GVTA Board Members
President: Jamie Rauscher LVT
Jamie Rauscher is the Medical Manager of a large, 24/7 General Practice and ER facility in Woodstock. She has been a licensed technician since 2008. Her interests include anesthesia, pain management, client communication and emergency/critical care. She has been at her current practice for over 23 years and is also part owner of the practice. Jamie served on the GVTAA Board for several years and is the past President of NAVTA (National Association of Veterinary Technicians).
President Elect: Kathryn Carman, LVT, MSc (Advanced Practice Veterinary Nursing), VTS (Clinical Practice- Small Animal, Canine/Feline)
Kathryn graduated from San Juan College with her AAS in Veterinary Technology in 2015 and her Master's Degree in Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing from the University of Glasgow in 2021. She is currently pursuing her VTS in Clinical Practice (canine/feline).
Kathryn currently organizes and manages the surgery department at VCA Braelinn Village and also supports the technician and assistant supervisors for Atlanta area VCA Hospitals. These jobs combine her love of veterinary medicine and her love of teaching, and allow her to nerd out with a wide variety of technicians and assistants, especially on the topics of pain management, anesthesia, wound care, and the growing education and career opportunities for technicians and assistants.
In addition to her role as Membership Secretary for the GVTA, Kathryn serves on the Advisory Council for San Juan College. She enjoys traveling, lecturing, hiking, reading and writing.
Vice President: Jessica M. Sewell, MVCC, BAS, LVT, CVT, RVT, LVMT, CPhT
Jessica graduated from Gwinnett Technical College with her associate’s degree in veterinary technology in 2003. In 2011, she earned her bachelor’s in veterinary technology from Florida’s St. Petersburg College. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in veterinary clinical care through Lincoln Memorial’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Jessica serves as the National Director of Career Progression for VCA Animal Hospitals and has been with the company since 2005. Some of her special interests include emergency and critical care, career and leadership development, mentoring, wellbeing, public speaking, and teaching. Previously, Jessica worked at Auburn University as an ICU Supervisor in the Small Animal Teaching Hospital. She has also taught as adjunct faculty in the Veterinary Technology Program of a local technical college in Georgia.
In 2021, she was selected to become the first veterinary technician to serve on the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine. She also serves on committees for AAVSB and GVMA and sits on advisory boards for veterinary technology programs.
Treasurer: Patti LeVan LVT
Patti started her career in veterinary medicine in 1988 as a veterinary assistant for Catoosa Veterinary clinic in Ringgold, Georgia. In 1995 she graduated from Snead State Community College with an Associate of Science in Veterinary Technology degree. Patti continued to work at that same clinic for 33 years as the technician supervisor. Patti is currently a regional technician director for VCA animal hospitals.
Secretary & Membership Manager: Christina Stinson, LVMT
Christina was born and raised in FL and moved to GA in 2008. She has 25 years experience in veterinary medicine and teaches at Chatt State community college once a week. She has a 13 year old daughter, 7 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 horses. She works at an urgent care practice and in her free time she trains eventing with her horses
NAVTA Representative: Michelle Kovacek, LVT, MS
Michelle Kovacek is a dedicated Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) with over 18 years of experience in the veterinary industry. With a profound passion for animal welfare, mental health advocacy, and career development in the veterinary industry, she has developed a diverse skill set that encompasses the veterinary field, including both clinical practice and the animal health pharmaceutical industry.
After earning her Associate's degree in Veterinary Technology from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in 2010, Michelle began her LVT career in a fast-paced animal hospital, where she quickly honed her technical skills and developed a strong rapport with clients and their pets. Over the years, Michelle has worked in various settings, including specialty clinics and emergency care, where she gained extensive knowledge in both routine and complex veterinary procedures. In 2019, Michelle transitioned to the animal health pharmaceutical industry and completed her Master's degree in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia - Go Dawgs!
In addition to her professional work, Michelle is deeply committed to professional development of staff in the veterinary industry. She has been involved in mentoring new veterinary technicians, veterinary students, and veterinary assistants in the field. Michelle also mentors UGA students through the Dawgs Mentoring Dawgs Program at the University of Georgia. Michelle is also an active member and participates in professional associations including National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) and Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS). Her passion for the veterinary industry and this involvement has fueled her desire to take on an executive committee role within GAVTAA.
