDR Bair-Brake received veterinary degree from Michigan State University. She lives in Tucker, GA with her two boys, two cats, dog, and numerous fish.
Kristen Clark, Representative,
AVMA HOD
Dr. Kristen Clark holds her BS in Zoology and DVM from Iowa State University, her MPH from the University of Minnesota, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. In addition to working in private practice, she previously served as the State of Iowa’s enteric disease epidemiologist and coordinator for food and feed emergencies. She then served in a variety of roles at Iowa State University, including most recently as the University’s Public Health Coordinator where she oversaw campus public health operations. In 2023, she began serving in her current role as the Director of the Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative with the Minnesota Department of Health.

Michael Gilsdorf, Representative,
Private/Corporate Practice
Dr Gilsdorf received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Kansas State University in 1974 and a Bachelor‘s Degree in Animal Science in 1972. He also earned an advanced degree (Masters in Veterinary Microbiology) from Iowa State University in 1981. Dr Gilsdorf worked for 33 years (1974 to 2007) with the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service‘s Veterinary Services (VS). Dr Gilsdorf also served as the Executive Vice President of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians. Dr. Gilsdorf currently serves as the Chief Consultant at International Animal Health Solutions

Pam Abney Representative At Large

Van Brass, Representative
State and Local Government
Will Sander, Representative Education/Research/Extension
Leslie Brooks, Representative
Federal (Civilian)
Prior to starting her Fellowship, she lived and worked in Indianapolis, operating a mobile small animal practice. She also volunteered much of her time
helping to grow a non-profit serving people experiencing homelessness or crisis situations who also had pets. She graduated from the University of Tennessee's
College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012 with a dual DVM / MPH degree.