SAVT Biographies

Lorraine Serhienko, RVT
President

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
SIAST Veterinarian Technology Diploma- 2007
Olds College – AI and Herd Health 2002
Olds College – Horse Hoof Care & Trimming 2004
Olds College – Canadian Beef Production 2006
Olds College – Equine First Aid 2007
Olds College – Equine Massage 2008

• WCVM – Large Animal / Lab Technician
  May 2008 - Present
• WCVM – ICU Technician
  June 2007 - May 2008
• WCVM – Kennel Attendant
  October 2006 - June 2007

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
Joined board of directors in 2007

Member of 4-H for 13 years and was involved up to the provincial level and held many executive positions. Also an employee of the 4-H Council for 4 summers, planning activities, was working on surveys, promotion, working with clubs, fundraising and resource material.

Member of the Provincial Youth Advisory Council (PYAC) for 3 years 2003-2006

Tamara Leader, RVT
CAAHTT Director and President Elect

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Graduated from the Vet Tech program at Kelsey in Saskatoon in 2002

• Worked 3 months as a summer student at Prairie Swine Centre
• 1.5 years at the mixed practice in North Battleford
• Took 6 months off to travel around Australia
• Worked for 1 year at the Tisdale Animal Clinic
• Currently working at Big Sky Farms head office in Humboldt as the CQA Coordinator and Herd Health Technician

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
Board member of SAVT since 2006

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
At home I have 2 Labrador Retrievers (outdoors) and an indoor cat. Mom and Dad have 200 head of cattle that I enjoy helping out with when I can. I’m a consultant for Epicure spices on the side. I love to travel and I also curl, take dance classes and I’m an avid scuba diver.

Deneille Noble (Tocher), RVT
Past President and CAAHTT Director

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Graduated from the Vet Tech program at Kelsey in Saskatoon in 2002

• Lawson Heights Animal Hospital, Saskatoon – part time during school and full time afterwards.
• Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatoon (2002 – 2004). Worked as a research technician
• Big Sky Farms, Humboldt (2005 – 2007). Worked in the nucleus barn, and then did work as the CQA and Training Coordinator out of the head office.
• Perkins Ag Marketing Feedlot, Saskatoon (2006/2007) Weekend work as a pen checker.
• PIC Aurora GN, Kipling (2007-2008) Working as the Nursery Department Head.
• Prairie Animal Health Center, Estevan and Weyburn (Current) as a Veterinary Technologist.

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
No experience before starting with the SAVT Board. Now I have one year of experience from when I was President-Elect in 2006, and two years when I was President in 2007 and 2008.

What do you hope to bring to the table or describe great things you are doing:
I hope to bring new ideas to the board to help better the association and to have some fun while doing it! One of my goals is to educate the public and Veterinarians on the role of a Veterinary Technologist which in turn, will increase our importance in the workplace and I’m also working on marketing the board as a great place for volunteering and gaining CE!

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
I enjoy reading novels, going horseback riding, camping, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. My husband and I have 2 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 horses. In 2009 we are also planning on opening up our own mixed veterinary practice in 2009!

Tracy Hooper, RVT
Financial Officer

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Veterinary Technology program SIAST Kelsey Campus, class of 2003

• Deep South Animal Clinic, Ogema Sask after graduation in 2003
• Tisdale Animal Clinic, Tisdale Sask 2004-2006
• Northeast Veterinary Services, Tisdale Sask May 2007-present

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
This is brand new for me.

I love to play piano, guitar and have recently started taking violin lessons.

Chrissie Engel, RVT
Secretary

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Graduated from the VetTech program at lakeland College in Vermilion Ab in 2000

• 3 months at Coronation Animal Clinic, Coronation Ab
• 7 years with Norsask Vet Group first at the Warman Vet Clinic and now at the Rosthern Vet Clinic

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
brand new to the savt board

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
I share a home with Scott and 2 cats (that share 7 legs between the two of them) and a snake (not my choice). I am the Program Coordinator for the Elementary School Breakfast Program. I enjoy my winter holidays snowboarding and in the summer going on camping trips and other travels.

Marilyn St Marie
Office Administrator

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

• U of S Business Administration Certificate 1995
• One year of Arts and Science at U of S (1981)

• I have worked for various printing companies and ad agencies since 1982. My experience extends from digital reproduction of images, desktop print production and page layout, web site updates, search engine marketing, customer service/sales and office administration.
• Since September of 1999, I have been self employed. I named the company St Solo Computer Graphics as my name is Marilyn "St Marie" and I went "Solo". In 2000, my husband became my partner in business and we now have a talented group of employees and an office on Duchess Street. We develop print and internet delivered communications products for clients and have two emerging software developments, one for the manufacturing industry and the other, a registration software to help make events like the SAVT easier to administer. We also have business interests in motivia communications, a full service ad agency and SSV Enterprises an internet hosting company.

