Advisory Board

The WHOA Advisory Board is made up of a group of individuals with a wide range of skills – technical, business, veterinary, finance, and horsemanship.

Chris Peterson

Chris Peterson
Chris Peterson

Chris is an astrophysicist and educator. He founded Quantum Diagnostics in 1983 and developed much of the technology now used for cataract removal. He has 20 years experience on the Board of the non-profit corporation that operates Guffey Community Charter School. Chris rides a 21-year-old QH/WB mix and is bringing along a 4-year-old Devil’s Garden Mustang.

James M Latham, Jr, DVM

Jim Latham
Jim Latham

Jim is a 1975 graduate of Colorado State University. He practiced equine medicine and surgery for 24 years as president of Napa Valley Veterinary Hospital, and 19 years with wife Patty Latham DVM as Mill Creek Veterinary Service in both Pagosa Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado. Jim taught equine dentistry at Colorado State University in both the professional program and in the Equine Science program. Jim rides a 21-year-old Quarter Horse and an 8-year-old mustang in the South San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Patty Latham, DVM

Patty Latham
Patty Latham

Patty graduated from Colorado State University in 1975. She has practiced veterinary medicine for forty-five years, married to partner Jim Latham, Jr., DVM, 24 of those years in the Napa Valley. They then operated an equine only general practice in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and in Larimer County while teaching equine dentistry and nutrition at Colorado State University. In 2015, Dr Patty Latham retired in Chromo, Colorado. Dr. Latham has published over 20 case reports and features as a freelance writer for EQUUS Magazine, America’s Horse Magazine, and online. She is the author of Napa Valley Vets, The Balance of Lives and a novel, Colorado Blood, and a sequel coming soon, Colorado Tears. Dr. Patty works with a four- year-old and an eight-year-old mustang. The Lathams hike and ride in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado and spend time with their kids and grandkids.

Christoph Meseg

Victoria Wertgen