Elsie Velazquez, Baker College of Owosso Veterinary Technology Program Director
Baker College of Owosso’s Veterinary Technology Program Director, Elsie Velazquez, has earned national recognition from industry organization, the Association of Veterinary Technology Educators (AVTE). The group recently named Velazquez its 2022 Vet Tech Program Director of the Year. The award was presented in early August at the AVTE 2022 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pa.
Velazquez, who has been with Baker College for nearly 20 years, began her tenure as a faculty member in 2003, and was promoted to program director in 2018. As program director, she is responsible for maintaining high academic standards, as well as for the development, growth, administration and management of the Vet Tech program at Baker College of Owosso. Last year, Velazquez helped oversee the implementation of the Owosso campus’ new, 4,500-square-foot Vet Tech facility. Baker’s Vet Tech program also is offered at its campuses in Cadillac, Jackson and Muskegon, Mich.
According to AVTE guidelines, Velazquez was selected for the national recognition based on her role, “as an educator who has demonstrated exceptional strength in working collaboratively to generate creative learning opportunities for their students.” The mission of the AVTE is to promote quality professional education of the veterinary technician student.
“Elsie’s leadership and insight helped us build a beautiful, new, state-of-art building explicitly for our Vet Tech program in Owosso,” said Dr. Voula Erfourth, Baker College of Owosso Campus Director. “She has assembled a strong and caring staff and built partnerships with many area animal facilities and farms, which are key to impactful experiences for our students. I’m so pleased that the AVTE recognized Elsie with this much-deserved award.”
Velazquez earned her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baker College, and her Vet Tech certification from Michigan State University.
Baker College has been training veterinary technicians since 2003. More information on veterinary technology programming at Baker is available at baker.edu.
About Baker College
Founded in 1911, Baker College is one of Michigan’s largest, private nonprofit colleges and the top private transfer school in the state. Baker College has multiple on-ground campus locations and two affiliate sites across the state, as well as an online global campus offering more than 40 academic program options for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Learn more at www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.