CACVT is led by a Board of Directors, supported by CACVT staff. Everyone involved has a shared mission: create the best possible career path for anyone working in the role of a veterinary technician! 

Executive Director

Erin Henninger, BA, RVT, VTS (ECC)

Erin has been a credentialed veterinary technician since graduating from Bel-Rea in 2002. She obtained her VTS (ECC) in 2007 and has continued as a lifelong learner since! After graduating with a BA in psychology in 2019, Erin sought to combine her love of veterinary medicine with her interest in wellbeing and mental health, which landed her in the role of Executive Director of CACVT. Erin has most enjoyed the legislative work of the last few years, and creating a bright future for veterinary technicians!

Membership Director

Jen Steckline, RVT

Jen Steckline has been a member of the CACVT since 2002 and has worked in general practice, emergency and critical care, surgery, and also worked as a Veterinary Information Specialist for the Pet Poison Helpline.

Currently, the fuzzy part of Jen’s family consists of her two golden retrievers Tinker and Pickle, her pug Bug, and Goomba her French bulldog. She also has two cats, Gazzi and Dudley, and 16 chickens. Jen has a 2-legged family as well that consists of her husband and two crazy boys. She enjoys hiking, camping, swimming, and exploring new places.

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].

Credentialing Coordinator

Lisa Visnosky, BA, RVT

Lisa has worked within the animal care and health field in many facets between veterinary medicine, zoos, animal rescues, and wildlife field research.  After working as a veterinary technician in general practice since 2014, Lisa sought to pursue a different aspect of the veterinary field by working with CACVT to help empower and promote veterinary technicians within Colorado.  During her time with CACVT, Lisa has most enjoyed being able to support her fellow veterinary technicians while helping to advocate and advance their career path and overall recognition within the field.

Board of Directors

President: Angelica Beazer

Sector: Clinical Practice
Region: Denver Metro

Angelica was born and raised in Colorado and pursued a bachelor's degree in biology with a focus on pre-veterinary between Colorado State University and Metropolitan State College from 2009 to 2012. She enrolled at Bel-Rea in the summer of 2012 to get more exposure and focused knowledge in the veterinary field and earned an associate degree in veterinary technology. Angelica has worked in various positions, from general practice and exotics to specialty and emergency medicine. She is currently an anesthesia veterinary technician with CASE in Boulder working under Dr. Jamie Gaynor and a wonderful team of trained veterinary anesthetists running various cases from healthy to critical care patients. Outside of work, Angelica is a single mother to a wonderful little boy named Knox and 2 dogs, Chemi & Robyn.

CACVT represents the goals and aspirations Angelica has had since starting as a Bel-Rea student in 2012. As part of CACVT leadership, she hopes to use her experience over the last 9 years to advance policy changes to ensure continued growth of our field and the career possibilities within it. Angelica would like to encourage and plan more CE opportunities geared towards specialty medicine that is readily available to those in general practice, as well as specialty and emergency practice.

Past President: Leslie Neidermyer

Sector: Shelter Medicine
Region: Arvada, CO

Leslie is in her second term with the CACVT Board of Directors. She enjoys advocating for veterinary technicians and having a bigger impact in the veterinary community. Leslie plans to continue to share her experience to help the association provide the best benefits to members.

Originally from Wisconsin, Leslie attended Madison Area Technical College, earning a veterinary technology degree and then became credentialed in 2009. She completed a bachelor's degree in animal science at UW-River Falls intending to go into the dairy industry but ended up in small animal medicine. Leslie moved to Colorado in 2017 with her husband and fuzzy menagerie. She currently works for Denver Animal Shelter as the Veterinary Services Supervisor. When not at work, she also enjoys backpacking, mountain biking, downhill skiing, horseback riding 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 Committee and is proud of the effort that has gone into getting veterinary technicians in Colorado title protection and licensing requirements. 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: Angelika Sherman

Sector: Veterinary Industry
Region: Denver Metro

As a credentialed member of CACVT since 2004, Angelika is excited to be part of the CACVT Board of Directors because she sees the veterinary medicine field changing rather quickly and growing vastly. She has the flexibility to be involved and wants to be an active part of the change and growth.

Angelika's parents were non-active civil service and her mother a German citizen. She grew up exposed to much culture and traveled extensively. She has a close extended family all over the globe. Settling stateside, Angelika came to Colorado for one reason: to be a vet tech. She fell in love with her career and remains as passionate today as she was going into Bel-Rea. Angelika has a son who is graduating from high school this year and is excited to see where his path will take him. She is passionate about being kind to the earth and making the most of her outside time. She is very private and most giving of time.

