Denise is a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) who is dedicated to improving the oral health of animals. She graduated with honors from Madison Area Technical College in 2001 with her Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology After trying out various fields of veterinary medicine, she found her true calling in dentistry and pursued her VTS in Dentistry through the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians (AVDT) in 2014.

Denise founded Pet Dental Education, LLC in 2017 to promote education and innovation in veterinary dentistry. She provides on-site training to veterinary hospitals all over the country, aiming to improve the standards of dental care for animals. Additionally, she has served as a dental educator for several companies, teaching and inspiring others with her expertise. Denise has taught and assisted in over 200 lectures and wet labs over the years.

Apart from her educational efforts, Denise also provided compassionate dental care at the Pet Dental Center in Estero, FL, enriching the lives of pets one tooth at a time. Denise’s commitment to excellence in dentistry was recognized in 2020 when she received the “Rising in Dentistry Leadership” Award from the AVDT. She also serves as the Director at Large Board Member of the Academy, furthering her impact on the profession. Denise is also the honored recipient of the Viticus Group 2024 Veterinary Technician Speaker of the Year Award.

Denise has recently changed roles and is now the Practice Development and Improvement Specialist for iM3, Inc where she can pursue her flare for dentistry by helping practices increase their standard of care in veterinary dentistry.

Denise’s love for animals doesn’t just end when the workday is over. She shares her home in Fort Myers, Florida, with her husband and beloved fur babies. Among them, her cherished cat Spaulding holds a special place in her heart—so much so that if she could, she’d marry him. Her adventurous spirit has led her to study anthropology, with a special focus on New World primates. She even spent time in the Peruvian Amazon studying macaws, despite facing challenges such as battling leishmaniasis twice. However, one thing she won’t adventure into is the kitchen—she openly admits to hating cooking.

Olivia Petritz completed her veterinary degree at Purdue University, and following graduation, she completed several internships and a residency at the University of California, Davis in companion exotics and zoo medicine.  She became board certified in the American College of Zoological Medicine certification in 2013. She then founded an exotics service at a specialty hospital in Los Angeles and worked there for four years prior to starting as an assistant professor at NC State in 2017.  Her research interests include avian therapeutics and imaging of exotic pet species.

Stefanie has over 19 years of experience in the veterinary field, starting out of high
school in the south suburbs of Chicago with reception and assistant duties in the
office of a board-certified feline specialist. She moved to the valley in 2006 where
she began work at a general practice in Scottsdale, AZ. She obtained her license as
a Certified Veterinary Technician in 2010. In 2015, she accepted a position at
Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine where she continues to
oversee students during dental procedures and assist in clinical skills labs in
veterinary dentistry and anesthesia. She completed an Associate’s Degree in Small
Business Management in 2017. She became a member of the Academy of
Veterinary Dental Technicians which granted her the distinction of Veterinary
Technician Specialist (Dentistry) in the class of 2020. She is also the President and
Co-founder of the Arizona Veterinary Technician Association and the Arizona
NA VTA State Representative.
She is owner and operator of VetNerd Dentistry Training LLC, providing lectures
and clinical skills labs in general practices. She has published in Veterinary
Practice News and lectured and taught labs at the Veterinary Dental Forum, VSPN,
and acted as a co-instructor at hands on labs at Western Veterinary Conference.