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Executive DirectorErin Henninger, BA, CVT, VTS (ECC) Erin Henninger has been a CVT since 2002 and earned the designation of VTS in Emergency & Critical Care in 2007. Erin served as President on the CACVT Board of Directors beginning in 2016. In 2019, Erin stepped into the Interim Executive Director role and then officially into the permanent position July 2019. Erin recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Women's Studies. Erin's mission is to pair her experience in the clinical setting with her education to advocate for VTs, raise awareness of the many opportunities available to VTs, and continue the amazing work the CACVT is doing in the continuing education setting. Erin can be contacted at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions. Certification & Membership CoordinatorJen Steckline, CVT Jen Steckline has been a member of the CACVT since 2002 and has worked in general practice, emergency and critical care, surgery, and also works as a Veterinary Information Specialist for the Pet Poison Helpline. Currently, the fuzzy part of Jen’s family consists of her golden retriever Tinker, her pug Bug, and Sprite her mean cat she adopted during her Bel-Rea internship 18 years ago! Jen has a 2-legged family as well that consists of her husband and two crazy boys. She enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, and most things Colorado. Jen is here to help, so if you have any questions or concerns, she can be reached in the office at 303-318-0652 or by email at [email protected] Board of DirectorsPast President: Emily EdmondsIndustry Sector: Private or Corporate Clinical Practice Emily Edmonds moved to Colorado and served in the Army as a medical specialist at Fort Carson until 1999. After a few years in human medicine, she decided to pursue a career in the animal medical field and attended Bel-Rea Animal Institute of Veterinary Technology, earning an AAS degree and became a CVT in 2002. Emily began her career at a small mixed animal practice attaining basic technical skills, learning and understanding the value of the responsibilities of being a technician. She purposed to focus on how to apply what she had learned, honing her technical skills and becoming familiar with the variety of responsibilities this career has to offer. Shortly after a year of experience, Emily developed an interest in anesthesia and deviated her focus to advancing her knowledge and skill in this area. Her endeavor began with the transition to a specialty practice, working for the surgical department alongside an incredible team of board-certified surgeons and a well-renowned anesthesiologist. The goal she had achieved during this time of her career was years of invaluable experience gaining knowledge and technical skills; creating opportunities to advance in a variety of avenues. Emily was provided an opportunity to step into a supervisory role at a general practice, leading a small team into an exponential growth in hospital size and services provided to the community. Realizing the hard balance of being a technician supervisor and working as a technician, she decided to take more of a specific role within the practice and became their surgical department supervisor, which allowed her to combine her passion of anesthesia and continue to lead the team. Emily became aware of how much she enjoyed taking veterinary assistant/technician interns under her wing and giving them the experience they were seeking in their internship. Once Emily became a part of the VCA family, her goal was to focus on building and developing her hospitals’ surgical department. She soon became their technician supervisor and shortly thereafter, was given the privilege to be VCA’s Regional Technician Career Development Coordinator for Colorado. Her primary focus is on helping others develop a career path, offering training and resources VCA provides. Emily has always pursued advancing in her career with education and experience. She very much appreciates and values what every person has to offer within the team. Emily enjoys teaching and leading others to achieve what they aspire for their career. Whenever Emily is not focused on her career, she spends time with her family watching movies, enjoying life in the outdoors hiking, biking or snow shoeing and scrapbooking all the pictures taken on her adventures! President: Leslie NeidermyerSector: Veterinary Industry Leslie's interest in being on the board for the CACVT involves having a larger involvement in advocating for veterinary technicians in the state and also having a bigger impact in the veterinary community.It is Leslie's hope that she can share her experience to help the association provide the best benefits to members. Originally from Wisconsin, Leslie attended Madison Area Technical College for her veterinary technology degree and then became credentialed in 2009. After working in large animal for a short time, she completed a bachelor's degree in animal science at UW-River Falls. Leslie moved to Colorado in 2017 with her husband and started working a relief position with VSS in general practice, ER/CC, and shelter medicine. Leslie is currently an account manager with VSS, teaches in the veterinary technician program at CCD, and works part-time at Soul Dog Rescue. She also enjoys backpacking, mountain biking, downhill skiing and hiking with her dog. Coming from Wisconsin, Leslie was shocked that veterinary technicians did not have to be credentialed to practice in Colorado. In Wisconsin, licensing is legally required by the state to work as a veterinary technician. With this knowledge, she joined the CACVT Advocacy Force and is proud and excited to be involved in the effort to bring title protection and licensing requirements to the industry in Colorado. With 10 years of being on the floor as a VT and with experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue, feel assured that Leslie's first concern is on supporting you and your career. Vice President: Samantha WalkerSector: