Team

Innovating to Help Pets Live Better Lives
Meet Our Team

Christian Kjaer
Chairman, CEO & Cofounder
Former senior executive at IDEXX Laboratories: President of OPTI Medical Systems; VP and GM of Water Division; VP and GM of South Asia/Middle East/Africa Region. Former CEO of European tech companies, including Cantion and Chempaq. Mr. Kjaer holds a Master of Business from Copenhagen Business School.

Amanda Howland
CCO & Cofounder
Amanda Howland is ElleVet’s co-founder. Amanda was instrumental in development of ElleVet’s proprietary product line. She has over 20 years experience in public health research and marketing, and has a BA from Colby College and an MPH from UNE.

Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, DVM
PhD, DACVN, DACVSMR Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Joseph Wakshlag is Professor of Nutrition and Sports Medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Wakshlag conducted the first ever clinical trial on dogs using ElleVet Hemp and continues to lead the way in hemp research.

Stacey Evans, JD
VP General Counsel
Former federal attorney, legislative counsel, ethics official, and member of the United States Department of Agriculture Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health. Ms. Evans chaired the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association. Ms. Evans holds a JD from Tulane Law School.

“Ellevet Mobility Chews are the best Hemp product on the market. They work and my dog loves them!”
– Kate Lord & Penny
Advisory Board

Leilani Alvarez, DVM
DACVSMR, CVA, CCRT, CVCHM
Dr. Alvarez is the Director of Integrative and Rehabilitative Medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. She is a board-certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and certified in veterinary acupuncture, canine rehabilitation, and advanced Chinese herbal medicine. She is the 2017 recipient of the prestigious John Sherman Award for Excellence in Veterinary Rehabilitation.

Guillermo Couto, DVM
DACVIM (Internal Medicine and Onco)
Guillermo Couto, DVM, dipl. ACVIM graduated from Buenos Aires University, Argentina in 1976. After working in a private practice for 5 years, he completed a Clinical Oncology Residency at the University of California-Davis. He is co-author of the textbook Small Animal Internal Medicine with Richard W. Nelson, and has over 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in areas of oncology, hematology, and Greyhound medicine.

Lindsay Elam, DVM
MPH, DACVSMR
Dr. Lindsay Elam is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Medicine and Mobility at Colorado State University. She concurrently obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Public Health Degrees as well as post-graduate specialty training at University of Florida. Dr. Elam has been involved in a clinical trial evaluating ElleVet HEMP in post-operative dogs and serves as ElleVet’s Director of Pharmacovigilance.

Dr. Stephen Ettinger
DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Cardiology)
Dr. Ettinger graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1964. He received specialty training in Cardiology at the Bronx Veteran’s Administration Hospital and the Animal Medical Center. He practiced at the AMC until moving to California where he co-founded the Berkeley Veterinary Medical Group, the first group veterinary specialty practice in the United States. Dr. Ettinger served as Chief Medical Officer of PetDRx, was medical director of the California Animal Hospital Veterinary Specialty Group and was an elected member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University. Dr. Ettinger has been the author and editor of the Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine since 1975. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology and Small Animal Internal Medicine) and is an Emeritus Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from both the ACVIM College of Veterinary Cardiology and the VCA Emergency and Veterinary Specialty Group.

Dr. Gabriel A. Garcia, DVM
DACVIM (Neurology)
Dr. Gabriel Garcia is Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Garcia has been involved in a clinical trial evaluating the use of ElleVet HEMP in epileptic dogs.

Germán Graff, DVM
MBA SBR
Germán qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon in Argentina and obtained postgraduate degrees in Bovine Reproduction and Business Administration (MBA) in Argentina and France. Since 2010, he has been involved in veterinary product development, supporting the global Animal Health industry from various roles with Contract Research Organisations. Dr. Graff was also responsible for developing a specialized services portfolio for a multinational veterinary diagnostic company.

