Technician Track Speakers!

Cassie Jackson—known to most as CJ—has dedicated her entire career to veterinary medicine. She began working with animals at the age of 16 as a kennel technician, where she discovered her passion for the field. CJ earned her bachelor's degree in Animal Health Science from Cal Poly Pomona in 2011 and soon after became a licensed Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT). After starting in general practice, CJ found her calling in emergency and specialty medicine in 2013 at VCA California Veterinary Specialists in Ontario. She has remained there ever since, thriving in the fast-paced environment and developing a particular interest in Emergency Critical Care and Surgery. CJ excels in managing complex cases and is deeply committed to advancing her expertise. In 2022, she earned her Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) in Emergency and Critical Care and is considering pursuing an additional specialty certification in the future. 

 Sumitra Price has been in the field of veterinary medicine for over 30 years, with 27 years focused on specialty, emergency and critical care. She is an RVT with certifications in Veterinary Practice Management, Compassion Fatigue Professional and a RECOVER Rescuer. Her career includes roles as an Emergency and Critical Care supervisor and a 12-year tenure as Hospital Administrator for a prominent specialty hospital. Currently she is the Operations Manager for VCA California Veterinary Specialists in Murrieta, Ca. Along with her certifications, she also has a bachelor's in psychology from UCSD and is currently pursuing her certification in Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care through the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. She is also the primary RVT and owner of Hearts at Ease Animal Care, Inc., an in-home service offering veterinary senior, hospice and transition care.  

Dr. Ledesma is the Medical Director and Radiologist at VCA California Veterinary Specialists Ontario. He began his veterinary career as a surgery assistant while working towards his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and music minor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

He attended veterinary school at Western University of Health Sciences. With Western U’s distinct Problem Based Learning curriculum and the opportunities provided by The Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA), he was able to refine his communication, leadership, and clinical skills.

Dr. Ledesma completed a rotating internship in Medicine & Surgery at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital and stayed as an emergency doctor and supervisor to the rotating interns with those services.

He completed a 3-year residency in Diagnostic Imaging & Radiology and earned a Masters of Science at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. 

 James is a veterinary technician with over 17 years’ experience in emergency and general practice at VCA Animal Hospitals. He currently serves as the Technician Manager at VCA California Veterinary Specialists in Murrieta, where he brings both leadership and hands-on expertise to a fast-paced clinical environment. Driven by his passion for client education, James also works part-time at Menifee Animal Hospital. 

He holds certifications in Level II Fear Free and RECOVER CPR, and at VCA CVS in Murrieta, he leads as the Veterinary Technician Extern Director, mentoring future professionals entering the field. 

Beyond his clinical and managerial roles, James is deeply passionate about emergency medicine and elevating veterinary education. To expand this impact, he is now actively pursuing and participating in speaking engagements and continuing education events—sharing his expertise, promoting best practices, and inspiring others in the profession. 

 Steve Armitage is a Registered Veterinary Technician with over 20 years of experience, including more than a decade in leadership roles at VCA Ontario. He’s currently the Technician Manager in Ontario, which means he spends a lot more time in meetings than with patients—but he still insists his heart belongs to Emergency and Critical Care. Unfortunately, his back and sleep schedule disagreed. Steve is a big believer in technician education, skill development, and keeping patient care both excellent and slightly less chaotic. He’s here today to share hard-earned lessons, a few cautionary tales, and to answer any questions you throw at him—preferably the easy ones.  

 Alexia Martinez began her veterinary journey in 2017, first gaining valuable hands‑on experience in general practice before earning her RVT license and completing an externship with VCA CVS in Murrieta. Alexia then joined the oncology team at VCA California Veterinary Specialists, where she worked her way up to become Registered Veterinary Technician Supervisor in the Oncology department. Following a facility change that relocated the oncologist, she transitioned into Emergency & Critical Care, before ultimately moving into her current role. As Referral Coordinator, Alexia now oversees coordination with referring veterinarians, collaborates with specialty marketing efforts, and supports continued outreach within the local veterinary community. Overall, she continues to pursue her passion in Oncology with continued education and providing support to the hospital with oncology cases.   

 Dr. Kellyi Benson is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine). She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Carroll College in Helena, MT, and obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University. Following veterinary school, Dr. Benson completed a small animal rotating internship at VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center in Albuquerque, NM, followed by an internal medicine residency with a Masters in Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr. Benson now leads the Internal Medicine department at VCA California Veterinary Specialists Ontario. 

Dr. Sung was born and raised in New York City. He attended Hunter College High School in the upper East side of Manhattan. He graduated cum laude from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in 2011 and from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 2015. He finished a one-year rotating internship program at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ, in 2016. Afterwards, he completed a one-year surgical internship program, followed by a three-year surgical residency program at Long Island Veterinary Specialists in Plainview, NY. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2021. Since then, he had been practicing in a specialty center in Rochester, NY. Dr. Jung now leads the Surgery Department at VCA California Veterinary Specialists Murrieta.

Dr. Ian Wachowiak is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology). He attended St George's University in Grenada, West Indies, and completed his clinical year at Washington State University. He then completed a one-year rotating internship at Colorado State University followed by a one-year specialty neurology internship at Michigan State University. He started his residency at Michigan State University, then completed his neurology residency at Colorado State University. Dr. Wachowiak now leads the Neurology Department at VCA California Veterinary Specialists in Ontario. 

 Dr. Leann Shaw is a California native who obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California Riverside. She then pursued her Masters degree in veterinary biomedical science at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, followed by her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee. Upon completion, she then pursued a small animal rotating medicine and surgery internship at Purdue University in Indiana. From there she returned to sunny southern California as an emergency veterinarian at VCA California Veterinary Specialists.  

 Dr. Bennett is an internal medicine specialist at California Veterinary Specialists. She has a particular interest in endocrinology, and she is dedicated to state of the art medicine, client communication, and patient care. Dr. Bennett has authored several original research and journal articles as well as topic chapters in a widely used veterinary reference textbook. She has enjoyed working and lecturing in countries such as Morocco, Macedonia, and Japan. She has won awards for research lectures and her commitment to the human-animal bond.

Dr. Bennett received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Philosophy and Biology & Science from Cornell University in 1990. She earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1999. While working as a general practitioner, Dr. Bennett completed certification training in animal acupuncture which she used to alleviate chronic pain in older arthritic and neurologic patients successfully. In 2004, Dr. Bennett received a Master’s degree in Clinical Sciences while completing an internal medicine residency at Colorado State University after which she was awarded Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.