Our Team

Dr. Converse, a veterinary emergency and critical care specialist, has more than 25 years of clinical, educator, and administrative experience in veterinarian healthcare settings. Her positions have included veterinarian practice ownership, medical director, residency director, clinical instructor, and volunteer veterinarian.

Dr. Converse is a founding member of Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin. As the organization’s president and medical director, she currently travels throughout Wisconsin educating K9 handlers and EMS personnel on point of injury care for animals experiencing a traumatic event. She was a co-founding member for the National Association Veterinary Emergency Medical Services (NAVEMS) and has also served on multiple nonprofit organizations focusing on suicide prevention and veterinary hospice.

She presently is self-employed as a Locum Clinical Instructor in veterinary emergency and critical care with current responsibilities at multiple colleges of veterinary medicine nationally. Dr. Converse obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.

Lyn has more than 25 years of clinical, veterinary practice management, and educator expertise in primary and emergency veterinary care, in addition to roles as a veterinary relations representative and an operations director. Outside of her veterinary employment responsibilities, her genuine passion for volunteering her time and talents for the health of animals is very apparent to her community and profession.

She is a member of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA), the Wisconsin Practice Manager Association (WVPMA), the Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association (WVTA), and the National Association Veterinary Emergency Medical Services (NAVEMS). Lyn also sits on the Veterinary Examining Board.

Lyn is a founding member of Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin where she serves as its operations director and on its board of directors. Her present role involves scheduling, coordinating, and co-teaching all the Operational K9 Medical Team of WI educational sessions on point of injury care to K9 handlers and emergency medical service personnel. Her veterinary technician degree was obtained from Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin.

Kris is one of the founding members of OPK9 Medical Team of Wisconsin. She started her veterinary career as certified veterinary technician over 20 years ago. She has a passion for educating the law enforcement community and was also instrumental in advocacy of SB 435. She currently is employed at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital as the hospital administrator in Appleton, Wisconsin. She enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and two children.

Wendy Stabler is the Financial Director of the Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin, bringing over 35 years of financial expertise across both non-profit and for-profit sectors. As the owner of Creative Financial Outsourcing (CFO), she specializes in providing financial record-keeping solutions to small businesses.

Wendy’s previous roles include Controller at BEAMING Inc., a non-profit offering adaptive horsemanship to individuals with disabilities, and an 18-year tenure as Controller for Horizon Veterinary Services, overseeing finances for emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals nationwide. Her extensive experience spans various industries, including research and development, private trusts, construction, the paper industry, and public accounting.

Since 2009, she has served as Treasurer on the Board of the Winnebago County 4-H Horse and Pony Project. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Charlotte has more than 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in healthcare organizations, including positions as Chief of Nursing Services and Director of Surgical Services. In addition to her leadership skills in all areas of critical care and general medical/surgical acute care areas, she has administrative and consulting expertise in service specific healthcare programs nationally and internationally.

She also has experience in education, including positions as educational coordinator and assistant professor, and she has developed nursing recruitment and education programs, as well as curriculums for a university program. She has also worked in Asia and Europe during her years of service in the United States Army. She is an active Board member of Operational K9 Medical Team of WI since 2021. Charlotte holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees with a major in Nursing.

Dr. Stroman, an emergency and EMS physician, is dually boarded in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. In addition, he maintains licensing as a Paramedic with endorsements for Critical Care and Tactical EMS. He has served EMS as a Medical Director since 1990, covering ground EMS, Air Medical, Fire, and Law Enforcement agencies in Indiana and Wisconsin.

As an active member of state and regional bodies, he served on the State Trauma Advisory Council through the development and implementation of the State Trauma Program, helped establish the Northeast Wisconsin and Fox Valley Regional Trauma Advisory Councils, and served as an Executive Council member and past Chair.

Dr. Stroman developed the MD-1 Program through the Aurora BayCare Medical Center, providing direct physician response and oversight at the scene of complicated responses, as well as medical and tactical training for fire, EMS, and law enforcement colleagues.

Operational K9 Medical Care has been integrated into the primary and continuing education curriculum and he has served on the Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin Board of Directors since 2020. He holds faculty teaching positions in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and also the Medical College of Wisconsin, and served as the Medical Director for EMS Programs at Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center.

Deputy Robert Zill Jr.’s professional life of service started more than 20 years ago in the United States Marine Corps. Following his military service, he has served as a police officer for 18 years, including 9 of those years as a K9 handler and is current handler to K9 Skylar. He is SWAT team leader for the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Field Training Officer and Honor Guard member. His additional leadership and teaching roles include WLECHA board member for 6 years, FVTC Adjunct Instructor for 10 years, Master Instructor for the State of WI, and Instructor for the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Zill had been an active member for Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin Board of Directors since 2020.

Dr. Johnson, board certified in Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management, is a Research Anesthesiologist and Clinical Professor of Anesthesia and Pain Management at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Her more than 20 years of clinical practice, education and research expertise includes a focus on the respiratory and gastrointestinal effects of opioid and non-opioid analgesics in companion animals.

