Sheri Speede, DVM

Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Sheri Speede was aware at an early age that she wanted to work with animals. She qualified as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University and began practicing in 1985.

Moving to Portland, Oregon in 1988, Dr. Speede soon became a partner in Pacific Veterinary Hospital, a successful southwest Portland practice. She served as president of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association and co-founded the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, a nonprofit organization dedicated to humanely reducing the population of feral cats through spaying and neutering. She sold her interest in the veterinary practice in 1995 so she could commit her time to animal advocacy.

As Northwest Director of In Defense of Animals from 1995 to 1998, Sheri was able to provide veterinary care to animals in sanctuaries, including primates in Cameroon, Africa. Her two trips to Cameroon in 1997 soon changed the course of her life.

For 13 years, from 1998 to 2011, Sheri lived in Cameroon full-time. She founded Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue, with a mission to provide sanctuary in natural habitat for confiscated chimpanzees while spearheading and supporting habitat protection, wildlife law enforcement, and conservation education programs. She now splits her time between Cameroon and the United States. While in the United States, she has enjoyed part-time clinical work with dogs and cats.

In December 2023, she was delighted to join the team at Hillsdale Veterinary Hospital as a part-time associate. She loves providing compassionate care to companion animals and the people who love them.