A co-founder of Banfield Pet Hospital and an aviation business owner have joined the 16-member board of trustees at Morris Animal Foundation, a longtime leader in the funding of animal health studies.
The newcomers are:
- Chuck Stephens, founder and CEO of Stephens & Associates Advertising of Overland Park, Kansas.
- Jay Mesinger, president and CEO of Messenger Jet Sales of Boulder, Colorado.
Stephens was one of the founders of the Banfield Pet Hospital network and is part owner of Hannah the Pet Society, a two-hospital Portland, Oregon, practice that offers all-inclusion veterinary services for a monthly fee. His agency, Stephens & Associates Advertising, serves animal health companies through branding and marketing campaigns.
“The foundation has a great reputation among veterinarians and in the animal health industry as being truly dedicated to and existing for the benefit of animals,” Stephens said. “In my new role as a trustee, I hope to build on that reputation by helping to create even greater awareness of the foundation and accelerate new partnerships to benefit its work.”
Mesinger, an aircraft broker and philanthropist, has a personal connection to Morris Animal Foundation. Two of his dogs are among more than 3,000 golden retrievers enrolled in the foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, a long-term examination of how genetics, nutrition, environment and lifestyle affect canine health.
Foundation President John Reddington, DVM, Ph.D., welcomed the new board members.
“Chuck brings to the board his marketing and branding background with animal health organizations, and a lifelong passion for animals,” Dr. Reddington said. “Jay brings his experience as an entrepreneur, consummate salesman and fundraiser, as well as a heartfelt desire to make the world a better place for animals.”
Morris Animal Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver, was founded in 1948 by veterinarian Mark L. Morris.