Dr. Rhodes received her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania College of Veterinary Medicine, and her PhD from Cornell University. She was a large animal practitioner for five years, with a focus on dairy cows. Her pharmaceutical career began at Merck in human drug development followed by a position at Merial as director of large animal development projects. In 2001, she left Merial to co-found AlcheraBio, a contract research firm specializing in developing new drugs for animals. AlcheraBio was acquired by Argenta in 2008. 

In 2011, Dr. Rhodes became the founding CEO of Aratana Therapeutics, and subsequently, when the company went public, she served as its Chief Scientific Officer. During her five-year tenure, she led the R&D team to achieve FDA approval of the pet therapeutics Galliprant, Entyce and Nocita. Dr. Rhodes served on The Alliance for Cats and Dogs Board of Directors for 17 years, and now serves on their Scientific Advisory Board. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Michelson Prize and Grants Program, and was on the Board of Zoetis for seven years. Currently she is on the Boards of Dalan Animal Health, Akston Biosciences and Loyal. In 2017, she founded Feather in Her Cap Association, dedicated to recognizing high achieving women in the animal health industry.

Dr. Rhodes lives in New Hampshire and is working on the publication of her memoir, Lady Cow Vet.