Our Mission
The Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology educates and prepares effective, productive, service oriented veterinary health care team leaders for a diversity of career opportunities.
Our Vision
• To be the premier school of veterinary technology.
• To remain progressive by embracing cutting edge technologies and methods in veterinary medicine.
• To provide an intimate educational environment to produce veterinary paraprofessionals who are knowledgeable, proficient, and possess highly effective interpersonal skills.
• To promote intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning.
• To produce a complete veterinary technician by integrating academic knowledge with hands on opportunities.
Our Core Values
• Compassion
• Critical Thinking
• Service Orienation to Clients and Patients
• Integrity
• Applied Clinical Proficiency
• Small Class Sizes
• Positive Learning Environment
• Instructors With Diverse Backgrounds and Experiences
Our Faculty
Our dedicted faculty and staff keep our programs and students working to the highest standards.
Steve Rubin, DVM – Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Rubin is the founder of the CAVT. He began the school in 2007 with 4 students and has since grown the CAVT to over 100 students learning their skills in small lectures and laboratories. In addition to his clinical and teaching duties, Dr. Rubin spends his time tutoring individual students in several subjects.
Dr. Rubin is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He received his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences in 1982, and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1999. He is also a trained aquatic veterinarian after a stint at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Massachusetts. Dr. Rubin served as an emergency clinician in Colorado and New York City until founding the CAVT in 2007. Dr. Rubin is the recipient of awards for research in aquatic veterinary medicine, and from the National Mensa Society for scientific essay writing.
Dr. Rubin also volunteers his time as a baseball coach in a local municipal developmental baseball league. Dr. Rubin spends much of his time with his wife and two children in exploration of the Colorado wilderness and the extensive national park system of the United States.
Stephanie Winters, CVT, VTS (ECC) – Program Director
Stephanie attended Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology and eared an Associates of Applied Science in 2002. She became a CVT in 2003 when she passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam. Stephanie worked as a CVT in general practice right after school, but quickly found her way to emergency and critical care medicine. In 2005, Stephanie started working in an emergency and referral facility and quickly became a valuable member of the team. She played, and still plays, an active role in training and teaching her teammates advanced concepts and procedures. She held the shift leader position for many years.
In September 2010, Stephanie passed the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians certifying exam and earned her Veterinary Technician Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care. Since then, she has been teaching continuing education classes for CVT’s and veterinarians from all over Colorado. Class topics have included, respiratory and cardiac emergencies, hypovolemic shock, sepsis and septic shock, cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation, advanced bandaging and splinting, anesthesia with concurrent disease and pain management.
The majority of Stephanie’s career has been focused on emergency and critical care medicine, but in 2014 she began a new interest in critical care anesthesia and is currently working in a referral surgery department. In October 2017 she joined the faculty at the Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology, where she has taught Advanced Nursing, Nutrition, Practice and Self-Management, Directed Clinical Practice and Anesthesia. She offers continuing education classes through the Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology to local CVT’s.
Stephanie lives in Castle Rock with her three sons and their leopard gecko. She loves going to the movies, traveling, seeing stand-up comedy and dancing.
Becky Devine, CVT – Instructor
Becky Devine was born and raised in southern Arizona. She met her (soulmate) husband, an Army officer, there in 1989. After 21 years of service he retired and they returned to Arizona. In 2017, they settled down on a ranch in the Colorado mountains with their horses and dogs. Their military career gave Becky the opportunity to travel around the world. In 2000, she graduated and achieved the Certificate of Excellence award for graduating 1st in her class at the Omaha College of Health Careers in Nebraska with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Animal Health Technology. Since then she has had the privilege of working in many of the best veterinary specialty hospitals in the United States, working in orthopedic/soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, and emergency critical care. In the process, she has transferred and updated her license to hold her CVT, RVT, and/or LVT. Becky also has experience as a Veterinary Technician instructor since 2010 at Kaplan College, Pima Medical Institute, and the East Valley Institute of Technology in Arizona.
Colleen Hallahan, CVT – Instructor
Colleen began working with animals at a young age. Before moving to Colorado to pursue veterinary medicine in 2012, she volunteered at veterinary hospitals and spent much of her life owning and spending time with a variety of different animals from pocket pets to horses. She earned a degree in mathematics and was a peer tutor at the college she attended in Florida.
After moving to Colorado, she attended college at Colorado Academy of Veterinary technology, where she became submersed in the veterinary educational culture. During her time at CAVT, she became a peer tutor and dedicated much of her time to pursuing veterinary medicine education for not only herself, but also her fellow classmates and future veterinary technicians.
Upon graduation from CAVT, Colleen began to work in general practice as a certified veterinary technician, study for her national boards, and teach at CAVT in the Veterinary Assisting Program. After taking the Veterinary Technician National Exam, Colleen continued to work in practice and focus on furthering her career by working in specialty and emergency medicine, with a focus on critical anesthesia.
