FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pet Care Trust Announces New President and Changes in Board

The Pet Care Trust, the Non-Profit Organization funding the Pets in the Classroom Grant Program, announces the appointment of one new board member and changes in board governance.

Bel Air, Maryland – The Pet Care Trust, a non-profit organization that promotes the public understanding of the joys and benefits of pets through education, support, and interaction, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kemba L. Marshall, DVM, DABVP (Avian)of Petsmart Inc. as newly elected President, Rand Kollman of Koller Craft as Vice-President, Michael Lasky of Schiaffino, Lasky & Associates, Inc. as Secretary-Treasurer, and Thomas Edling, DVM, Vice President of Veterinary Medicine at PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. as a new board member.

Dr. Kemba Marshall is taking the position of past President Brent Weinmann of Vitakraft-Sunseed Company and Michael Lasky is taking the position of past Secretary-Treasurer Lew Sutton of PetAg Inc.  Both Weinmann and Sutton will continue to serve on the board along with existing member Mike Copeland of Summit Pet Product Distributors. Also new to the Board is Clancy Lavins, Sr. V.P. of Market and Business Development, Animal Supply Company.

As President, Dr. Marshall’s love for animals and education will be an asset to the Trust. She will help extend the reach of the Pets in the Classroom program, an educational grant program that provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain classroom pets in order to expose students to the benefits of pet care.

I want to convey the positive influence animals can have on the life of a child. Animals are great ambassadors and can teach children compassion, responsibility and empathy. In my youth, my curiosity and love of animals led me to seek to understand how animals “work” and that eventually led me to my career path in veterinary medicine.  I really feel the importance of pets in children’s lives cannot be stressed enough.  Through the Pets in the Classroom program my hope is that positive interactions with these pets will be as impactful to today’s students as my childhood experiences with my pets were to me.”  

The Pets in the Classroom grant program has provided over 50,000 teachers with classroom pets, impacting the lives of approximately 2.5 million students.  Under the leadership of Dr. Marshall, the program is well on its way to achieving the Foundation’s goal of reaching 5 million students by 2017. “I am excited that the Board is partnering to achieve this mission,” commented Dr. Marshall. “The program is having great success and I get the pleasure of working with my fellow board members to see this success continue.”

To learn more about the Pet Care Trust and the Pets in the Classroom grant program, or to sponsor a teacher for the program, visit www.PetsintheClassroom.org.

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