Our Leadership Team

Nick brings to BluePearl over 25 years of experience in the veterinary industry. He began his career as a veterinarian in Washington, where he helped build a thriving 24-hour multidisciplinary practice.

He has also worked as a regional medical director for VCA in the Pacific Northwest and at Pet Partners as chief medical officer and president.

Of all his accomplishments to date, his proudest remains his son, Thomas.

Richard joined BluePearl in 2011 as an internal medicine specialist in Houston, Texas. He practiced medicine and served as a hospital medical director until 2018 when he took on the role of group medical director. He has also led BluePearl’s biosecurity and infection control committee for several years.

In 2019, Richard became BluePearl’s vice president of medicine, ensuring medical leaders across the country could deliver on our promise of exceptional care before becoming our chief medical officer in 2024.

He completed his veterinary training and internship at Texas A&M University and an internal medicine residency at the University of Georgia.

When not working, Richard enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, along with their many pets.

As BluePearl’s CFO, Gumer is responsible for the financial function of our hospitals and support teams.

Before joining BluePearl, Gumer worked at Yum! Brands, where he served in several senior roles, including global director of finance for KFC to his most recent position as chief financial officer and head of supply chain for KFC Latin America & Caribbean. He began his career in management consulting before moving into finance.

Gumer holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Instituto Technologic de Monterrey and an MBA from IESE Business School. Gumer brings a commercial bend to his finance leadership.

Christy MacLeod is the Vice President of P&O (People & Organization) for BluePearl. Since joining Mars in 2025, she has focused on managing through complexity, with particular emphasis on delivering long-term business results through systemic talent strategy.

Christy brings deep experience across healthcare organizations, including serving as CHRO for Nivel, a Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company, and holding senior HR leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson with significant experience in global acquisitions and divestitures.

Known for her collaborative leadership style, Christy leads change with empathy, strategic clarity, and a strong commitment to business partnership.

Outside of work, she enjoys sailing, reading, traveling, and spending time with her two children and their dog, Duke.

Heather joined BluePearl as Vice President of Client Engagement in 2024, bringing with her a wealth of experience in client retention and engagement that she focuses on pet owners and primary care veterinarians.

Before stepping into her current role, Heather served as Vice President of Data, Analytics, Insights, and Innovation at National Veterinary Associates (NVA). Her career has also seen her in leadership positions at Global McDonald’s, United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels and Target Corporation, where she consistently focused on creating consumer-centric experiences.

Heather holds an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two dogs – a boxer and a miniature schnauzer.

Lauren joined BluePearl as a veterinary intern in 2011 following veterinary school at Auburn University. She stayed with BluePearl to continue her advanced training as an emergency and critical care resident, achieving board certification in 2015.

Following her residency, Lauren launched the critical care service at our Clearwater hospital. In 2016, she became the medical director and served in that role until moving into a group medical director position for our Florida hospitals in 2020. In 2021, Lauren moved across the country from Tampa, Florida, to the greater Seattle, Washington, area to be a vice president of medicine for the West. In 2024, she was promoted to vice president of medicine for the entire organization.

A Kentucky native, Lauren considers herself a bourbon aficionado. Outside of work, she can be found gardening, traveling and hiking in the Pacific Northwest with her pug, Nug.

Dr. Geoff Heffner joined BluePearl in 2021 as a group medical director before advancing to his current role as divisional vice president of medicine.

Geoff attended Michigan State University, earning a bachelor's degree in veterinary science and his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 2003. He then completed an internship in New Jersey and a residency in emergency and critical care at Tufts University in 2007 before becoming board certified. He earned his MBA from Colorado State University where he also served as an assistant professor for seven years.

Geoff enjoys relaxing with his wife, hiking in the mountains and skiing.

Rebecca joined BluePearl in 2005, beginning at Michigan Veterinary Specialists, which became a BluePearl hospital in 2010. Before moving to operations, her hospital leadership journey began in human resource management, accounting and finance. Rebecca earned her MBA at Grand Valley State University.