As of now, Colleen teaches in the veterinary technician program at CAVT. The subjects taught are the ones that she is most passionate about- Pharmacology/Analgesia, Anesthesia clinicals and Directed Clinical Practice. She also works part-time as an Intensive Care Unit veterinary technician at a well-renowned specialty hospital, and is currently finishing her undergraduate studies to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
On down time, Colleen enjoys being outdoors with her pitbull rescue, Odysseus. Also, she is extremely passionate about creating art, finding new teaching methods, and reading fantasy fiction novels. Her biggest passion and goal is to spread awareness/educate others on the importance of being the advocate for animals in need.
Susan Herrel, CVT – Instructor
Susan has spent her life working closely with animals. She started riding horses at the age of ten and completed an equine certificate program with honors at age eighteen. Susan relocated to West Virginia and pursued an equine career as a riding instructor and barn manager. After a couple of years showing horses up and down the East Coast, Susan returned to her Colorado home to attend college. She graduated with honors from Bel Rea Institute of Animal Technology and began her lengthy career as a Certified Veterinary Technician. Her first job was at Broadway Animal Medical in Boulder and after seven years she relocated to Wyoming with her husband. After spending a couple of years in the wilds of Wyoming she once again returned to Colorado. The love of horses was still fresh in her heart and she worked at two different breeding facilities, one that focused on Arabian horses and the other bred and worked Paint horses. After a couple of years foaling horses and taking care of a herd of cattle at the Paint horse facility, Susan returned to small animal veterinary medicine. She continued her career in private day practice in Monument and spent several years in corporate veterinary medicine at Banfield Pet Hospital. Wanting to continue working as a Technician and expanding her knowledge base, Susan started working at Colorado Canine Orthopedics as a surgical scrub nurse.
After over three years of working as a scrub nurse, Susan took on a position at Southern Colorado Internal Medicine as an overnight ICU nurse. With the assistance of Dr. Morgan, Susan developed and implemented anesthesia protocols for animals undergoing MRIs and CT scans. After over seven years of sleepless nights working as an ICU nurse, Susan decided to focus her time and talents on her own dog breeding business. She had started breeding, showing, trialing and hunting German Shorthaired Pointers in 2000 and continues to run her own kennel. One of Susan’s favorite parts of working as a Certified Veterinary Technician was teaching new graduates the nuances of the veterinary field. She took this love of teaching to begin a new aspect of her career and spent three years teaching the Veterinary Assisting and Veterinary Technician students at PIMA. She has been teaching students here at Colorado Academy since July of 2017.
Kimberly Rousey, CVT- Instructor
Kimberly Rousey is a Colorado native that has been working with animals for over 25 years. She graduated first in her class at the Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. Kimberly is also a Certified Veterinary Assistant and a Certified Canine Massage Therapist. She has enjoyed her professional career working at small animal general practices in multiple states in the US, Guam, and Germany while supporting her husband who was in the Air Force. Kimberly and her husband enjoy traveling when they can and share their time with one spoiled rotten rescue dog!
Amber Gilchrist, BS, CVT, LVMT, KPA-CTP – Instructor
Amber has been in the veterinary field since 2001. Having left a frustrating career as a fashion retail manager, she decided to pursue a career that she loved and that would be rewarding. She graduated from Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2004 as a Certified Veterinary Technician and worked in Memphis, TN as a LVMT until her move to Colorado Springs in April 2012. She has worked primarily in small animal general practice and emergency medicine. She has a special interest in behavior and worked for 2 ½ years with a board certified veterinary behaviorist.
Her love for animals doesn’t stop when she leaves the office, though. She is also very active in animal rescue and is a volunteer with the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team. Her large family includes 2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 goats, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 rats. She enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, running, and biking but also reading and watching movies.
Chelsea Fredinburg, CVT – Instructor
Chelsea began working in veterinary medicine in 2009. She completed her Associate of Applied Science at the PIMA Medical Institute in November of 2010, then passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam, becoming a CVT in May of 2011. Shortly after passing her exam she moved from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, CO. Shortly thereafter, Chelsea accepted a position at a large General Practice and continued to learn and grow as a technician there for 3 years, becoming one of the lead technicians and managing hospital inventory in her time there.
In the spring of 2014, Chelsea made the decision to switch from general practice to emergency and critical care medicine. She accepted a position at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the Critical Care Unit. While there, Chelsea participated in an advanced training system which helped her to quickly progress in her technical skills, becoming one of the lead technicians of the swing shift whose duties included overseeing other staff members and the 4th year Veterinary Students within the CCU. She enjoyed the fast pace of the Critical Care Unit and the endless teaching opportunities provided by working directly with Veterinary Students.
In the Summer of 2016, Chelsea moved from Fort Collins to Denver, CO where she currently resides. Shortly after getting settled, Chelsea accepted a position as a Surgery Technician at Animal Emergency & Specialty Center. Here she had the opportunity to still enjoy the excitement of fast pace emergency medicine and grow and adapt within a new specialty department. In 2018, Chelsea joined the faculty at Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology where she is teaching Career Development, VTNE Preparation, Intermediate Nursing, and is a technician in the Directed Clinical Practice Laboratory.
Chelsea lives in Denver, Colorado with her two young cats Howie and Thatcher, who are constantly keeping her on her toes. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, watching documentaries, and learning to cook vegan meals.
