Four decades after walking into The Hotel Roanoke as a young veterinarian hungry for continuing education, Terry Swecker walked to the podium to accept the Paul F. Landis Veterinarian of the Year Award — and told the room the real education had never been in the sessions.
“The real education was the people in this room,” said Swecker, an emeritus professor at Virginia Tech. “For any of you youngsters here, please take advantage. Especially find a gray hair or no hair, because they’ve probably seen it, done it — whether it’s a case, a client, any situation.”
Swecker, a member of the college’s inaugural Class of 1984 who retired in June 2024 after 44 years on the veterinary college faculty, was among five honorees with deep ties to the college recognized at the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association’s annual awards ceremony during the 2026 Virginia Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19–21 at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.
The ceremony also honored Joanne Tuohy with the Distinguished Virginia Veterinarian Award, Jessica Cowley as Mentor of the Year, Andrea Collins as Veterinary Team Member of the Year, and Garry Morgan as Friend of the VVMA.
Paul F. Landis Veterinarian of the Year — Terry Swecker ’80, DVM ’84, PhD ’90
The Landis Award — named for a past president of both the VVMA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) — recognizes excellence and dedication to organized veterinary medicine.
Swecker’s career fits the description from nearly every angle.
He earned his bachelor’s in animal and poultry sciences from Virginia Tech in 1980, graduated with the college’s first-ever veterinary class in 1984, and returned after a stint in mixed-animal practice to earn board certification in veterinary nutrition and a Ph.D. He taught 22 courses in the veterinary college, mentored 14 doctoral and 26 master’s students, and produced 74 peer-reviewed publications.
Swecker served as director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital from 2015 until his retirement, and as president of the VVMA, helping guide the association through the challenges of COVID-19. He spent six years on the AVMA’s Council on Education, sharing responsibility for accrediting veterinary schools nationwide.
Nathaniel C. Burke ’05, MS ’07, DVM ’11, who presented the award, read a tribute from longtime friend and colleague Dick Bailey ’79, DVM ’87, who has known Swecker since they were undergraduates in the AGR agricultural fraternity at Virginia Tech in 1977.
“Terry has had a tremendous impact as a veterinarian educator and therefore is very deserving of this award,” Bailey said. “I definitely believe that the world would be a better place with more Dr. Sweckers in it.”
In his acceptance, Swecker turned the spotlight outward, naming mentors John Wise and Jesse Webster and crediting the broader VVMA community — veterinarians, technicians, vendors, and staff — for shaping his career.
“There are so many veterinarians of the year in this room,” Swecker said. “And I’m grateful to be one.”
Distinguished Virginia Veterinarian — Joanne Tuohy
Michael Mannebach DVM ’19, an associate veterinarian at VCA Valley Animal Hospital in Roanoke, kept the audience in suspense for nearly four minutes before revealing Tuohy’s name — spending every one of those minutes explaining why she earned it.
He described a specialist whose impact extends far beyond her own exam room. Tuohy, an associate professor in surgical oncology at the college, provides guidance and support to general practitioners, making colleagues feel like valued members of the care team.
“I’m a generalist — jack of all trades, master of none — in this doctor’s field of expertise,” Mannebach said. “Our honoree has always gone out of her way to make sure that I felt like an important member of the care team for these patients.”
Every client he has referred to Tuohy, Mannebach said, has come away feeling heard and understood — even when the news was difficult. She is also conducting advanced research to expand treatment options and training the next generation of specialists.
“This is a person who’s having a very real positive impact on patients right now,” Mannebach said — pausing, visibly emotional — “and her impact is going to reach far into the future.”
Mentor of the Year — Jessica Cowley
Kelly Gillespie ’22, a fourth-year student at the college, presented the award and described a teacher who turns even the most challenging clinical cases into learning opportunities.
“She meets students exactly where they are and helps them build confidence, step by step,” Gillespie said. “Students never feel like a burden for asking questions. Instead, curiosity is met with enthusiasm.”
Cowley, an assistant clinical professor in production management medicine, creates an environment where students feel safe making mistakes and learning from them, Gillespie said. She also gave credit to an unlikely co-instructor: Cowley’s dog Bailey, who has become a student favorite through hands-on clinical teaching.
“Learning from this mentor is truly a privilege,” Gillespie said. “I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without this individual.”
Veterinary Team Member of the Year — Andrea Collins
As director of multidisciplinary labs and experiences at the college, Andrea Collins has spent 25 years coordinating the spaces, people, and animals that make clinical education work — work that Sunshine Lahmers, associate dean for professional programs, said “looks like there was nothing to it, but there was a lot to it.”
Collins, a licensed veterinary technician with specialty training in emergency critical care, plays a central role in the college’s anesthesia and spay-neuter labs — high-stakes experiences where students begin to see themselves as doctors.
“When things are going well, she celebrates those moments with them,” Lahmers said. “But even more importantly, when things don’t go as planned, she’s the one who helps them see it’s going to be just fine. Don’t lose your soul in this moment. This is what practice is really like.”
Friend of the VVMA — Garry Morgan
Garry Morgan, director of student services at the college, received the Friend of the VVMA Award for his role in shaping veterinary students into well-rounded professionals.
Lahmers, who also presented this award, described Morgan’s work as helping students “remember how to be human while they are also learning how to be veterinarians.”
Morgan leads the college’s wrap-around care team, oversees its food pantry, co-leads the Becoming a Veterinary Professional course, and designed much of the new student orientation — teaching teamwork, financial wellness, and how to have difficult conversations.
Morgan holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Auburn University and a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from NC State University — a perspective rooted outside veterinary medicine that Lahmers said is essential to student development.
The proof was in the orientation. After a full day of ropes courses, hiking, and team-building, Morgan kept the energy high when everyone else was spent.
“When we did the post-orientation survey, the description of Garry was: ‘Garry was a vibe,’” Lahmers said. “That vibe is very good for veterinary medicine.”
By Andrew Mann