As divisional vice president of operations, Rebecca provides strategic leadership to ensure the alignment of divisional operations with the organization's overall mission, vision and objectives. She develops strategies for efficient operations across multiple hospitals and leads a team of hospital managers and support staff to ensure our Associates have the guidance, training and support needed to succeed.

Outside of work, Rebecca is a member of a non-profit group that helps women business owners succeed. She is married with two beautiful daughters and a golden retriever puppy.

Yadira Payne has decades of experience in clinical and operational roles in various settings in the veterinary industry. She joined BluePearl in 2006 as one of the founding Associates at our Midtown, New York City hospital. Her diverse background and experience led her to a passion for people leadership and development, culminating in her current position as divisional vice president of operations.

Yadira is a strong advocate of Mars and BluePearl equity, inclusion and diversity (EI&D) initiatives and serves on several committees. She has also partnered with organizations in underserved communities to bring awareness to professional opportunities in the veterinary industry through student education.

Outside of work, Yadira volunteers with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which provides guide dogs to individuals with vision loss. As a native New Yorker, Yadira enjoys the hustle and bustle of the city and the natural wonders of the outskirts. Her family includes her husband and their two children, along with their dogs and cats, who were all rescued during her travels.

 

Mike Dwyer joined BluePearl in 2024 and has 18 years of retail experience and 23 years of leading operational teams. Prior to joining BluePearl, he was the senior regional director of operations at a dental support organization. In this role, he developed and implemented best practices and strategies to maximize the return on investment of each independent dental office that was acquired.

Prior to dental support, Mike spent 18 years in the retail space leading large teams to deliver maximum profit for the company and its shareholders. He spent 3 years as the vice president of stores at Skechers, responsible for the daily operations of 250 stores in the US and Puerto Rico. Most of his retail career was with Target Corporation in multiple roles, the most recent being senior regional director of operations, leading daily operations of 60 stores, remodeling stores, opening new stores and closing stores in the Midwest. Mike is a graduate of Illinois State University with a BA in Marketing.

Mike is from and currently resides in Illinois with his wife and two children. When he is not at his kids' sporting events, Mike loves to be outside with his dog Ashton and lives an active lifestyle.

 

Lenore joined BluePearl in 2019 as a clinical programs manager, overseeing the EmERge program. In 2021, she became the senior director of clinical affairs, working to support training programs, current and new, BluePearl Science and our telemedicine service. She became the vice president of clinical affairs for BluePearl in 2023.

She completed her emergency and critical care residency at Auburn University, where she remained on faculty for an additional eight years.

When not working, Lenore enjoys spending time with her husband and pets.

Melinda joined BluePearl in 2010 as a small animal rotating intern at our Tampa hospital and stayed for her residency in internal medicine. She then led the internal medicine service at our Clearwater hospital for nine years. During that time, Melinda also served on the intern selection committee, acted as an intern mentor, co-directed the internship program and led patient safety efforts.

As BluePearl’s director of medical quality, Melinda leads the team that promotes ongoing improvement through medical excellence, patient safety and continuous learning. She enjoys collaborating with our hospitals to improve patient safety and delivery of care through implementing systems changes.

Outside of work, Melinda enjoys going to the gym, being on the water and spending time with her husband and pets.

Amy Ramirez worked in general practice and lab animal medicine early on in her career. She has experience with the Army Institute of Surgical Research, where she focused on hemostasis, reperfusion injury and ventilation modalities. Amy has worked within the hospitals for the past 21 years, holding roles of technician manager, practice manager, veterinary relations representative, hospital administrator and director of field operations.

As BluePearl's director of nursing and training, she works closely with our divisional nursing partners to elevate the role of assistants and veterinary technicians by ensuring they can work to the top of their licensure. She is passionate about creating career paths that support veterinary technicians across the course of their careers. She and her team of divisional nursing partners provide support for our patient care Associates across 100+ hospitals.

Meghan joined BluePearl in 2017 and served as the medical director of our Brooklyn hospital and group medical director of the Philadelphia area hospitals before becoming the director of our national blood banking program in 2022.

She attended veterinary school at Louisiana State University and her internship and residency were completed at Tufts University.