Pulse - September 2024 - 22

CHAPTER PROFILES
Dr. Weatherford Has Had Difficult
Moments at Saddleback Chapter
D
r. Laura Weatherford's latest year as
president of the Saddleback Chapter of
SCVMA has had some trying moments.
" It's been pretty difficult this past year, " she said in an interview.
" I've
had multiple moments when I thought I had a
speaker and sponsor and someone would drop out without
much notice. And I'm scraping around desperately to find a
speaker or a sponsor. And, blessedly, so far I've been able to
do so. "
Dr. Weatherford said that she found timely and much
appreciated help from Dr. George Katcherian, the owner
of Back Bay Veterinary Hospital in Newport Beach, when
" I was scrambling at the last minute to find a sponsor. He's
really a good man. I think he has sponsored several Orange
County Chapter meetings as well. He's a super friendly person
and a very canny business person and he's very generous
to SCVMA. "
Dr. Weatherford - like some other chapter presidents
- does all of the work herself, including sending out Evite
invitations to members, updating the membership data base
and finding speakers and sponsors. " Sometimes people come
to the meeting who didn't get the Evite and they ask me to put
them on the data base, " she said. " I try to send out the Evite
two weeks to three weeks before the talk. "
Her speakers have come from all over, she said.
Sometimes Dr. [Jennifer] Hawkins [SCVMA executive
director] has people who contact her and she disseminates
the information to the chapters and we can contact the people
who want to sponsor and speak. "
She said that Saddleback is one of the smaller SCVMA
chapters. " My average number of guests is 18 to 25. And the
minimum [at our venue] is 27. If there are more people coming
than the minimum, I try to let the hotel where we meet
know a week ahead.
" We have a lot of retired practitioners who show up,
about five for most meetings. " We love them but I think the
sponsors would much rather have someone who's actually
practicing, who might be able to use and possibly purchase
their products. "
She said that there occasionally are people who attend from
other chapters. One of our people who comes monthly will
often bring veterinary students. This past week we had three
students.
The Saddleback Chapter meets regularly every second
Tuesday each month at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lake Forest
just off Interstate 5. The facility includes a large screen that
can accommodate videos or pictures that speakers might want
to show.
" I try to get people to come from 6:45 to 7 p.m., " Dr. Weath " We
recently
did a Tuesday night with IDEXX [as sponsor] and
had one of their speakers. We learned about renal failure and
new tests that are available from IDEXX for animals with the
disease, how to interpret those tests and when to use them.
And that was really good.
" And I think next month we're having a surgeon from Blue
Pearl talk and that should be interesting as well. And Blue
Pearl will be the sponsor. "
" I try to hit up corporations and vendors and the larger
referral hospitals to see if they have a speaker or a sponsor.
erford said. " It's a buffet meal so they can go through the line
and sit down to eat. I like to start the meeting about 7:10 so
we can be out of there by 8 p.m. or a little bit afterwards. "
She said that if she were to leave the chapter presidency, " I'd
have to find someone else to do it. It doesn't take that much
time but it's frustrating trying to network to get the speakers
arranged. And it's really frustrating when someone cancels at
the last minute and I have to find a replacement. "
- Jim Bell
22
SEPTEMBER 2024
PULSE
Pulse - September 2024

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