--- title: Who’s Looking After Your Vet? Meet the Woman Who Is Now Leading the Animal Hospitals Behind the Scenes description: Explore how AAHA sets rigorous standards in veterinary care, with Dr Guylaine Charette leading compassionate leadership for pets and their owners author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2025-06-27T10:09:43.000Z updated: 2026-02-26T22:04:54.546Z canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/who-s-looking-after-your-vet-meet-the-woman-who-is-now-leading-the-animal-hospitals-behind-th image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/guylaine-charette.jpg categories: Female leadership content_type: Interview region: United States publication: Rich Woman Magazine --- You’re sitting in the waiting room, clutching your nervous dog’s lead whilst they pant at your feet. A stranger in scrubs calls your pet’s name, and you hand over this furry member of your family, hoping they’ll receive the same care you’d give them yourself. What most of us don’t realise is that someone has been quietly making sure those standards aren’t just posters on the wall – and right now, a new woman is taking on that responsibility for thousands of animal hospitals across North America. ## What Is AAHA, and Why Should You Care? The American Animal Hospital Association isn’t a governing body that forces rules on veterinary practices. Instead, it’s an organisation that checks and guides animal hospitals to meet high standards – but only if they want to. [AAHA accreditation](https://www.aaha.org/what-is-accreditation/) means someone independent has verified that a clinic actually does what it promises, supporting pet owners who simply want to feel safe leaving their animal in someone else’s care. Only about 12 to 15 per cent of veterinary practices in the US and Canada choose to go through this process. When they do, they’re evaluated against nearly 900 standards covering everything from pain management and anaesthesia to how they keep medical records and train their staff. It’s voluntary – which makes it all the more meaningful when a practice displays that AAHA logo. ## The Woman at the Helm – Dr Guylaine Charette From 1 July this year, Dr Guylaine Charette will step into the role of interim CEO at AAHA. She’s not a [corporate executive parachuted in from outside](https://richwoman.co/article/female-leaders-making-a-difference-karen-freeman-wilson) – she’s a veterinarian first, someone who graduated from the Université de Montréal and has spent her career at Pembroke Animal Hospital, an AAHA-accredited practice she owns in Ontario. Dr Charette previously served as AAHA’s president from 2019 to 2020, giving her deep institutional knowledge of how the organisation works and what challenges face veterinary medicine today. She’s someone who understands the profession from the ground up – from examining anxious pets to managing the business side of running a practice. ‘Dr Charette’s proven track record of leadership within AAHA, combined with her broad experience in the veterinary community, makes her the ideal person to guide our organisation through this transition,’ says Dr Scott Driever, president of AAHA’s board of directors. ## What Has AAHA Actually Done for My Vet? Under outgoing CEO Garth Jordan’s leadership over the past five years, AAHA has expanded its reach internationally, establishing accreditation standards in Japan, South Korea and China. [This matters because it means the high standards your local accredited vet follows](https://richwoman.co/article/medical-leadership-milestone-highlights-progress-for-women-in-specialised-surgery) are being recognised globally as best practice. The organisation has also developed a new cohort model called Amplify to help veterinary practices navigate the accreditation process together rather than struggling alone. This hybrid programme combines live virtual sessions with independent work, making it less daunting for vet teams to adopt those 900-plus standards that ensure quality care. Perhaps most importantly for you as a pet owner, Jordan spearheaded AAHA’s [‘Stay, Please’ research series](https://www.aaha.org/resources/white-paper-factors-that-support-retentionand-drive-attrition-in-the-veterinary-profession/) on veterinary workforce retention. This research matters because it addresses a real problem: about 30 per cent of veterinary professionals are considering leaving their roles, with half planning to quit clinical practice entirely. When your vet is burnt out, overworked or constantly dealing with staff turnover, it affects the quality of care your pet receives. AAHA’s research has provided evidence-based strategies to help practices keep good staff and maintain workplace satisfaction – which directly impacts your pet’s experience during visits. Just as [post-pandemic challenges have affected our pets’ mental health](https://richwoman.co/article/post-pandemic-pet-mental-health-crisis-drives-demand-for-specialised-dog-trainers), the wellbeing of veterinary staff affects the quality of care they can provide. ## What Happens Next – and Why You Might Notice For pet owners, the most practical takeaway is knowing how to find these accredited practices. Look for [the AAHA-accredited logo](https://www.aaha.org/for-pet-parents/why-accreditation-matters/) at your local animal hospital, or use the hospital locator on aaha.org to find accredited clinics in your area. The change in leadership happens behind the scenes, but the person now steering the ship has her paws firmly in the real issues that matter to both veterinary professionals and the animals they treat. You won’t notice anything different about booking an appointment or cuddling your pet in the waiting room – the standards that matter will continue to be upheld. Dr Charette brings something valuable to this role: she’s not just managing an organisation, she’s part of the community it serves. As someone who has worked in the same AAHA-accredited practice throughout her career, she understands what these standards mean in [daily practice](https://richwoman.co/article/how-a-small-pet-shop-chain-is-quietly-making-life-better-for-maine-s-homeless-animals). ## The Quiet Guardians of Pet Care The next time you’re in that waiting room, worried about your pet, you can take some comfort in knowing that if you’ve chosen an AAHA-accredited practice, someone like Dr Charette has been working to ensure the care your animal receives meets rigorous standards. It’s not flashy work – it’s the quiet, methodical business of making sure that when you trust a stranger with your pet’s health, that trust is well-placed. AAHA has been doing this work since 1933, and with Dr Charette’s appointment, it continues to be led by people who understand that behind every veterinary standard is a real pet and a person who loves them. That’s the kind of leadership that truly looks after both your vet and, ultimately, your beloved animal.