In her personal life, Michelle enjoys yoga, snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking with her two pups. Michelle also loves to quilt in her free time, and is a member of two quilt guilds in her community.
Webmaster & Social Media Manager: Sophie Van Etten, LVT
Sophie graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. After starting as a veterinary assistant in small animal general practice she went on to specialize at a feline only clinic in Arlington, VA. In 2019 she graduated from Northern Virginia Community College with an Associate of Science in Veterinary Technology. During her time in the Veterinary Technology program, she was a volunteer Scuba Diver at the National Aquarium and interned in the Animal Health department of the Maryland Zoo.
By 2020 Sophie had moved to Texas to pursue her career goals, accepting a job as an LVT at the Fort Worth Zoo. Treating animals from frogs to elephants and everything in between, and making silly dad jokes along the way. Why do Zebra’s have stripes? Because they don’t want to be spotted!
In 2022 Sophie moved to GA and currently works for the Georgia Aquarium. In addition to being a GVTAA board member, she is also on the NAVTA Government Relations Committee as the district II liaison, sits on the executive board for CGMFF, and is an AAFP Certified Cat Friendly Professional. Sophie’s fluffy family of misfit animals include Murdock the blind DareDevil dog, Valkitty the handi-capable warrior of Asgard, M’Baku house panther of Wakanda (pictured), Logan the doubly incontinent Wolverine, and Jean Grey - Logan’s emotional support phoenix (she’s a kitten, but Jean Grey was The Phoenix … nerd things).
Member at Large: Kelli Gibbon, LVT, VTS Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia
Kelli is a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) and has been working in the veterinary field since her first job as a veterinary assistant in 1996. In 2002, she received her associate degree in veterinary technology from Bel Rea Institute for Animal Technology. After spending most of her career focused on anesthesia, she obtained her veterinary technician specialty (VTS) certification in 2012 in anesthesia and analgesia.
Kelli’s passion for learning and teaching best practices in veterinary anesthesia led her to where she is today, after 6 years of servicing and repairing anesthesia machines, she took ownership over a well-established service company with a vast southeastern US territory. This responsibility has pushed her to live up to her full potential and it is her hope to inspire others in her profession.
Being exposed to a large variety of veterinary facilities placed Kelli in a unique position to fill a void around anesthesia education. While providing the highest possible standards in anesthesia machine service is her primary goal, making basic anesthesia education accessible to her community is her way to encourage enrichment in current clinical training programs advancing the veterinary technology profession. With solid credentials and over a decade of public speaking experience, she is a popular lecturer in many local, state and regional conferences.
Member At Large: Angel Martin, LVT, CVPM
Angel works with Georgia Veterinary Associates (GVA) as the Operations Manager. She joined GVA in June 2010. Shortly after her employment as a Registered Veterinary Technician, she earned a promotion to Patient Care Coordinator; with time, further education, and commitment she was promoted to her current role in 2014.
Angel obtained her Associate's Degree from Macomb Community College's Veterinary Technology Program in 2007 and her Bachelor’s Degree from St. Petersburg College in 2012.
In 2019, Angel won the American Humane Hero Vet Nurse Award for the work she and GVA do with their CARE Fund, helping local pets in need.
To learn more about Angel or Georgia Veterinary Associates visit www.mygavet.com
Our Mission
The Georgia Veterinary Technician and Assistant Association is dedicated to all aspects of quality veterinary care. The mission of the GVTAA is to foster high professional standards and provide support for technicians and assistants. The primary goals are to facilitate more continuing education (CE) opportunities specifically aimed toward the needs of veterinary paraprofessionals and provide a means to fulfill the required CE hours to maintain certification. The GVTAA will serve as a forum for the presentation and exchange of information, provide education for the general public about our profession and qualifications, and work toward educating veterinarians in the beneficial aspects of paraprofessional utilization.
We are the voice of veterinary technicians and assistants as we promote the veterinary profession and develop leaders for the future.