Member Login

Board of Directors

The BCVTA is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of a minimum of 8 members of good standing with the association.  Directors are elected to the Board at the Annual General Meeting and appointed to positions by the Board based on an assessment of skills and interests. 

Board of Director terms of service are based on Bylaw 6.7 Term of Directors and 6.8 Consecutive Terms and Term Limits and in Policy 3.3 Board of Director Terms as follows:

  • President and Vice-President may be elected for up to one (1), two (2) year term.
  • Secretary and Treasurer will be elected for up to two (2), two (2) year terms.
  • RVTTC Representative will be appointed for up to three (3), two(2) year terms, following the Bylaws and Policies of the RVTTC.
  • The CVBC Liaison will be elected for up to two (2), two (2) year terms.
 
Board members participate in annual strategic planning sessions, monthly Board meetings, and committee work to ensure that they are informed and provide ongoing feedback and support to set long term goals for the health and sustainability of the association. 
 
Anyone interested in joining the Board of Directors can contact the Executive Director at executivedirector@bcvta.com

Amanda Barker, RVT, CVPP
President/CVBC Liaison

Amanda has spent the last 17 years in the veterinary field. She started out as a kennel assistant, and quickly worked her way through a variety of roles, ultimately becoming a Registered Veterinary Technologist in 2012. She has worked in several areas of veterinary medicine, including general practice, wildlife rehab, emergency & critical care, internal medicine, specialty surgery, and anesthesia. She currently works as the Practice Manager at ORCA Orthopedic & Referral Centre for Animals, a privately owned surgical referral hospital on Vancouver Island. 

Amanda holds several certifications, including Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner, RECOVER CPR BLS/ALS Instructor, Fear Free Certified Professional, ASIST Certification, and Mental Health First Aid Certificate. She is committed to creating a safe, fear-free environment for patients and clients, as well as promoting mental health awareness and wellbeing within the veterinary profession.

Her favorite part of veterinary medicine is taking care of spicy cats – being a self proclaimed “cat lady” there aren’t many felines she can’t make friends with!

She is passionate about emergency medicine and CPR, so when she isn’t managing the hospital she is teaching CPR through the company she founded in 2021 with the goal to elevate the standards of veterinary medicine by providing comprehensive education and training in RECOVER CPR.

She shares her home with her husband and three cats – a senior lady named Cougar, the mischievous Hitch, and the newest addition, Moxie! Outside of the veterinary field, she spends her time in the gym, rock climbing or hiking, or tending to her various houseplants.

Emily Carefoot, RVT
Vice-President
Emily Carefoot graduated as an RVT from Douglas College in 2022. She currently works in biomedical research with a wide variety of species including pigs, sheep, rabbits, chickens, and rodents. Previous to veterinary medicine, she gained an undergraduate in creative writing. Her two cats, Reese and Dewey, keep her company while she spends her free time reading or rewatching old sitcoms.
Ashley Bourdeau, RVT
Secretary

Ashley Bourdeau has been a Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT) for the past ten years. Ashley began her career in 2011 as a Veterinary Office Assistant, a role that sparked her passion for veterinary medicine. Over the years, she gained invaluable experience working at a busy small animal hospital, which further honed her skills and deepened her commitment to animal care and education.

Since 2019, Ashley has been an Assistant Teaching Professor at the TRU Veterinary Technology Program, where she has had the privilege of educating and mentoring the next generation of veterinary professionals.

Ashley is excited to be a Director on the BCVTA board to contribute to the growth and advancement of the veterinary technology profession. She is committed to fostering excellence in veterinary technology and believes that her experience and dedication will be valuable assets to the board.

Kim Holbrow, RVT
Student Liaison
Kim graduated as an RVT from TRU in 2008. She works most of the time in a small animal practice, but locums all over the Fraser Valley and loves emergency medicine and critical care. Kim has a couple dogs, a couple cats and a couple horses. When she is not at work you can find her in her garden or reading.

Kalaya Donchi, RVT, VCC
RVTTC Representative

Kalaya graduated from NAIT – Fairview in 2008. After spending 2 years in a general practice in Sherwood Park, AB, Kalaya missed the BC mountains and landed herself in the Okanagan in 2010. Kalaya currently works with a boarded veterinary surgeon in the lower mainland, which allows her to follow her passion for anesthesia and analgesia. In her spare time, she can be found hiking or obsessing over her extensive plant collection.
Gabrielle Beer, RVT
Past President/Director at Large

Gabrielle began her career in the veterinary world in 2011 as an assistant, later earning her Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT) designation from Thompson Rivers University in 2014. Since then, she has experienced a diverse path spanning from specialty care to exotic pet and small animal general practice. In 2017, Gabrielle joined the Vancouver Aquarium and their Marine Mammal Rescue Society, where she found her stride working with sea otters, sea lions, seals and other aquatic creatures.

Before entering the veterinary field, Gabrielle worked as a photojournalist—a passion she still pursues through select photography projects each year. When she’s not in scrubs or behind the lens, you’ll find her with her husband, wrangling their two spirited children, or doting on the furry and finned members of their lively household.

Anne Pauluzzi, RVT
Director at Large
Anne started her veterinary technology journey in 1999 after graduating from Okanagan College of the Cariboo (now TRU). She started in general practice for 5 years in the lower mainland before moving to the Okanagan. She has been at the same practice for 21 years now and was an integral part of launching the first 24-hour emergency practice in the interior.    Anne takes great pride being the lead technician of her hospital’s blood banking program, mentoring technology students and young RVT’s.  Anne is ALS/BLS RECOVER certified. She loves transfusion medicine as well as trauma and critical care cases.  In her free time, Anne wrangles her two children, husband, 4 horses, sheep, 3 dogs, 2 cats and one rabbit on her hobby farm.
Kerri Vivian, RVT
Director at Large
Kerri graduated from the St. Lawrence College Veterinary Technology program in 1999. Throughout her career as an RVT, Kerri has worked in general practice, emergency, and industry, her current role is as a Locum and a Teletriage Operator. Throughout her career, Kerri has witnessed the great progress our profession has made as well as the struggles we face on a daily basis. Joining the BCVTA board is a way for her to give back and participate in the work to gain RVTs in British Columbia the professional recognition we deserve.
Amber Gregg, RVT
Executive Director 
Amber graduated from the TRU veterinary technology program in 2007 and spent almost 8 years in mixed animal practice before gaining experience in Non-for-profit management. Amber joined the BCVTA Board of Directors as Vice-President in 2020, and served a one-year term as President in 2021 before being appointed the Executive Director position in 2022. Amber is grateful for everyone who made the BCVTA the strong and healthy organization it is today. She looks forward to working with the Board of Directors and members of the BCVTA to continue to advance veterinary technology.