Dr. Marc Gurtman, JD, DVM
JD, DVM
After three years of uninspired practice as a New York City attorney, Dr. Gurtman tired of working with animals and enrolled in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. A 1998 graduate, Dr. Gurtman is an owner of the Towne Line Veterinary Group, a six doctor practice on Long Island.

Dr. Bruce Kornreich, DVM
PhD, DVM
Bruce Kornreich received his DVM from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992, and after one year in private clinical practice, returned as Cornell’s first veterinary cardiology resident. He received board certification in veterinary cardiology in 1997 and was awarded his Ph.D. in pharmacology in 2005. After his time as a senior research associate in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell, he became a member of the faculty in its Department of Clinical Sciences in 2007. He was appointed associate director of the Cornell Feline Health Center in 2012 and became director of the Center in 2019.

Daniel G. McChesney, PhD
MS. PhD, Cell and Molecular Biology
Dr. McChesney received his MS and Ph.D. from the Medical College of Georgia. Upon completing his graduate work, he entered the Army as an Officer and medical researcher. He joined FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Surveillance and Compliance in 1990 and spent 28 years working on a variety of issues associated with animal food and drug safety. For the last 14 years of his career at CVM, he was a Senior Executive and Director of CVM’s Office of Surveillance and Compliance.

Kristen Messenger, DVM
PhD, DACVAA, DACVCP
Kristen Messenger is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at North Carolina State University. She is board-certified in both anesthesia and clinical pharmacology and currently works with each of these specialty services at NCSU. Dr. Messenger’s research interests are in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of analgesic and anesthetic drugs, with a special focus on NSAIDS and opioids in companion animals.

Michael Petty, DVM
CVPP, CVMA, CAAPM
Dr. Petty is the owner of Arbor Pointe Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Pain Center. Dr. Petty is the past president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management. He has published articles in veterinary journals and serves as an advisor to several pharmaceutical companies on topics of pain management. He has been the Investigator/ Veterinarian in over 12 FDA pilot and pivotal studies for pain management products.

Lisa Radosta, DVM
DACVB
Dr. Radosta graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She completed a residency in Behavioral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was awarded the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Resident research award two years in a row. Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty behavior practice in southeast Florida, and co-owns Dog Nerds, an online educational resource for owners whose pets have behavior disorders. She has co-authored several books and has published articles in multiple veterinary journals.

Andrew Rosenberg, DVM
DACVD
Dr. Rosenberg completed his 3-year dermatology residency with Animal Dermatology Clinic in 2013 and achieved Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Dermatology in the same year. He received the American College of Veterinary Dermatology Research Award for his work in cyclosporine associated gingival overgrowth. He is the practice owner of multiple clinics in New Jersey and New York.

Wayne Schwark, DVM
MS, PhD Pharmacology
Dr. Schwark initiated his Doctor of Philosophy studies at University of Ottawa Medical School and received his PhD in Pharmacology in 1970. Working as an Assistant Professorship at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, he progressed through the academic ranks and became full Professor of Pharmacology in 1987. After 41 years of teaching, Dr. Schwark retired and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Cornell.

Dave Tittle
BVetMed CertVA (WVA&CPM) MRCVS Adv Practitioner in Vet Anesthesia
Dave Tittle qualified from the RVC, London in 2000 and has spent most of his veterinary career in private practice in coastal North Devon. In 2010, he passed the RCVS Certificate examinations in Veterinary Anesthesia and was subsequently awarded RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status in 2015. He attained his GPCert(WVA&CPM) from the ESVPS in 2018. Dr. Tittle runs referral chronic pain clinics utilizing a variety of techniques in addition to his anesthesia and analgesia commitments.

Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, DVM
PhD, DACVN, DACVSMR. Chair of the Advisory Board
Dr. Joseph Wakshlag is Professor of Nutrition and Sports Medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Wakshlag conducted the first-ever clinical trial on dogs using ElleVet Hemp and continues to lead the way in hemp research in new areas of study.
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