Dr. Kemba L. Marshall is deeply engaged professionally as a relief veterinarian, executive consultant to the Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition and founder of Marshall Recruiting Consortium. She’s a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, specializing in avian medicine, and the former director of veterinary services at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center.
1. How would you describe yourself?
I am a life learner and an open-minded, curious individual. I’m a daughter, best friend, sister, concerned citizen and someone who has the absolute privilege of doing what I love every single day. I am also a fish mom and, until recently, a dog mom.
2. When did you know you wanted to be a veterinarian?
I am the daughter of an attorney and a high school principal. I was encouraged every day to be involved in conversation and decisions. So, at 8 years old, I explained to my mother and father that I was going to be a veterinarian. From the day I was born, there was always a dog in our house.
3. How did you start your veterinary journey?
When I told my parents at 8, “Hey, this is what I, and therefore we, are going to do,” they said, “You’re going to have to put your hands on animals and have good grades.” As for the grades, they were really good all through high school and college. As for putting hands on animals, in Jacksonville, Florida, we had the Museum of Science and History, which had a vivarium, so tarantulas, snakes, lizards, centipedes. I worked there until undergrad and then went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., and worked at the National Zoo.
4. Any life-changing experiences?
When looking for work at the National Zoo, I used a phone book and literally called every department. I said: “I’m in undergrad. I want to go to vet school. I want to do something with animals.” Many of those departments never called back. After I made yet another call, one gentleman answered and said, “Didn’t I just talk to you?” And I was like, “Yes, I’m going through the phone book.” He asked, “Are you going to call every number?” I said, “I’m going to call every number until someone says yes.”
5. How did he respond?
He said yes. Poor guy. When I am determined, I’m determined.
6. What happened next in your journey?
I sit my parents down because I need to explain that I will be going to Colorado State University. My dad says, “Well, how much is that?” At the time, it was $70,000 a year. Then my dad asked, “Does the University of Florida have a school?” I said, “Yeah, but that’s not my dream.” He asked, “How much is it if we send you to Florida?” In-state tuition was $7,000 a year. My dad said, “Your mother and I are going to take your things to Gainesville.” It turned out to be the perfect decision for me.
7. Any advice from someone that sticks with you today?
When I was in veterinary school, one of my zoo instructors and I were having lunch. I asked, “I feel like the zoo or exotics world is where I’m going to be. How do I get going?” And he said, “Remember that medicine is medicine.”
8. How have you applied that advice?
I went from private practice to lab animal to emergency medicine to overseeing the health of all the pets sold inside PetSmart to going to Purina and caring for the animals involved in nutrition research. Medicine is medicine.
9. Do you have any special animals in your life?
My dog, Manny, recently got his angel wings. He was a German shepherd I got from the pound. We had 13 wonderful years together. I’m also a fish mom. There’s a 125-gallon tank out there with my name on it.
10. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
I walk the dog, feed the fish and make sure all those kiddos are OK. And then, once everyone’s fed and watered, I grab something for sustenance, normally fruit and a protein bar. Then I sit down and reflect: “What is the most important thing I have to do today?” Let me do that first, and then let me figure out what I’ll do the rest of the day.
11. What is a typical workday for you?
Because I want to be tied to the practice of medicine, I do relief shifts from time to time. When you’re in the room, you’re talking to your clients, working with your patients. You’ve got your team behind you, and we’re diagnosing, treating and preventing disease. If I’m not doing a relief shift, I’m working on presentations or something that might be described as a keynote or opening lecture.
12. Do you like sports?
Yes. In order, I go football, basketball, baseball and soccer. I don’t post a lot on social media, but everyone I’m connected with knows that at least once a year, my mom, dad and I travel to Pittsburgh because we’re die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
13. Any lucky sports clothes or other favorites?
The colors you’ll see me in often are black and yellow — the official uniform for those of us in Steelers Nation. As for other favorites, there’s nothing like a comfy pair of scrubs. We’ve all done it. You’re not going to work, but you’re like, “I’m going to put these scrubs on and run to the grocery store.” When the weather is right, the best uniform is shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops.
