I have worked at every level of a veterinary hospital except doctor.

That is what makes this different.

Hi! I'm Suzanne Thomas — credentialed veterinary technologist (LVTg, CVTg), MBA candidate, published author, national speaker, and founder of Leading Veterinary Teams.

I spent 20+ years inside veterinary hospitals. Oncology technician. Hospital manager. Multi-site operations leader. I have run a team of 27 doctors and 17 nurses across 30+ hospitals. Chances are, I have sat in the seat you are sitting in.

I burned out. I rebuilt. I learned what actually works inside real hospitals under real pressure. Not in a classroom, not from a consulting firm, but from being in it.

I created Leading Veterinary Teams because vet med has a leadership infrastructure problem.

The people this industry promotes, credentialed technicians, hospital managers, multi-site leaders, are handed responsibility without a framework. They figure it out alone, carry more than they should, and get blamed when systems fail.

That is not a people problem. That is a design problem. And I am here to fix the design.

CREDENTIALS & RECOGNITION

  • LVTg — Licensed Veterinary Technologist, New York

  • CVTg — Certified Veterinary Technologist, New Jersey

  • MBA Candidate (May 2026)— University of Scranton, May 2026

  • CCFP — Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional

  • CVBL — Certified Veterinary Business Leader

  • Published Author — From Competent to Capable (2024)

  • NAVTA Journal Contributor

  • NAVTA VNI Committee Member

  • National Speaker — NY Vet Show, Uncharted, NJVTA, GVScon, BlendVet

When Leadership Training Isn’t Enough.

Some leadership problems aren’t caused by lack of effort. They’re caused by unclear systems, misaligned expectations, and leaders carrying responsibilitiy that was never designed to sit with one person. This work exists for organizations that know something deeper needs to change.

WHO THIS WORK IS FOR:

I work with veterinary organizations that are ready to address leadership at the structural level, not just the individual one.

This work is a fit for:

  • Practices experiencing chronic culture strain

  • Organizations navigating growth, transition, or consolidation

  • New ownership or leadership changes

  • Leadership teams stuck in reactivity or avoidance

  • Hospitals where “good people” keep burning out

  • Executives who know training alone won’t fix this

If you’re looking for quick fixes or surface-level culture work, this will not be a fit.

WHAT THIS WORK ACTUALLY IS:

This is facilitated leadership systems work.

We start by understanding how leadership is currently functioning, not how it’s supposed to work on paper.

From there, we build clarity around:

  • Decision-making authority

  • Leadership roles and expectations

  • Behavioral standards

  • Accountability structures

  • Communication norms

  • Cultural operating principles

This work focuses on how leadership behaves under pressure, because that’s where culture is actually formed.