Lesa Staubus, DVM

SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER, FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

Dr. Lesa Staubus, DVM, is a veterinary ethicist and senior program officer at Kirkpatrick Foundation. Dr. Staubus joined Kirkpatrick Foundation after a distinguished career as a practicing veterinarian and academic. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, she graduated valedictorian form Grant H.S. Following the completion of a bachelor's degree in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma, Staubus received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University. She practiced small animal medicine before returning to OSU-Stillwater, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, where she served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in surgery and shelter medicine, as well as Interim Department Head of Veterinary Technology at OSU-OKC.

As an American Humane rescue veterinarian, Dr. Staubus supported communities and their animals following natural and man-made disasters, and reunited retired Military Working Dogs with their former handlers. In addition, Dr. Staubus has volunteered her time and expertise as a board member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and founded Operation Catnip Stillwater. She is a founding member of the Oklahoma Link Coalition, an initiative that uses multidisciplinary programs, training, and research to educate, prevent, and respond to inter-species violence. Utilizing the human-animal bond for the betterment of both animals and people, Dr. Staubus has collaborated with dog programs in schools and prisons and worked to decrease the number of healthy pets euthanized in Oklahoma shelters as a founding member of Common Bonds.

Dr. Staubus resides in Stillwater with her husband Mike, where they raised their three children.