South Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians
Binding Professionals Together
Board Members
Melissa Entrekin
President
Melissa graduated from St. Petersburg College in 2003. She has worked as a Lab Asst for the Vet Tech program at Piedmont Tech, and as an LVT at Upstate Vet & Emergency Clinic. Melissa received her VTS in Emergency & Critical Care in 2012. Melissa was recently voted Veterinary Technician of the year by NAVTA.
Jeanna Lineberger
Past President
Jeanna currently lives in Fort Mill. She graduated from Purdue Univ. then went into private practice for 12 years before joining Riverbanks Zoo and doing field research on sea turtles in South America for 14 years.
Zohra Badat
Treasurer
Zohra graduated from Trident Tech in 2005 with dual Associates degrees; one in Veterinary Technology and the other in Applied Science. In 2008 she graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor in Business Management. In 2017 she received her SHRM-CP certification in Human Resources. She has worked in GP and Shelter Medicine as an LVT and Clinic Manager. She was also an Adjunct Instructor in the Vet Tech program at TTC.
Adrienne Kruzer
Piedmont District Representative
Adrienne graduated in 2007 from Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. She is registered in both OH and NC and licensed in SC where she currently lives. She gives regular presentations to vet tech college programs around the country, provides CE to vet techs in her RACE-approved presentations, and writes for various online pet websites and veterinary sources. She is Fear Free Level 2 Certified and earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2021.
Sarah Schwenzer
Piedmont District Representative
Sarah graduated from Wayne County Community College in 2004. She has always had a passion for zoo medicine and has been employed by Greenville Zoo for 9.5 yrs as an LVT and Veterinary Hospital Coordinator. One of her favorite parts of her job is using operant conditioning for voluntary medical behaviors in zoo animals. She is also a member of SC Veterinary Emergency Corps.
Nicole Haynes
Piedmont District Representative
Nicole was a 2015 honors graduate of Penn Foster College. BS in Business Administration. Employed since 2006 with Banfield Pet Hospital in Spartanburg and current Shift Lead. Low Stress Handling Certified Silver and Fear Free Certified. Lover of cats, Boston Terriers, and tortoises. Career aspirations include getting a BS in Veterinary Technology and obtaining a VTS in Small Animal Internal Medicine.
Lauren Howard
Coastal District Representative
Lauren graduated from the Trident Tech Vet Tech program in 2017 and got her LVT the same year. She worked in general practice from 2015-2019 and started working in Internal Medicine in 2019. She also moonlights as an ER technician, periodically adjuncts at Trident Tech, and is in the process of pursuing her Bachelor's degree. She currently lives in the Charleston area with her 3 rescue dogs.
Kendall Bak
Coastal District Representative
Kendall graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in 2006 and obtained her LVT that year. She has worked in various specialty and referral hospitals as well as general practices around the country for the last 20 years. She obtained her VTS in Emergency and Critical Care in 2021. Prior to working in veterinary medicine, she was a music teacher, and her passion for teaching extends into vetmed. She lives in the Charleston area with her family and 2 dogs, 2 cats, several fish and an axolotl.
Michelle McConnell
Coastal District Representative
Michelle graduated from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver, Colorado in 2002. She obtained her VTS in Anesthesia in 2007. Michelle joined Vetamac in 2011 as a service technician/sales associate where she provides annual service on anesthesia equipment and RACE approved CE seminars on anesthesia in veterinary hospitals and national conferences. Michelle also works part-time for Low Country Pet Hospice providing hospice care for animals in Charleston and surrounding areas.
Michele Neal
Midlands District Representative
Michelle attended Newberry College to pursue her Bachelors's in Veterinary Technology and Biology degree. She’s been working for Hills Pet Nutrition for almost 10 years educating staff in SC and NC on the power of nutrition. In 2020 she went back to her roots and took on relief work as an LVT at CVETS. While still working for Hills full time she’s at CVETS some nights/weekends to keep her skills sharp and prepare her to get her VTS in nutrition.
Annika Ramcke
Midlands District Representative
Annika graduated from Murray State University in Kentucky in 2011 with her BS in Agriculture, with an emphasis in Veterinary Technology. She started her career in emergency medicine in KY, and moved to SC to continue her work in emergency medicine. She is currently the Nursing Director at CVETS in Columbia. She enjoys working with an awesome hospital team every day and continues to grow not only as a Technician in the field but also as a leader for her team. She is able to combine her love in the veterinary field and be a part of them every day and seeing team members grow in their own careers has been the most rewarding part of her career.