New to the CVM Family: Meet Beth Holliday

Beth Holliday joined the NC State Veterinary Hospital in November as the new client services supervisor. Though Holliday didn’t always know what she wanted to do, she always gravitated to positions allowing her to work with both people and animals. In her new role, Holliday will pair her background in general veterinary practice and corporate management with her passion for helping people become better advocates for animals and themselves, and she couldn’t be more excited to do so.

What made you want to go into the public service field?
Honestly, I love people. I love all living things really, both people and animals, and I think that being an advocate for animals through communicating effectively with people is important and challenging.

What will you be doing in your new role?
I will be supervising the client service representatives for each of the small animal specialties at the Randall B. Terry, Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center. I’m really grateful to be able to see the big picture and pull all the pieces together in this role since I will also be training, hiring and managing, as well as filling in wherever I am needed.

What are you most excited about in your new role?
This position is really a culmination of all my skills and passions and I am most excited to find ways to improve client experiences.

I also love what I do and I want to help our team love what they do each day and see the value in it. They are a vital part of the CVM family and I want everyone to feel like they belong where they are and be a part of the community.

What is your background?
I went to college to become an X-ray tech, but when I graduated from school I went straight to a marketing company. After that, I worked in operations management, sales, a general veterinary practice and as a dog trainer.

Even though I’ve had a diverse background, in every role I’ve had I’ve found that my primary goal was communicating with clients. I always enjoy that a lot.

I am also very fortunate that I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do while raising kids. I am grateful for the flexibility I had to be with them when I needed and pursue my passion, which is animal behavior.

What’s something someone would be surprised to learn about you?
People are always surprised to learn that I like reptiles, rodents and insects as much as I like mammals. I don’t need to meet any sharks, but I also love spiders.

When you’re not on campus, where could we find you?
I love to read, cook, walk my dogs and spend time with my family. Right now we are training my puppy, which is a great family activity.  

Do you have any pets?
I do! Augustus McCrae, or Gus as we call him, is a Staffordshire terrier rescue from West Virginia. He’s 3 and just a package of joy. He knows that he is not allowed to jump on people, so instead he sits right in front of you with his paws in the air, for attention. It’s really hard for guests not to reward his behavior because it’s just so cute.

Pie is our black lab mix puppy. She’s busy, bossy and funny. Our gray kitty, Higgins, came straight from the shelter. He’s about 12-13 years old and the best $25 I ever spent.

My daughter also has a bearded dragon named Godzilla. We got him about three years ago and I’m not allowed to touch him because she thinks that will make him love me more than her. My family jokingly calls me Snow White because I get along with all the animals so well. My daughter doesn’t want those Snow White powers to work on her bearded dragon.

Visit the NC State Veterinary Hospital page for more information about our services for companion animals.