Treasurer: Tianna Crane

Sector: Veterinary Industry
Region: Front Range

Tianna has been working in the veterinary industry for over 20 years, starting as an unlicensed vet assistant in Michigan and then graduating from Bel-Rea Institute in 2005. Over the years, Tianna has mainly worked in laboratory diagnostics in locations across the US for companies such as Idexx, Antech, and Heska, but has also worked in small animal clinics both as a technician and as a hospital manager. Eventually, she came back to Colorado full-time and is currently working as Head of Laboratory for MySimplePetLab. While this is her full-time position, she also does hands-on wet labs and lectures for hematology, parasitology, and urinalysis to empower vet techs to do diagnostic testing in-clinic. Additionally, she also serves on the advisory board for Front Range Community College's Veterinary Technician program.

Veterinary medicine means everything to Tianna, and nothing makes her happier than to be able to expand what she can do for her colleagues in this field. By joining the CACVT, she knows she can make a difference for many other vet techs. There have been so many changes and advancements in veterinary technology, and Tianna is honored to be able to help make Colorado vet techs be at the forefront of all of it.

Secretary: Amy Edwards

Industry Sector: Clinical Practice
Location: Parker, CO

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, critical care and hospital management. She had a unique opportunity to work for a non-profit organization, Southeastern Guide Dogs, as the Director of Veterinary Services. Working with Service Dogs and changing the lives of those with visual impairment was an incredibly rewarding experience.

Amy shares her life with her husband, daughter, dog Murphy, and 2 cats, Zip and Wasabi. She loves spending time with her family outdoors. In the winter you can find her snowboarding and in the warmer months she enjoys gardening, hiking and exploring the mountains and nature.  

Board Member: Elizabeth Steele

Sector: Clinical Practice
Location: Aurora, CO

Elizabeth is excited about the opportunity to be on the CACVT Board of Directors because she is inspired by the mission statement of the Association: advocating for and empowering VTs, which are her passions in our industry. Her goal as a CACVT Board Director is to use her position as a platform to engage with VTs to reinforce a sense of pride in our work, as well as to promote recognition of our skill set. Furthermore, she is interested in collaborating on topics and ideas that are important for the advancement of our careers. As a VT for over 5 years, she is eager to take on a position where she can advocate for her peers in the field and encourage in others the passion she feels for this field.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. In her mid-20's she moved to Jacksonville, NC and decided to follow her dream by enrolling in an online Veterinary Assistant program, igniting her love for this field. After working at a vet hospital in North Carolina for about a year, Elizabeth decided to take the next step and become a VT. She left East Coast life behind and moved to Colorado to attend Bel-Rea. After completing an internship at VCA Alameda East and graduation, she joined her current team at VCA Firehouse Animal Hospital. During her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time outdoors, baking, going to comedy shows, and spending time with her cats Nymeria and Mini, as well as her mom Trish.

Elizabeth describes being a VT as her calling, which is evident not only while she's performing her duties, but also in the way she lives everyday life. She is a hard worker with strong leadership skills, very detail-oriented, and has the willingness to speak up, regardless of how difficult the situation. She is dedicated to serving her office and co-workers, her patients and their parents, and finding ways to improve processes. Elizabeth will be an asset to the Board by providing her relentless encouragement and innovative ideas. She believes this profession is one of the most noble callings one could answer, and looks forward to supporting individuals in realizing their dreams.

Board Member: Nadia Vincent

Sector: Clinical Practice
Location: Denver Metro

Nadia is a veterinary technology student at Bel-Rea, as well as working at Mountain Ridge Animal Hospital. Nadia will be a bridge for students transitioning into their career as a VT, as well as a representative for student interests. She wants all VTs to be in love with their professional choices and feel fulfilled enough to hold long successful careers in veterinary medicine.

Nadia is from a beautiful town in South Africa and has always been exposed to animals, wild and domestic, and has always felt the urge to help the less fortunate. Her experiences include being a special needs teacher, then later a preschool age Montessori teacher. She is an avid traveler and animal lover that has been to over 100 countries, and volunteered at shelters and sanctuaries the world over. Nadia is so proud to at last be following her heart and studying further to become a Credentialed Veterinary Technician, and wants to contribute to the veterinary community and the animal world at large.

