Open Letter to the AVTE Community About VTNE Reporting
September 12, 2025
Dear Friends,
At our 2024 Annual Conference, AVTE embraced the concept of "One Community" as its core concept. In her comments at the time, then President Jen Serling (Appalachian State University) said:
"Achieving student success demands a genuinely collaborative effort across individual and organizational levels. Anything less risks failing our students and the communities they will serve."
Shortly after that conference in Houston, the AVTE Board expanded on the "One Community" concept, dedicating our organization to several steps forward, including:
- Focusing our organization's energy by first collaborating to strengthen our core pillars, creating the strongest possible platform for sustainable innovation.
- Maintaining a positive approach in all our endeavors and expecting the same from our partners.
The document outlining the "One Community Concept" also discusses the importance of "nurturing a culture where every stakeholder feels integral to our collective mission" and "continuous quality improvement."
AVTE believes that, collectively, these values are essential for any educator and any educational organization, regardless of their role.
Like many of you, I received the AAVSB's letter earlier this week, which addressed the conversation from the Program Directors Summit last month in Louisville.
The letter was a surprise and came despite robust ongoing discussions regarding reporting, as well as plans solidified that morning for a one-on-one meeting early next month with the CEOs of the AAVSB, AVMA, and me.
The groups envisioned the meeting as an opportunity to explore potential collaboration and discuss areas of concern openly and candidly—two elements that are essential to any healthy, ongoing relationship and efforts AVTE engages in on a daily basis. This is the bedrock of moving forward in trust and greater concert.
That meeting will take place in early October. I will take all of the comments you have already shared with me to Chicago in hopes of what Steven Covey calls “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
"One Community" demands of us that when efforts hit a wall, or what appears to be a wall, we don't give up; instead, we continue to move forward with one goal in mind: "student success."
Next week, AVTE will have a presence at AAVSB's annual conference. Our team will actively engage with their leadership, along with all who believe that the concepts of public trust and shared stewardship are core to each of the pillars of veterinary technician education - noting that there are several.
Please make no mistake, AVTE members play a central role in the trust that enables the VTNE to serve as the sole testing option for up-and-coming veterinary technicians. One Community took a hit this week, but One Community is stronger than any one email. Today, we double down on the concept that has lifted us since Houston to guide us forward.
We will share an update after both the AAVSB conference and my meeting with Jim Penrod and Janet Donlin in early October, detailing our plans to move forward towards student success every step of the way.
Warm regards,
Tricia Gorham MA, FVTE, CVT
President, AVTE
St. Petersburg College