Title: Owner

Company: Meadowlark Retrievers Friends

Location: Easton, Kan.

When Kathleen Smith lost her dog in 1997, she developed a passion for dog-breeding and animal care. Through her company, Meadowlark Retrievers, she has been involved in breeding golden retrievers since 2007. Her love of animals and talent for creating strong business relationships have significantly furthered her multifaceted career pursuits, which extend from animal care to financial analysis. Sustained by field research and experience working with safe housing for animals, Ms. Smith regularly reaches out to her Kansas community about their animal concerns.

Ms. Smith has recently expanded her animal enterprises into the goat-raising industry. She has been milking goats for the past two years, and hopes in the future to significantly expand the number of goats in her care, along with creating soap products and baked goods using goat’s milk. Interested in fostering self-growth in her professional interests, Ms. Smith is mentored by Christian Women’s Golden Retrievers. She is also vice president of the American Society of Military Comptrollers and has worked as a financial program analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense for the past 11 years.