Nadia is currently working as a client experience representative at Mountain Ridge Animal Hospital, where she is exposed to both clients and the practice of veterinary medicine. She adores animals and hence her career path, and will constantly strive to promote technician empowerment and satisfaction, as well as the relationship with veterinarians.

Board Member: Tricia Kaoihana

Sector: Clinical Practice
Region: Denver Metro

Tricia moved to Colorado in 1999 to pursue a degree in animal science at Bel-Rea Institute. After graduating in 2001, she spent a brief time working in shelter medicine before taking a position as an Internal Medicine technician at VRCC. In the same year, Tricia also passed the VTNE and became a member of CACVT. She was promoted to lead technician of the IM department at VRCC in 2006 and continued in that role until 2017. Tricia earned her VTS in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2010. Her departure from VRCC took her to Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, where she was hired as Assistant Clinical Supervisor of the Blood Bank. In 2018, she was promoted to Hospital Service Manager at WRAH. Tricia stepped away from the full-time clinical setting in 2022 but continues to work in the field as the West Coast Trainer for Chronos LLC, a company that provides virtual support to veterinary hospitals across the country. Tricia also continues to work occasional relief shifts to keep up her skills and stay in touch with the technician experience in clinical practice. 

In her spare time, Tricia enjoys playing softball, trying new breweries, hiking, and spending time with her four-legged kids (2 dogs and 2 cats)! 

Tricia hears the concerns and recognizes the hard work and dedication that VTs have for their craft. She acknowledges the need for change in the profession, but is also mindful of the time it will take to create meaningful change. With our demanding work and schedules, it can be difficult to take the time to advocate for ourselves. Tricia wants to hear about your experiences, ideas, and concerns and will bring them to the board for discussion.

Board Member: Miranda Dempewolf

Sector: Clinical Practice
Region: South Central

Miranda spent her childhood working with horses and at a small animal shelter. She earned a degree in psychology from Mississippi State in 2015 and entered the veterinary field in Colorado in 2018. Some of her most proud career moments have been in assisting patients from their very first appointments all the way through their last, and in acquiring skills Miranda once thought impossible. In 2023, Miranda transitioned to practice management, advocating and working fastidiously for the technical staff and patients alike.

For Miranda, it’s an honor to be part of CACVT leadership and have the opportunity to give back to the hardworking, passionate RVTs of Colorado. There is an urgent need for advocacy among this skilled workforce. Incorrect or under-utilization in clinics, lack of understanding of the role by the public, and undervaluation by business owners have all contributed to the myriad of issues facing today's RVTs. Miranda will propose organizational goals aimed to reduce the overwhelming stress that so many in this profession have accepted as the norm, and will represent our brave veterinary technicians with dignity as we pursue a multitude of workplace improvements.

Board Member: Marissa Mangelsen

Sector: Clinical Practice
Region: Front Range

Marissa is originally from Nebraska and moved to Longmont, CO in 1999 and has lived in the front range since that time. She attended Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, WY and obtained her AAS in veterinary technology in 2011. Marissa has worked in small animal practices along the front range since June 2011. Currently, Marissa is working with VSS and part time at Longmont Small Animal Hospital. 

Being a leader in CACVT is important to Marissa because it is important to have people who look like her seen in upper areas of the veterinary community. Marissa is excited to know more of the behind-the-scenes that goes on in making a great organization. Marissa is currently interested in expanding her veterinary career into education or getting more involved with veterinary professionals.

Board Member: Shawn Thompson

Sector: Clinical Practice
Region: Front Range

Shawn started her career in veterinary medicine in her home State of California as an on the job trained technician after graduating from the University of Wyoming with a BS in Biology. Shawn moved to Colorado to pursue an AAS in Veterinary Technology from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology and became a CVT in 2005 and RVT in 2022. Shawn received a certification in canine rehabilitation from CRI as a CCRVN in 2017 and has completed Level 3 of Fear Free certification. Her career has taken her through many aspects of veterinary medicine including general practice, private specialty practice, shelter medicine, and owning a small business providing relief technician services. She currently works in academia at CSU in orthopedic surgery.

Shawn has been a strong advocate for RVTs both for increased utilization in veterinary medicine and promoting continuing education opportunities. Shawn is excited to provide leadership and advocacy for this profession in a more formal role by utilizing her life and career knowledge and insights.