President 

Patricia Zehna, RVT

Patty started her career in veterinary medicine in 1992 as a veterinary assistant at Guide Dogs for the Blind. She gained her RVT in 2002 and has worked in emergency and critical care, surgery and anesthesia, dermatology, general practice, practice management, and training; mostly in small animal medicine. She became an adjunct faculty at Central Coast College in Salinas, CA in August 2014 when a veterinary assistant program was introduced. In 2018, after returning from training a team in Hawai'i, she joined a local emergency practice as an ICU technician and rejoined the college as an adjunct faculty member. Central Coast College moved forward to a fully AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program in 2015 and Patty teaches in the final year of the program. She has been full-time faculty at Central Coast College since March 2020.

Vice-President

Jennifer Graney, RVT

In 2006, after spending 10 years in the education system as a school counselor, I found my passion for veterinary medicine.  I have worked in General Practice, Emergency, Critical Care, orthopedic and ophthalmology specialties, and low cost Spay/Neuter clinics while completing my alternate route RVT requirements.  Achieving my RVT license and passing the VTNE in 2011. I later took a hiatus to allow me to spend more time with my family and recently returned to marine mammal and equine veterinary medicine. Additionally, I have volunteered in animal care with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center for 10 years. In my roles as a vet tech student, licensed technician, and volunteer, I found myself counseling and informally (on-the-job) training prospective students and technicians - while watching the Alternate Route path evolve. I participated in early meetings/panels helping that option develop and how training programs could support students to reach alternate route goals more successfully. I am passionate about each one of my opportunities as a vet tech, proud of my license achievement, and strive to provide a good example of how training and licensure supports the development of the veterinary technician profession. My experience in the vet tech field has provided me with leadership, organizational, and teaching skills. My previous experience as a counselor has taught me mediation, planning, advocacy, and development that I continued to utilize in my positions in veterinary medicine.  As I move forward in my role, I am always looking for ways to support the field and my colleagues.

Treasurer

Philip Snow, RVT

Philip Snow is a Registered Veterinary Technician who co-founded OC Veterinary Assistant School in 2016 where he currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Secretary.  Along with management duties, he also teaches introductory and advanced classes for the school, as well as performing the duties of Externship Coordinator.  He originally began working in the veterinary industry in 2002.  In 2008, after passing both the California and VTNE Board Exams, he became a Registered Veterinary Technician.  He began teaching shortly after obtaining his RVT License and has been teaching full time since 2013, where he has been working in that capacity since.  His experience in veterinary clinics come mostly from Canyon Animal Hospital in Laguna Beach where he worked under the direction of Dr. John Hamil and Dr. Gershon Alaluf.  After working for a decade in the veterinary clinics, he went on to become the Senior Trainer in the Claims Department for what was then Veterinary Pet Insurance, and is now Nationwide Insurance.  Philip considers himself a family man, a life-time student, a veterinary professional dedicated to the betterment of the industry, and an advocate for the advancements for Registered Veterinary Technicians.  His interests in veterinary medicine include, surgery, anesthesia, dentistry, and theriogenology.  He currently lives in Rancho Santa Margarita with his wife, two children, and their bloodhound, Frankie.  He also enjoys taking classes at the local college, golfing, spending time with his family, and watching his son play baseball.

Secretary

Deborah Calantropio-Covington, BA, RVT, rLATG, VTS-LAM (Research Clinical Nursing)

I have  been a Registered Veterinary Technician ( RVT) in California since 2006 working at small animal practices and emergency clinics in the South Bay Area. In 2012 I started at a research CRO in Menlo Park working with rodents, guinea pigs, rabbits , non-human primates, swine and dogs and beginning my career in Lab Animal medicine. I have been working for Bristol Myers-Squibb since 2017 assisting with the care and study work of animals in the field of oncology and immunology.  Because I enjoy day practice ( who doesn’t love healthy puppy exams?) I have stayed on as a relief tech at VCA in Los Gatos since 2012 with a great team of doctors and staff. I have obtained my certification as a Lab Animal Technologist ( LATG) in 2014 as well as my VTS-LAM (Research Clinical Nursing) in 2017 and am also the Research Representative for the CVMA Veterinary Technician Board. My passion has always been the welfare of animals in my care,  be it in a hospital or a research facility,  and I am committed to advancing not only welfare standards but the careers of professionals involved in animal care. I am excited about the upcoming  changes to the Veterinary Technician field and look forward to continuing to advance our job roles in the coming years. In my spare time I enjoy belly dancing with my  award winning troupe , Raks Haniah ( the Dancers of Happiness) throughout the Bay Area and spending time with my husband , Joseph, and our Direwolf/Chow mix , Lazarus. ( And watching the Mandalorian….# BabyYoda).