Private or Corporate Clinical Practice Samantha grew up in rural Pennsylvania, knowing all along that she would pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Since the start of her career, she developed a passion for lifelong learning and veterinary technician empowerment. Samantha earned a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medical Technology from Wilson College in 2014, then joined her husband in Virginia to begin her adventure as a licensed veterinary technician in a small animal surgical specialty practice. Working for three years in the specialty practice, Samantha’s passion for anesthesia and pain management led to her desire to become a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Anesthesia and Analgesia. After four years of private practice employment, Samantha sought academia and eventually accepted a position within the anesthesia department at Colorado State University Teaching Hospital. With this opportunity, she knew she had the resources to keep growing and help the future of veterinary medicine. Samantha wants to contribute to the community by using her education and experience to ignite the fire and prepare others for long, successful careers in veterinary medicine. She believes that a fulfilled and educated technician promotes patient safety, consumer protection, professionalism, and excellence in care. Think of all the advances in veterinary medicine with technicians only staying in the field for five years. Now think of all the possibilities if the community held lifelong members; the possibilities are endless. Treasurer: Ria BotzlerIndustry Sector: Academia Ria Botzler has 25 years' experience in management, with 20 years being dedicated to veterinary practice management. She has a passion for customer service, marketing and sales, and brings creativity and efficiency to everything she does. She speaks both locally and nationally on management related topics. Ria is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, an active member of the Veterinary Hospital Management Association, Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and founder of the Southern Colorado Veterinary Management Group. Ria is also the Chief Financial Officer of Apex College of Veterinary Technology, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ria is interested in being on the CACVT Board of Directors to continue to support veterinary technicians in Colorado. Having spent the last 21 years in veterinary medicine as a Hospital Administrator, Ria knows better than anyone we cannot function without outstanding support staff. They truly are the most valuable and often underappreciated asset in the business. While Ria is not that old, she has reached a point in her career that she desires to give back and sees the CACVT Board position as a way to do that. It is also one of the reasons that Ria wanted to be an owner of a college that teaches Veterinary Technology, Veterinary Assisting and Practice Management courses. Ria also feels that title protection is so critical for the VTs that have gone to school and hope to see progress in that arena. ![]() Board Member: Heather AllmanIndustry Sector: Private or Corporate Clinical Practice Heather graduated with Honors from Bel-Rea in 2004 with an Associates of Applied Science degree. After graduating, she started out in general practice and after a few years, obtained a research position at Colorado Health Sciences center as a VT. She eventually transitioned into non-profit, working at Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital as a VT and Inventory Manager, where she got the opportunity to volunteer with the CVMA helping with various projects as well as with SART (Colorado State Animal Response Team). During this time, Heather quickly realized that her interest lied in the operations, leadership, and business side of the industry, leading her back to school and obtaining an Associates of Science in Business. From there, she worked in a large general practice as a VT and then as the Practice Manager for several years. Concurrently, Heather obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing as she discovered her passion for effectively and creatively showcasing the incredible, dedicated individuals of our profession, the work we all do and educating the community about veterinary medicine. Heather went on to work with a pet insurance company, educating veterinary professionals throughout the state of Colorado on the ins and outs of insurance and how to use it in their practice. Currently, Heather works as a veterinary marketing manager and enjoys teaching others about marketing and how it truly can take their practice to the next level. She runs a blog titled The Tachy Tech which is dedicated to providing veterinary professionals the tools and resources to navigate their career and finding the path that makes them happy while nurturing their mental health. In her spare time, you can find her all over Colorado paddle boarding with her son Hunter and her pup Paisley, curled up with a good book, learning a new craft or watching Harry Potter. Board Member: Amy EdwardsIndustry Sector: Private or Corporate Clinical Practice Amy graduated from Bel-Rea in 2001 and has a passion for helping critically ill and senior pets. Amy has worked both in Colorado and Florida in general practice and emergency medicine and had the unique opportunity to work for a non-profit organization, Southeastern Guide Dogs, as the Director of Veterinary Services. Over the last 19 years, Amy has fulfilled many roles and has a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the hospital and operations. Amy knows what it's like to be both a staff member and a manager. She is well prepared to support the field and CACVT, and has the experience to make positive contributions to continue to improve our field and support other VTs in their careers. Amy is committed to the veterinary field and would love to make a positive impact on those around her.
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