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
I was initially involved with helping with registrations at the 2007 SAVT Conference. In 2008, St Solo was the supplier of the SAVT Conference registration application. The opportunity became available to be involved in being the person taking these registrations. This was a perfect fit to further develop our software, to be involved as a client, and to work with the SAVT Board.

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
I probably could be described as a workaholic. I love the people I work with and SAVT is a fun way to develop our software in a real situation. Some day I hope to move back to my rural roots in the area that stretches from Meota, through Cavalier and Vawn and on to Edam. Currently I live in a big old house on 8th street with my husband Shawn and three littermate farm cats; Poe, Koonz and Barker. I try to get out to see my dad every couple of weeks or so. He still lives on his farm near Vawn. I absolutely adore getting back out in the country and be with him every chance I get.

Michele Moroz, RVT
Sr. CAAHTT Director

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Graduated from the Vet Tech program at Kelsey in Saskatoon in 1983.

Work Experience:
Since 1994, Michele has been working at the U of S,College of Medicine in the Surgical Research Lab and Laboratory Animal Services Unit. Her current duties are mostly administrative: taking care of the day-to-day running of the unit, supervising 5 technicians, giving guidance and assistance to over 60 researchers and their staff, providing anesthesia and surgical assistance to research projects, and teaching surgical skills to research personnel. Prior to this job, she has worked both in private practice and several departments within the WCVM Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
Michele has been involved with SAVT since its inception in 1984. She was a member of the first SAVT Executive as Treasurer and Secretary. Since then, she has also been assistant editor of the newsletter, on a Conference Committee, the Continuing Education Consultant, Office Administrator, and President. Currently, Michele is the CAAHTT Director on the SAVT Board of Directors, SAVT’s Director on the SIAST Veterinary Technology Program’s Advisory Council, a mentor and a member of SAVT’s Advisory Council.

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
Michele has been married since 1985, and has two teenaged sons. The family also includes a cat and a dog. She has also been involved in the community as school room parent, lacrosse and hockey association executive member, manager of numerous hockey and lacrosse teams, block captain for her community association, and canvasser for several charities. Her spare time is spent cross-stitching, reading, camping or traveling.

Jamie Simpson, RVT
Member At Large

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Graduated from the Vet Tech program at Lakeland College in Vermilion, AB in 2001

• Worked 2 years on a dairy farm before deciding to go to school
• Worked for Balgonie Vet Clinic (Volunteer and Practicum)
• Currently working at Animal Management Services and Pet Clinic in Yorkton, SK have been here since May 2001

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
None! Brand new to a board!

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
At home I have 3 dogs ( Blue Heeler, Border Collie and a Rottweiler) The Rottweiler was an SPCA rescue she is living out her days in luxury. I also have 2 house cats and numerous barn cats that were also rescued from the SCPA. I recently got married to a wonderful man named Thomas that I met while going to school in Vermilion. We farm with my parents in the Melville area we have about 150 cows that we calve each year. We do very little grain farming most of our land is used for feed for the cattle. I also have 2 Llamas that spend most of there time guarding the cattle, 2 horses and a donkey. The donkey was also some what of a rescue because the previous owner had decided that he was too much trouble and was just giving him away. In my spare time I also play some hockey on a rec team out of Churchbridge and I also do some curling a couple of times a week.

Colette Schick, RVT
Member At Large

Home Province:
Saskatchewan

Education:
Veterinary Technology Diploma 1998 SIAST Kelsey

• Big Sky Farms Inc. 1998 to present
  - 1998 to 2001 worked as farrow,breeder, and nursery tech.
  - 2001 helped start up a 6000 head new breeder facility
  - 2001 to 2005 managed a multi-site nursery ( 4 barns = 6400 head each)
  - 2005 to present manage 700 sow Farrow to Finish unit, which is one of the genetic barns for the company
• restaurant and hotel experience

Previous Board / Committee Experience:
- secretary for Buchanan Curling Club 2003- 2005
- Nursery focus group
- Level Assessment Board – Big Sky

Personal life including pets and hobbies:
Too many of both:
House kitten – Dopey, a Golden Retreiver – Buddy, 4 outside cats
2 older riding mares – Chase and Rusty, and 2 three year olds I am training – Rev and Teddy

We are part of the Triple B Horse Club which we do trail riding and other activities such as Christmas caroling. My husband and I both enjoy hunting. We have a six year old son and enjoy many family activities such as camping, fishing and ice-fishing, quadding and sledding – just about anything outdoors. We are trying to build an outdoor rink, but progress is slow.