2018 Veterinary Business Management Association Alumni

St. Louis, MO

​As part of a very small team of VBMA alumni, we organized VBMA's first alumni organization. We drafted the first set of bylaws and gathered 50 VBMA alumni together for continuing education, networking, and strategic planning of the future of the organization.

2016 American Veterinary Medical Association

San Antonio, TX

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend AVMA after just a few short months of practice. This was the first conference I ever attended as a DVM, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to already get engaged in the organized veterinary community as a recent graduate.

2015 Western Veterinary Conference

Las Vegas, NV

I was honored to be selected as Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine's recipient of the Dr. Jack Walther Leadership Award. I traveled to Las Vegas to receive this award, interact with other student leaders from U.S. and Canadian veterinary schools, and participate in lectures and content provided by the conference. I was honored to learn about marketing and client feedback from Eric Garcia, industry benchmarks from Mark Opperman, and profitability in mixed animal medicine from Dr. Byron Farquer.

2015 National VBMA Conference at NAVC

Orlando, FL

As an outgoing national VBMA Executive Board member and under the guidance of our national board advisors, I helped transition the next board leaders into their positions as well as participate in the 2015 lectures. These lectures covered a variety of topics including emotional health, business management, mentorship, and more.

2014 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM)

Nashville, TN

I explored my interest in veterinary oncology by attending the 2014 ACVIM Conference thanks to the sponsorship of Banfield. Based on my interest in oncology and my academic, research, and leadership history, I was awarded the ACVIM Banfield Student Travel Award. At the conference, I attended many lectures that highlighted topics ranging from clinical study design for chemotherapeutics to management of congestive heart disease.

2014 National VBMA Conference at NAVC

Orlando, FL

As a national VBMA Executive Board member, I am one of six people who plan this annual conference. This year, we brought over 150 national VBMA leaders to Orlando for a three day long training and educational experience. Speakers like Jimmy Mahan from Live Oak Bank, Drs. Dani McVety and Mary Gardner from Lap of Love Animal Hospice, and Dr. Jim Clark from U.C.Davis did a fantastic job teaching our leaders to "Market Outside the Box".

2013 National VBMA Conference at NAVC

Orlando, FL

As a newly elected President of VBMA, I was required to attend VBMA's National Conference. There, I developed skills directly related to promoting my chapter's success as well as skills that apply on a broader scale. I learned how to write a proper mission statement for an organization, how to lead when I'm not officially in charge, and how to network in quick mini-sessions. During all the events, I was able to collaborate and discuss with other regional, national, and chapter VBMA leaders. The conference was also the first time I learned the importance of business cards. Prominent speakers at the event included Dr. Mark Russak (AAHA President), Stith Keiser (MyVeterinaryCareer Founder), and Dr. Colin Burrows (NAVC Executive Director).

2012 Food Animal Symposium, sponsored by Zoetis

Mississippi State Veterinary School, Starkville, MS

A classmate and I were the only two Auburn CVM 2016 students who drove over to Mississippi for Pfizer's Annual Regional Food Animal Symposium. We attended lectures in small ruminant infectious diseases, respiratory lesions upon necropsy, field necropsies, extra-label drug use, organic medicine, and the biomechanics of claw trimming. We also participated in two wet labs including introduction to physical diagnosis where we practiced performing physicals on calves. Our second wet lab focused on beef handling and was taught by Dr. Noffsinger. He taught us how to employ natural cowmanship and encouraged us to practice our new knowledge on a herd of cows. Ultimately, we practiced running the cattle calmly through chutes.