Get to Know the Legendary Julie Legred

Julie Legred is a legend in the veterinary community. She’s been working to aid the veterinary technician profession for many years, serving as the Executive Director of NAVTA and working with the AVMA and organizations like CAPC. She is currently the Executive Director of the Winn Feline Foundation, where she seeks out support for much needed feline research. You have likely seen her a time or two on the speaker circuit speaking on topics ranging from parasiticides to career development.

Julie answers our five most burning questions below:

I have an intense fear of...  I don't really have this type of fear.  Yes, I have fear of various things, but in reality I have learned to take things as they come and deal with them the best I can and move forward.

My biggest pet peeve is fake people and people who bully others.  Not being real and true about who you are, or using others to only benefit yourself is unthinkable.  I have no time for these types of people. People can change. If they come to realize that they have been doing this and apologize for things they've done in the past, I have no issues helping them reach their goals, but they truly have to want to help others reach their dreams just the same.

To get out of a bad mood, I change gears.  I take a break and do something else.  Often, just going to fold a load of laundry, calling a friend, sweeping the floor, playing with the dogs, etc. will give me enough of a reprieve to go back to what I was doing with a fresh take.

What makes me happiest is spending time with my family.  Watching my four boys doing what they love to do, such as baseball, hockey, and football makes me happy. As parents know, kids grow up fast so I like to spend as much time as possible with them.

I can't stop talking about how many opportunities there are these days for credentialed veterinary technicians and if veterinary practices/employers would just utilize their skills in the way they were taught to do and empower them in practice, many of the issues we are facing could improve drastically. There are so many benefits of utilizing and empowering veterinary technicians.  Veterinary technicians would stay in their positions longer, practices could see income they have not seen in the past, clients would be happier, patients would receive better care, teams would be happier and more cohesive, the work load of veterinarians would improve and, maybe, teams would be able to leave at more reasonable time.  That’s also why I founded Veterinary Advancement, a company that helps match incredible veterinary professionals with incredible clinics. I saw a need and knew my team and I could really make a change for the better for our profession. I am really excited for this new phase of my career.