Tanya Andrews demonstrated leadership skills long before she entered her current role as Regional Operations Manager at VetEvolve. After going to school to be a veterinary technician, Tanya found a position at Airpark Animal Hospital. When an administrator left, she noticed some management tasks were falling through the cracks and volunteered to help. With guidance from the veterinarian and practice co-owner, she took the initiative and was given the opportunity to pivot to a leadership role.
“I was given an opportunity to take on more roles at the hospital than would normally be given to a veterinary technician,” she said. “I was learning inventory; I was helping with schedules.”
Not only was she good at these additional roles, but she also found that she enjoyed them.
When Jessica DeCesare joined the Airpark team as a hospital administrator, she and Tanya immediately started building a strong working relationship. With Tanya’s experience at the veterinary hospital and Jessica’s experience as an administrator, the two women were able to work together and learn from one another.
Tanya became Practice Manager at Essex Middle River Veterinary Center in 2010. As part of the leadership team at Essex, Tanya enjoyed learning from her colleagues as well as supporting their professional development. She enjoyed bringing new ideas and articles to their monthly team meetings to help the team learn and improve.
“I always thought, What can I bring to my leadership team that they can learn and be able to teach their own teams?” she said.
A Lasting Drive to Lead
Tanya’s love of mentorship crossed into areas outside her own practice, as well. As part of her role at Essex, Tanya met with other practice managers each quarter. When they gathered, she found that the other managers would often ask her questions about their work.
“That’s where I really started appreciating what I had been taught over the years,” she said.
Using her experience to work with others in this way eventually led to the question that drives her: “How can I help other individuals grow and develop?”
When Essex partnered with VetEvolve in 2017, Tanya appreciated the network of support from her new colleagues. That included reconnecting with Jessica, who was her new regional manager at VetEvolve.
“The best part of VetEvolve is the support they offer, and that hasn’t changed from when we were the fourth practice to partner with them to where we are today with over 25 practices. That support has never changed. It’s core to what VetEvolve is all about,” Tanya said.
When the opportunity came up to work as a regional manager at VetEvolve herself, Tanya saw it as a chance to continue pursuing her passion of mentoring others.
“I love the idea of being able to help and mentor other practice managers who are starting in that role,” she said. “I was a practice manager for 11 years, so I like being able to help someone else get their feet wet and grow in this role.”
VetEvolve’s Strong Network of Support
Now she does just that, assisting doctors and practice managers throughout her region, as well as anyone else who might come to her for extra help. VetEvolve has created that strong culture of support at all levels, Tanya noted.
“I don’t feel like I’ve ever not been supported,” she said. “And even if there’s someone that I’ve reached out to that may be busy, there’s someone else who I could always reach out to. I don’t feel like the level of support has ever changed for me.”
With the culture that VetEvolve has fostered, the organization has enabled Tanya to combine her passion for veterinary medicine and her leadership drive into a career that is both fulfilling and motivating.
