DAR Leadership
Meet DAR's Leadership Team.
Deborah Mook, DVM, DACLAM
Executive Director
Dr. Mook earned her veterinary degree from The University of Wisconsin-Madison (1998). She practiced small animal medicine near Chicago and then laboratory animal medicine at Louisiana State University in New Orleans before coming to Emory for residency training (completed in 2003). She has been at Emory ever since, first as a clinical veterinarian, as Associate Director and now as Executive Director of the DAR.
Lynne Morelock-Roy, MBA
Division Administrator
Lynne Morelock-Roy is Division Administrator of the Division of Animal Resources at Emory University. She received her MBA from Georgia State University in 1987 and BA in English Literature Emory University in 1981. Lynne started work with the division as a student animal care technician in 1977, continuing on as a permanent employee in administrative activities starting in 1981 and has supported research at Emory since that time. Lynne was the recipient of an Emory Award of Distinction in 1991 and the 1st recipient of the AALAS Charles River Linda Hazel Memorial Award in 2006.
Vanessa K. Lee, DVM, DACLAM
Assistant Director
Vanessa K. Lee is an Assistant Director and Associate Professor in the Division of Animal Resources at Emory University. She received her D.V.M. from the University of Georgia in 2005 and entered a laboratory animal residency at Emory University in 2007. She remained as a faculty veterinarian at Emory University upon completion of her residency in 2009 and currently oversees the veterinary services for the DAR.
Marsha A Howard, BS, RLATG, CMAR
Operations Manager, Animal Care Personnel
Marsha Howard received her B.S. in Biology from Georgia Southwestern College in 1987. She started her career at Emory University in the Division of Animal Resources in December of 2000 as an Animal Care Technician. Currently an Operations Manager, she supports animal care teams in each of the facilities with an emphasis on personnel management.
C.J. Arnett
Operations Manager, Physical Plant
claude.junior.arnett@emory.edu
C.J. Arnett received his B.S. in Biology from Fairmont State College in West Virginia in 1992. He performed research at Indiana University School of Medicine before making the move to animal facility management in 2000. He came to Emory in 2021 by way of Northwestern University. He provides facility equipment support and management.
Austin Forbes
Operations Manager, Aquatics
Austin Forbes received his B.S in Biology from the University of Oregon. He performed research using zebrafish at the University of Washington and the Oregon Health & Science University before transitioning into laboratory and facility management. He came to Emory in 2024 to provide operational support and management for DAR Aquatics as well as zebrafish husbandry expertise.
