Ramona is a dual-major graduate of the University of California at Berkeley in History and Political Science.  Following a long ‘first’ career in corporate retail management she graduated from the Veterinary Technology program at the College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas.  Ramona is a licensed Veterinary Technician in Nevada and a Certified Veterinary Technician in Colorado.

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Ramona has had diverse experiences in the field of Veterinary Technology including developing and managing continuing clinical education programs on the national scale, administering clinical testing programs for veterinarians and veterinary technologists, working in private clinical practice, and as a volunteer surgical manager for feral cat clinics.  Her passion is that every animal be given an opportunity to have a home.

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For three years she has been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities.  She has also served as Treasurer for the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians. In 2016, she was a finalist for the Petplan Vet Awards 2017 Veterinary Technician of the Year.

Chief Executive Officer, Instructor

Dr. Crane is a graduate of the University of California at Davis and fulfilled extensive post-graduate clinical training in veterinary surgery and critical care.  He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1976.   He has had a diverse career in veterinary medicine including private practice, teaching soft tissue surgery to veterinary students at three major universities, academic department development and administration and exited academia as Professor of Surgery and founding Head of the Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University.   He also spent a decade in pet food research and development, and served for eleven years as the Executive Director of the Western Veterinary Conference with CEO responsibilities for one of the world’s two largest continuing professional education conferences for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants and veterinary business managers.

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At Apex CVT, Dr. Crane oversees all medical procedures in program and CE courses to ensure the health, safety, and medical standard applied to our patients is of the highest caliber. He is also the primary instructor for courses related to pharmacology, diagostic imaging, and clinical skills.

Chief Medical Officer, Instructor

Ms. Spelts is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences. Her early career was with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in support of the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Kim made career transitions to project management and then to veterinary technology, earning her Associate of Applied Science in
Veterinary Technology and becoming a Certified Veterinary Technician in Colorado in 1999.  Her early role and interests were in veterinary emergency medicine. Later, she joined the clinical staff in the Anesthesia Department of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to focus her career
on the theory and practice of animal anesthesia and analgesia.

After rigorous preparation and examination Kim became one of only a handful of Veterinary Technician Specialists in Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2004. She is the Past President of the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia. She is also a nationally and internationally acclaimed author and speaker and regularly contributes to updates of the literature and guidelines regarding current recommendations in the field of animal anesthesia and analgesia techniques and practices.

Kim is the Founder and CEO of PEAK Veterinary Anesthesia Services (www.peakvas.com).

Instructor

Vanessa Gemignani was raised in Colorado Springs, and returned home after earning her degree in English and a minor in Elementary Education. She spent 2 years of her undergrad at Long Island University where she dabbled in areas of business, education, journalism, and broadcasting, and finished her final 2 years of school at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Throughout her 4 years of higher education, she competed for her respective universities in collegiate volleyball, and helped her team to 3 NCAA appearances. 

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After graduation, she took a teaching job at Soaring Eagles Elementary where she taught 5th grade writing, and then 2nd grade. She tutors students of all ages in reading and writing, and has an extensive background in editing and blogging. 

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Currently, she is the assistant volleyball coach at Colorado College where she coaches and mentors young women through the sport they love. In her free time she loves reading, traveling, hiking, camping, and playing as much volleyball as possible. 

Instructor