ViDAS Board of Directors

RUTH PARKIN, DVM - PRESIDENT

Ruth grew up in Washington State and received a BA in economics from the University of Washington. She graduated from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2005. Ruth currently works as a relief veterinarian and lives in Denver, Co with her two dogs, Monkey and Pear.

"Dr. Lesli Groshong and Cristina Gutierrez invited me to join a spay/neuter clinic crew in Playa del Carmen during the summer of 2002 - I was a sophomore in vet school. We had a successful clinic, but there was obviously so much more to be done and no local organization capable of doing the needed work. The streets in these areas are covered with sick, starving animals. The wonderful people of Mexico want to help them, but do not have the financial resources to control the street animal overpopulations and the diseases that plague the area as a direct result. We recognized the need for a sustained presence and vowed to provide as much as we could. Three of my classmates at CSU and I founded ViDAS that same year and have been working hard toward our cause ever since, sending down several crews a year to do very intensive sterilization clinics. Working in tandem with the veterinarians in Mexico toward our ultimate goals brings a sense of international cooperation that is truly satisfying. I am constantly amazed and humbled by the people of Mexico who live in such rudimentary conditions, yet welcome us into their neighborhoods with such open arms and unabashed generosity. I am so proud of VIDAS, our crews, volunteers and our accomplishments so far and know that we will continue to do great things! Working with VIDAS has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, and I look forward to working with our great vets, students and volunteers year after year. Thanks everyone for all your hard work!"

Eric Berglund - Vice President

Eric lives in Fort Collins with Meghann and their pound puppies Brewster and Georgia, their pound bunnies Tillie and Rex, and Crackle, the pound hamster enjoying his "retirement" at their house. He is the CFO for Upstate Colorado, a non-profit economic development agency in Weld County, Colorado.

Eric was first brought into the ViDAS group "by marriage". His wife Meghann is a longtime ViDAS crew member who has volunteered for the last seven Playa clinics. In 2008, Eric decided to see what all the excitement was about and went along to serve as the crew's house chef. He was so excited about the work the crews were doing that in addition to his exhausting duties preparing meals for over twenty people, he also lent his skills to the crew in the form of instrument scrubbing and technician and recovery assistance. Eric looks forward to many more successful ViDAS clinics keeping animals healthy and crew members fed and happy!

Ashley Ackley - Secretary & Volunteer coordinator

Ashley Ackley is a native of Colorado, attending Colorado State University for her undergraduate, master's and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She will graduate in 2011 and plans to continue her veterinary education with interests in shelter and emergency medicine. She currently resides with a greyhound and two cats and enjoys traveling and volunteering.

Karen McCormick - Treasurer

Karen was raised in a Navy family and traveled throughout her school years ending up at the University of Florida for her undergraduate degree in Dairy Science and finishing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. She lives in Longmont Colorado with her three daughters, husband and two golden retrievers. She owns a thriving small animal practice in Boulder Colorado.

"My first introduction to VIDAS was through Dr. Lesli Groshong when I asked her if she knew of any volunteer opportunities for me to help out as a veterinarian doing surgery.

My first trip to Playa del Carmen was an eye opener. I have honestly never physically worked SO HARD for six days straight! I loved every minute of it. The Mexican people were so appreciative and it was so rewarding to be able to help so many animals in such a short period of time."

Stacie Knapp, C.V.T. - Web liason

Stacie became a Certified Veterinary Technician in 1992. She then went on to get her Bachelor's in Animal Science at the University of Denver in 1995. From there she spent several years in general practice before specializing in Oncology. She works with Veterinary Cancer Specialists in Denver Colorado where she has been since 2000.

In 2000 after several Caribbean trips marred by heartbreaking encounters with stray dogs and cats in dire need of medical attention she wondered if there was a way to marry the two worlds. To be able to go to places in need in the tropics and to use her veterinary skills would be the perfect match. Animals in the tropics face a myriad of challenges related to parasitism, different economic means and cultural differences in standards pet care. She found a small group that focused on the Yucatan and after they changed their focus to the Baja region she found VIDAS.

