Women’s business organization welcomes first veterinarian board chair

For the first time since its founding, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) has a veterinarian chairing its board of directors.

Over the next year, Dr. Janis Shinkawa, a multi-practice owner from Ventura, California, will oversee the governing body of 10 female entrepreneurs who advise NAWBO CEO Jen Earle and her staff.

The organization was established in 1975 when women were prohibited from applying for a loan without a male cosigner. NAWBO National supports roughly 10,000 members through political advocacy and business training and resources as well as mentoring and networking opportunities. It operates roughly 50 chapters across the U.S. that provide localized support, events, and resources tailored to its members, who represent businesses of all sizes, stages of growth, and industries.

Dr. Shinkawa started her career as a certified public accountant, working for Ernst & Young for over five years. She then pursued a career in veterinary medicine, graduating in 2022 from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Shinkawa moved to Ventura to complete a small animal rotating internship at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group. From there, she worked as a general practitioner in the area before founding Ohana Pet Hospital in Ventura with her business partners and fellow veterinarians in 2012. That’s also around the time when she joined NAWBO.

“I was looking for a business community that I truly wanted to be a part of,” said Dr. Shinkawa. She felt as though her local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club weren’t cutting it, so she joined NAWBO.

“NAWBO wants to see you succeed in business,” she said. “If I had an issue, they would help me. If they didn't have the right person in the chapter, they would help me find her. That’s the kind of community I wanted be a part of.”

Dr. Shinkawa is a partner with three veterinary startups in the Ventura area that gross more than $20 million annually and employ about 200 people. Dr. Shinkawa has also helped develop veterinary assistant programs for local high schools and established a certification program in veterinary technology at Ventura College, a local community college.

Given the support she’s received, Dr. Shinkawa wants to share her knowledge and experience with up-and-coming women entrepreneurs, especially veterinarians, regardless of whether they’re practice owners or associates. To do so, she’s created the 501(c)3 nonprofit Lokahi Foundation. The Lokahi teaching laboratory, attached to the Ohana Pet Hospital location in Santa Paula, California, delivers training to local veterinarians and support staff members.

“Whether you own the practice or not, we’re looked to for leadership from our teams, and our customers look to us for business and financial literacy. Lean into that, don’t be afraid,” said Dr. Shinkawa, adding that NAWBO provides members with training in these areas.