OUR BOARD
Lance was a dog lover his whole life and was blessed with his first Husky puppy while in 1st grade. In 2003, he visited Wake County Animal shelter to look for another companion when he saw this pudgy ball of joy. She was sitting in her kennel with a blue teddy bear in her mouth. Lance knew then and there that he found his companion. He named her Bear and they've started what was 15 yearlong adventures. Bear followed him in all aspects of his life, and he knew he can always count on her even on the long training runs that he still enjoys.
Lance holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a concentration in Business Management from University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has worked in the software and hardware industry since 1996 in various sales and sales leadership roles. Lance also holds a degree from Animal Behavior College as a Certified Dog Trainer since 2010.
LANCE BUCHHOLZ: Chair / President
Dr. Buchholz is an avid dog lover ever since her family got a German Shepard named Kendi (Candy) when she was in the 7th grade. She would spend time in long walks, runs, and bike rides with Kendi until 1999 when she crossed the rainbow bridge. Marija met Lance in 2013 as well as Bear. She has spent 5 most wonderful years with Bear giving her all the love and support in her final days.
Dr. Buchholz holds a Doctor of Dental medicine degree (DMD) from School of Dentistry, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Master’s in Business Administration with concentration in BioPharma from North Carolina State University. She has > 23 years of clinical, research and development experience. Throughout the years Marija has held various management and operations leadership roles within the industry.
Dr. MARIJA BUCHHOLZ: Vice-Chair / Vice-President
Valerie and her husband are currently semi-retired but run a couple of home-based businesses while enjoying life on the lake. They love hosting visits from family and friends, and, of course, their pups! Valerie earned her Bachelor’s Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and over the past 30 years has benefitted from a wider range of work experiences from serving as the Director of Product Sales for the Girls Scouts, overseeing a $10M+ annual cookie sale and managing and training a volunteer staff of 150+, to building custom forecasting and sales tracking databases. In her spare time Val loves to cross stich and crochet and is always looking for a local craft fair at which to sell her handmade products.
VALERIE McDEVITT: Secretary / Treasurer
Dr. O'Leary is a Basset Hound lover who currently has 1 little crazy basset named Houdini. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, time with friends, and NOT watching sports on TV. Her best trick is fooling people into thinking that she has control over her dogs on walks.
Dr. O'Leary holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (DVM) from Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and a Family & Child Development degree (BA) from Virginia Tech. She owns Heal Mobile Laser Therapy along with being a cofounder of the Heal House Call Veterinarian franchise. She was an elementary school teacher prior to entering veterinary school.
Dr. ERIN O’LEARY: Advisory Board – Scientific Chair