Stacie has been with VIDAS since it's an inception back in 2002. She is a board member and veteran veterinary technician volunteer having lost track of the number of clinics she has attended. Her main focus has been the Akumal/Tulum region. She has donated months of her vacation time and hundreds of dollars to help the mission of VIDAS. Having recently had a baby she donated a car to be auctioned with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit VIDAS in lieu of her skills until she can get back to volunteering her time. Volunteering for VIDAS has been life altering. She has learned that with the right people involved you can affect a change for the better in whatever is your personal passion.

Kim Krug - Student Representative

Kim is currently a third year veterinary student at Colorado State University.

"I became involved with VIDAS in January of 2008 when I attended my first clinic in Bacalar. I fell in love with the people and the animals and felt a desire to dedicate more time to the cause. I saw not only the need for our help and support in these areas but how much the communities appreciated our efforts. I am currently a third year veterinary student at Colorado State University. I have served to help educate other students about ViDAS and what they too can do to help. I hope to continue volunteering for ViDAS once I am a veterinarian."

Meagan Hines, Student Representative

Meagan grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin and moved to Colorado in 1998. After receiving her B.A. in Sociology from CU Boulder, she lived in the Galapagos Islands and on the mainland in Ecuador for 8 months. She returned to Colorado in 2005 to start her prerequisites for vet school and earned a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences. During the Spring and Summer of 2009 she traveled throughout Southeast Asia for 4 months working with gibbons and elephants. Meagan is currently in her first year of vet school at Colorado State University and works part time as an emergency veterinary technician. She has been involved in ViDAS since 2007 and loves the experience everytime!

Dr. Lesli Groshong, DVM - Board Advisor

Lesli graduated from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992, and is the Veterinary Manager at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Boulder, CO. www.boulderhumane.org. In addition to a busy full-time job and elementary age children, VIDAS is still very important to her. She continues to gather donated supplies, fundraise, plan and participate in clinics. She loves the inspiration that volunteering with VIDAS gives veterinarians, technicians and vet students to continue to help the people and their pets in underserved areas.

"In 1997 I responded to an ad in a local holistic veterinary newletter seeking a veterinarian to do spay/neuter in the Yucatan. It was an opportunity to "vacation" and use my veterinary skills. My travels as a young adult to Mexico, Honduras, Europe and Korea inspired me to combine my veterinary skills with volunteering in Mexico. I organized 7 clinics for that organization before they moved their focus to Cabo san Lucas, which left a void in the area. When Cristina Gutierrez and I talked about doing a clinic in Playa del Carmen in 2002, with local veterinarian, Dr. Claudia Lewy, VIDAS was born and has been growing ever since. "

Sherry Stevens, Board Advisor

Born and raised in Evansville, Indiana, Sherry studied Interior Design, Graphics and Marketing at the University of Kentucky and competed in Championship level equestrian events. Upon graduation, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia to begin her own mail order company, Scintilla, representing designers and craftsmen of artisan lighting, home décor and jewelry, a creative career which helped polish her entrepreneurial acuity. Looking for a change of lifestyle, Sherry moved to Playa del Carmen in 2001 where she co-owns a web based travel planning company and works for One Stop Real Estate. Sherry has always been passionate about animals and dedicates herself to supporting local non-profits such as Coco’s Cat Rescue, Malix Pec and Peanut Pet Shelter. When she arrived in Playa del Carmen in 2001, the street animal crisis was heartbreaking. Luckily, in 2001 she read a small article in a National Geographic magazine about YARF. Yucatan Animal Rescue Foundation. She got involved right away. The next year YARF dismantled and ViDAS was born. She soon became the Playa del Carmen organizer for the annual ViDAS clinic, and has never looked back. Sherry's commitment, goals and connection to the local areas where ViDAS does their work, makes her a helpful addition to the ViDAS board.