14. Do you like music?
Music is the backdrop to everything for me. I listen to country, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, classics, Broadway tunes. When I’m working and have to get it done, like a presentation, I listen to a song I don’t know so I don’t get distracted. I listen to a lot of Indian flute. When I’m driving, the music is turned up, the windows are down, and I’m singing badly but with gusto.
15. Any favorite books?
When I was 8, a C.S. Lewis book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, changed my life. That’s where the children get to the land of Narnia, where the animals can talk. It was the beginning of my veterinary journey. I like veterinary books on trends in HR, practice management and veterinary teams so I can continue to be relevant when I’m presenting.
16. What is your professional passion?
Expanding the boundaries of veterinary medicine. When I first told my parents, “Hey, I’m going to vet school,” I was thinking of the white coat, the stethoscope, the small animal clinic, spay, neuter, vaccines. However, very little of my professional career has been standard. With everything I do, I want to push past what I initially thought veterinary medicine was. Going after the most broad, expansive term of “veterinary medicine” fuels me.
17. How do you define leadership?
If it’s good, I’m going last. And if it’s bad, I’m going first. I don’t ask people to do things they’ve never seen me do. And there’s never been a time when people can’t raise their hand and say, “I have an opinion, a question, a concern, a comment.” If I am with a team, we’re shoulder to shoulder doing stuff. They’re seeing me push them forward when the good is happening and push them backward when the bad is happening. If we’re failing, we will do it together.
18. How do you practice self-care?
It depends on the day. Sometimes, self-care is “Eat food, drink water.” I mean, sometimes it’s very basic things because we’re doing this, that and the other. I’m a firm believer in vacations and paid time off. So, at a minimum for my birthday, I take the week off. But when I’m doing a really good job, I take the week off and go to another country, as I love to travel. And when I’m on vacation, I shut it down. I don’t check email. I don’t answer text messages.
19. Relationships are?
Everything. I can’t tell you how many times I’m in the exam room, talking to a client, and I start with, “How are things going at home?” Sometimes, you hear the usual: “The kids are crazy, dog’s good, just here for vaccines.” But sometimes, they start crying, and now you’ve got to lean all the way forward because they’re about to tell you something that’s very, very important. That type of relationship is always powerful, as is the relationship with the team. Every person who’s working with me, from the receptionist to the technicians and assistants, is going to do something to make pet care better today. When the team is at its best, patient care is exceptional.
20. What are your goals in 2024?
I am working with Wiley Publishing on a book called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine. It is a labor of love because my concept is that every letter in the alphabet is a standalone chapter. I’ve gotten friends, co-workers and colleagues to write chapters with me and for me. We’ve chosen terms and words that will expand the thought around the definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion in the veterinary medical profession. I look at this as my contribution to sustaining the profession. I mean, when you think about the Veterinarian Oath, one of the last lines is, “I accept as a lifelong obligation the continuous improvement of my knowledge.” This book will be a full-circle moment for me, and I hope it teaches someone something they didn’t know before. I also would underscore that what veterinary professionals do today will determine how veterinary medicine looks 20, 30, 40 years from now. I also think each of us can do something to make the profession better.
ONLINE RESOURCES
- National Zoo jobs and internships, bit.ly/438m4xN
- “Self-Care for New Veterinarians,” American Veterinary Medical Association, bit.ly/3uqlGO9
- “Learning to Lead,” by Dr. Kelly Cooper, Today’s Veterinary Business, bit.ly/leadership-TVB
- Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition, diversifyvetmed.org
SECOND CAREER
Jimmy Webb never wore a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, but he spent seven seasons as a defensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers. After retiring from the NFL, he earned a DVM degree from Mississippi State University and went into practice in Central California. In August, he will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024.