Celebrating Women’s History Month: Honoring Contributions and Empowering Future Generations
March 7, 2025Women’s History Month is a time to honor the countless contributions women have made in shaping our world. What began as a single day of recognition — International Women’s Day on March 8 — expanded into a week-long observance in the late 1970s. Finally, in 1987, Congress federally recognized Women’s History Month, ensuring that the achievements of women past and present receive the recognition they deserve.
This month is a powerful reminder of our ongoing journey toward gender equality — a world free from bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, where differences are valued and celebrated.
At Ethos, we’re proud to highlight that 70% of our medical leadership team is led by women, a testament to the incredible talent and leadership within our organization. These leaders are shaping the future of veterinary medicine and continuing to empower women at every level of our organization. Among them are:
- Stacy Burdick, DVM, MBA, DACVIM (SAIM) – Chief Medical Officer
- Kristen Frank, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) – Director of Medical Excellence
- Elizabeth Kollar, DVM – Director of Medical Operations (West Region)
- Chrissy Giovannielli, CVT, VTS (SAIM) – Director of Nursing
- Tracy Hill, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM) – Director of Science – Veterinary Science Consultancy
- Jennifer Brisson, DVM, DACVR – Director of Diagnostic Imaging
- Jessie Brown, LVT – Director of Blood Banking
In addition to our medical leadership team, we’re also proud that 50% of our executive leadership team at Ethos is led by women. These women are key drivers of our success and innovation:
- Donna Sroczynski, BA, MS – Interim President, Head of Operations
- Stacy Burdick, DVM, MBA, DACVIM (SAIM) – Chief Medical Officer
- Shannon Gibbons, BS – Head of Human Resources
- Meredith Caggiano, BS, MS, CPA – Chief Financial Officer
Women Empowering Women: An Unique Retreat Offered at Ethos
As part of our commitment to supporting women in leadership, Ethos offers the Women Empowering Women Retreat, an experiential 3-day retreat designed to provide leadership development and personal growth. This retreat is open to all women in leadership roles within the Ethos community. The curriculum, created by hospital-based women leaders, explores common challenges in areas such as emotional intelligence, well-being, biases, inner critic messages, self-limiting behaviors, and beliefs. Participants learn valuable tools to manage stress, communicate effectively, collaborate, and lead authentically. The retreat provides an opportunity to deepen personal insight and connect with other women experiencing similar challenges, fostering growth and empowerment.
Trailblazers in veterinary medicine
Women have played a key role in advancing veterinary medicine, overcoming barriers to pave the way for future generations. In the early 20th century, pioneers such as Dr. Elinor McGrath (Chicago Veterinary College) and Dr. Florence Kimball (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine) were among the first women to earn veterinary degrees, choosing to specialize in small animal medicine—an uncommon practice at the time. Their trailblazing efforts opened doors for the many women who have since followed.
One notable team member in our community is Dr. Stacy Burdick, Chief Medical Officer of Ethos. Dr. Burdick plays a pivotal role in advancing veterinary care across Ethos’s network of 140+ hospitals. She earned her DVM from the University of Illinois and completed a fellowship in Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy at the Animal Medical Center in New York. She previously served as Chief of Staff at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and became Clinical Advisor for Compassion-First Pet Hospitals before stepping into her current role at Ethos in 2023. Dr. Burdick is also a recent MBA graduate from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.