Kelly Samuels, CVT – Instructor
Kelly grew up in Colorado and has always had an interest in Veterinary Medicine. She decided to go into Veterinary Technology with the intent to work at a Hospital in the Zoo setting. During her Internship at a small animal and exotic practice she fell in love with day practice and decided this was the right career path for her. Kelly received her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Veterinary Technology from Front Range Community College in Fort Collins graduating with honors in 2008. While in practice Kelly enjoyed being part of everything veterinary medicine but was especially fond of surgery and dentistry. Kelly spends her time off with her husband, two young boys and three dogs.
Jessie Goble, DVM – Instructor
Dr. Goble graduated summa cum laude from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. She then graduated cum laude from Colorado State University with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation from veterinary school, Dr. Goble has worked in small animal general practices in Colorado and Arizona. Dr. Goble joined the faculty at Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology in March of 2019.
Breanna Light – LVT Instructor
Breanna is originally from New Hampshire but moved to Virginia at the age of 4 and grew up about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. From a young age, Breanna wanted to be a veterinarian but soon realized she was meant to be a veterinary technician. She began her journey when she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with an interest in veterinary medicine from Radford University in Radford, VA in 2008. She worked in small animal practice and an equine hospital before beginning veterinary technology school in 2012. She graduated from Northern Virginia Community College with an Associates of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and passed the board exam in 2014. She continued working at her small animal practice after graduation as a LVT and worked her way up to senior technician. In 2017 she moved with her then fiancée to Colorado Springs to begin their new life together and got married in February 2019. Here in Colorado she found her way to emergency medicine before changing careers to be an educator. Breanna has worked with many species of animals and in many different environments, all providing her with experience. Breanna brings her love of science, veterinary nursing experience and understanding of the demands of the veterinary world to the classroom. Breanna enjoys gardening and baking at her home who she shares with her husband Greg, a Shiba Inu named Saru and her standard domestic shorthair mackerel tabby cat named Jenny.
Traci Thompson – Financial Aid Officer
Hi, my name is Traci Thompson. I have over 10 years experience in Financial Aid. I was a military brat growing up, so I have lived all over the United States and Australia. I have lived in Colorado Springs and Texas for the majority of my adult life. I have been at CAVT for over 5 years and I love it. Helping students achieve their dreams of becoming a Vet Tech is very important to me.
Carolyn Baker – Admissions Officer
Carolyn has been working in some aspect of veterinary medicine since 2005. She has worked in general practice veterinary hospitals as a veterinary technician, client care specialist, and office manager over the years. Carolyn is the Admissions Officer here at CAVT and enjoys helping prospective students, as well as current students. She also assists Dr. Rubin and the rest of the administrative team.
She is originally from Massachusetts. She has been in Colorado since 2004 and enjoys the “mountain life”. Carolyn misses the ocean and travels home as often as she can to spend time with family and friends that still live on the east coast.
When she isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with the love of her life and her two children-her greatest achievements! Carolyn and her family share their home with two cats, Elliott and Charlie. Carolyn enjoys reading, hiking, music, going to concerts (especially at Red Rocks!) and is an avid hockey fan.
Lindsey Williams, CVT, VTS (ECC) – Consultant
Lindsey began working in veterinary medicine in 1998. She completed her Associate of Applied Science at the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in December 2000, then passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam, becoming a CVT in January of 2001. Lindsey spent a total of six years in general practice, advancing from a receptionist while she was attending college, to a lead technician, kennel staff manager, and technician intern supervisor only a few years after graduation.
In 2004 Lindsey made the transition into specialty medicine, and has worked in referral practices in Colorado, Texas, and Virginia. She has extensive experience in surgery, dermatology, and neurology practices with a focus on anesthesia and pain management.
The majority of Lindsey’s career has been dedicated to practicing in emergency and critical care departments, where she held supervisory or training positions in each facility. In 2015 Lindsey joined the faculty at the Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology, where she taught Advanced Nursing, Anatomy and Physiology II, Anesthesia, Intermediate Nursing, Medical Mathematics, Practice and Self-Management, and was the lead technician in the Directed Clinical Practice Laboratory. Lindsey accepted the position of Program Director at CAVT in August 2017 and published her first text book, “Clinical Mathematics for Veterinary Technicians”, which is used in the Medical Mathematics course at CAVT and in other veterinary technician programs around the country.
In September 2016, Lindsey passed the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians certifying exam, and became a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care. This is a credential which has been obtained by less than 500 veterinary technicians world-wide.
In October of 2019 Lindsey relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina with her husband Zach, daughter Olivia, and dog Sir Ian Woosnam. Lindsey continues to work remotely with the CAVT faculty and staff as a consultant, advising on administrative and instructional topics.
Adjunct Faculty
Natasha Ogden, CVT
Adjunct Faculty for Large Animal Nursing Lab
Michelle Reimers, CVT
Adjunct Faculty for Directed Clinical Practice Lab
Valerie Garcia, CVT
Adjunct Faculty for Basic Nursing Lab
Andreanna Hekkers, CVT
Adjunct Faculty for Anesthesia Lab, Advanced Nursing Lab, and Parasitology Lab
ANNUAL SAFETY REPORT