Bridgewater, NJ – January 24, 2023. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) announced today that Rochellie Cortés-Martínez, LVTg, MBA, is the association’s 2022 Veterinary Technician of the Year.
NAVTA’s Veterinary Technician of the Year award is presented to a NAVTA member who has provided leadership and contributed to the association and the overall betterment of the Veterinary Technology profession.
Rochellie, who is the Veterinary Technology Program Director at Universidad Ana G. Méndez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, has been a NAVTA member since July 2020. She is a dedicated Licensed Veterinary Technologist with over ten years of experience in veterinary clinics and educational settings. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology from the University of Puerto Rico – Medical Sciences Campus, as well as a master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing.
“I am deeply honored and astounded to have been nominated and selected as the Veterinary Technician of the Year! I’ve dedicated many years working in the most beautiful profession on the planet, and I’ve always felt compelled to help it reach its full potential. I want to contribute to the development and change of the veterinary medicine field by giving a voice to the veterinary technician profession in Puerto Rico, which has a remarkable community of licensed professionals who play an important part in the profession’s advancement every day. NAVTA has given me the opportunity to represent the profession and the Latino community, which I hope will serve as motivation and inspiration to all my colleagues in Puerto Rico and across the country to continue moving forward and making more room for betterment and change!”
In nominating Rochellie, her colleague wrote:
Rochellie has proven to be a very capable leader working with her veterinary faculty providing direction and confidence to her team. In her role as an Academic Program Director, Rochellie was recognized as the program’s greatest strength by the CVTEA’s site team members. These exceptional strengths also benefit many non-profit organizations such as Vieques Humane Society & Animal Rescue and Not One More Vet, where Rochellie contributes her knowledge and leadership skills as an Advisory Board Member.
This year, Rochellie started engaging with NAVTA in search of new opportunities for our profession in Puerto Rico and today, she is the primary point of contact for NAVTA’s District IV. With this initiative, she has inspired and engaged with the professional community around her to become involved with NAVTA, resulting in the recent selection of two students from Puerto Rico as recipients of the NAVTA/BI “Tuition for Technicians” scholarship award.
Rochellie is an outstanding young woman with exceptional leadership skills and a wonderful work ethic. She contributes to our profession by providing the direction, education, and support that our young professionals in Puerto Rico urgently need. I want to get the veterinary technician profession where it needs to be and I’m sure we will get there if we have people like Rochellie that are leading the way. I want to recognize her for it.
NAVTA congratulates its 2022 Veterinary Technician of the Year Rochellie Cortés-Martínez!
About NAVTA
NAVTA is a US-based not-for-profit membership community of more than 8,500 Credentialed Veterinary Technicians, Veterinary Assistants, and other veterinary support staff involved in veterinary care. NAVTA advances the profession of veterinary technology and veterinary nursing through its advocacy and awareness programs, and by providing continuing professional development opportunities. NAVTA supports the veterinary technology and veterinary nursing profession with a host of programs and benefits, available at https://www.navta.net/membership/
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