EL SEGUNDO, Calif.– National Veterinary Associates (“NVA”), a leading global pet care organization and community, announced the appointment of Cheryl DeSantis as Chief People Officer. Cheryl will oversee the community’s efforts to attract and retain the world’s best veterinary teams. Cheryl will also lead the organizational design strategy as NVA continues its work to form two distinct businesses: NVA General Practice (“NVA GP”) and Ethos Veterinary Health (“EVH”).
An accomplished human resources leader with more than 25 years of experience, Cheryl has led human resources in pet care and medical companies including, SmileDirectClub, where she served as Chief People & Diversity Officer since 2019, with responsibility for building the company’s human resources infrastructure ahead of its public listing. Previously, Cheryl also served as Vice President, People & Organization for Mars’ Petcare Division.
Larry Allgaier, Chief Executive Officer of NVA and EVH, commented, “Cheryl’s extensive experience leading transformational change will be crucial as we create a new organization more fully enabling NVA GP and EVH to focus on their distinct strategic growth priorities. Cheryl has direct experience leading medical services and enters NVA with high respect for the clinical care veterinarians and their teams deliver.”
Cheryl added, “I am thrilled to join a community that prioritizes veterinarian wellbeing and empowerment along with a commitment to elevating the veterinary profession. As a proud pet parent, I admire NVA’s shared love for animals and the people who love them and am honored to support our veterinary teams in ensuring broad access to high-quality care and advancement of cutting-edge medicine to extend and improve the lives of pets.”
