CORRIE BROWN, DVM, PhD
Corrie Brown is founder and Executive Director of LifeStock International and a veterinary pathologist who has worked in animal health in developing countries for more than 30 years. Her work on enhancing the livelihoods of poor farmers through improving animal health has taken her to over 60 countries, on projects financed by various organizations, including the USDA, USAID, US Department of Defense, US Department of State, the United Nations, and the World Bank. She is fluent in Portuguese, French, and Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Arabic.
TANJA ZABKA, DVM
As a LifeStock board member, Tanja focuses especially on our business strategy. She is a board-certified veterinary pathologist and Senior Fellow-Pathologist at Genentech (2011-current). After her BA from Princeton University, she earned a veterinary degree from University of Georgia and completed her residency at UC Davis and San Diego Zoological Society. At Genentech, she works in Development Sciences Translational Safety and co-leads a global effort to generate our next generation of standard biofluid-based labs. In her time outside of Genentech, she maintains a strong focus on sustainable ecosystem health, including the marine environment. Additionally, she is the co-founder and previous chair for the Global Health Pathology Network within the Davis-Thompson Foundation.
BRIAN JOSEPH, DVM, MFAS
Brian co-manages a farmer and veterinarian training initiative in Iraq and Kurdistan for LifeStock International. He also serves as Merlin Entertainment’s North American Lead Veterinarian and consults for many aquariums. He most recently retired as Washington’s State Veterinarian. He also was a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve Veterinary Corps, with deployments to Afghanistan, Central and East Africa, the Alaskan Arctic, Central America, and the Middle East.
JEFFREY MUSSER, DVM, PhD
Jeffrey is a Clinical Professor of Infectious Diseases at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. As a food animal expert, Jeffrey has worked in developing countries for more than 28 years. His in-country technical assistance, teaching, research, diagnostic, and consulting activities span more than 40 countries in Central America, Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia.
CRIS YOUNG, DVM, MPH
Cris is Professor of Practice at Auburn University and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his DVM from Auburn University and completed his MPH at Western Kentucky University. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and has worked in several leadership capacities for USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services (VS). Cris is a Colonel in the US Army Veterinary Reserves.
TESFAI TSEGGAI, DVM, MS
Dr. Tesfai Tseggai, a native of Ethiopia (now Eritrea), received advanced degrees in animal health from Nigeria and France. He worked in regulatory veterinary medicine, private industry, and academic research in Ethiopia, France, and the US, before joining UN-FAO as an Animal Health and Livestock Expert. At the FAO he served in more than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa, and collaborated with multiple donor agencies. He is a well-recognized specialist in biosecurity/biosafety of laboratories, epidemiology, and control of Transboundary Animal Diseases.
BARBARA PORTER-SPALDING, DVM, MVPH
Dr. Porter-Spalding started her career in the Peace Corps in Morocco and Niger before attending Michigan State University for her DVM. She also holds an MVPH from North Carolina State University. Barb was an Epidemiologist and Emergency Responder for the USDA-APHIS for 30 years. She also was part of the National Preparedness and Incident Coordination staff leading the VS National Training and Exercise Program, traveling to many parts of the world to conduct workshops on outbreak response and epidemiology.
NATE BLECKLEY (Ex Officio)
Nate currently supports USAID’s Global Health Supply Chain program and is a prior Medical Operations Portfolio Manager with the U.S. Army. He is a certified Project Management Professional, holds a B.Sc. from The University of Tampa, and is a current MBA Candidate at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Nate has enjoyed leading teams to successfully collaborate with smallholders and government entities across Africa. He looks forward to pursuing a lifelong career in Global Health and International Development, where he can continue making a positive impact in healthcare on a global scale.