Dr. Johnson joined with Operational K9 Medical Team of WI as a volunteer educator in 2021. Dr. Johnson obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ohio State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and completed her anesthesia residency, MS and PhD degrees at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Jill is a Certified Veterinary Technician at BluePearl Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Appleton. She has 9 years of prior service with the Army National Guard and Army Reserve working as a heavy transport operator and animal care specialist. Jill joined the OPK9 Medical Team in 2019. She enjoys spending her free time camping and hiking with her husband, 2 dogs, and daughter.

Justine was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been in the veterinary field as a certified veterinary technician for close to 10 years now. The majority of that time has been spent working in the emergency and critical care department, and she joined the OPK9 medical team in 2022.

In addition, she is currently a veterinary student at the UW- Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and will be graduating in 2026! She has two dogs, a Belgian Malinois named Bex and a German Shepherd named Blair. In her free time she enjoys fishing, cooking, and hiking!

Todd has been a first responder for over 20 years and is currently a firefighter/paramedic and a SWAT medic in Northwest Indiana. He also works part time as a veterinary assistant at a local 24-hour emergency vet clinic where he gets to translate all of his human medical skills to canine patients. He has been traveling from Indiana to OPK9 to volunteer his time.

Ella Peters is the daughter of Lisa Converse. She has been volunteering with OPK9 Medical Team since she was a toddler. She is currently in college majoring in occupational therapy and American Sign Language. Emergency medicine is in her blood, and she works as certified nurse assistant and EMT in Minnesota. Ella is a lover of all animals big and small. Ella enjoys spending time her dog, Breckenridge, photography, traveling and family.

Dr. Eastman’s interest in working dogs started with athletes when she graduated from UW in 1993. She worked “in the field” with sled dogs in Michigan, Minnesota and Alaska. When she moved back to Wisconsin, she left the sled dogs behind but began working with K9 officers and search dogs. She has learned so much by assisting with Operational K9 Medical Team training. Not only do the participants benefit, but she is able to provide more sound advice and information to the working dogs she cares for on a routine basis. Dr. Eastman also is a search and rescue handler with her dog, Ivy.

Matt and his K9, Tesla, have been working together since 2019 and have logged thousands of interactions since they started. As one of the only sworn therapy K9 teams in the state, they focus on assisting first responders and civilians in crisis to help make each community just a little healthier each day.

Dr. Brian Darkow grew up outside of Madison in the town of Cottage Grove. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2007. Following graduation, he attended the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine where he received his doctorate degree in May 2011. Brian enjoys the variety of practicing both large animal and companion animal medicine.

In his free time, Brian enjoys being physically active, hiking, camping, kayaking, playing sports, traveling and spending time with friends and family. He currently shares his home with two friendly cats, Huckleberry and Dora, and one energetic and loyal German Shepherd named Atlas.

Rachel recently joined OPK9 and has been a very active volunteer ever since. She will be graduating from veterinary school in 2024 and will be practicing in Wisconsin. Rachel has been an integral part of our team and her enthusiasm is undeniable.

Manon is a certified veterinary technician at the Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She is a dog lover and enjoys her time volunteering. She has been a very active volunteer with OPK9.

Bex is a Belgion Malinois owned by Justine Finerty. She loves going on the boat and fishing with Justine, running very fast, dock diving and car rides.

Greta is a young lively German Shepherd owned by Lisa Converse. She has been teaching since a puppy. She loves treat rewards, playing ball, and swimming.

Ivy (Danikk Summer Solstice) was born in April, 2017 and is owned by Dr. Margaret Eastman. She was awarded her Canine Good Citizen Certificate by the grace of God in 2019 and completed the certification for HRD by the National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR).

She is also certified through NNCDS for Water HRD. She loves her frisbee, standing water, and shedding on her favorite people.

Stig is a Belgian Malinois owned by Lyn Schuh. Stig initially failed out of “cop” school and then spent some time as a service dog with Got Your Six K9’s. He joined OPK9 in 2019. He enjoys snuggles, food, and a BALL and is a fantastic volunteer.

Breck is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by Ella Peters. He has also been teaching with OPK9 since a very young age. He loves food, sleeping, and despite his small size is one of our most “popular” teaching dogs.

Tesla is owned by Matt.

K9 Harlow was a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd hybrid that was a retired Jefferson County Sheriffs Office K9. He had a very successful career. He had a number of successful narcotics finds and tracks, while being a community favorite!

K9 Harlow was always friendly and was a wonderful link between law enforcement and the community he served K9 Harlow was a great asset and teaching K9 for the OPK9 medical classes. We will miss him very much.

Poppy is a young Great Pyrenees mix owned by Becky Johnson. She has a silly personality and been teaching since she was a puppy. She loves playing “toys”, her snacks, and hopes to be part of the team for years to come!