Lisa Glasscock Carter graduated with her doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1987 with the fourth graduating class from the veterinary college, quickly becoming an integral member of the Virginia veterinary community. Throughout her career, she has served as president of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association (VVMA), the Virginia Delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and received the Virginia Distinguished Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2008. 

In February 2016, Carter was elected president of the Alumni Society Board, which oversees all alumni events, activities, charitable giving, and communication for the veterinary school’s alumni community. Carter has been a member of the board since 2008 and also served previously on the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2009-2015.

As president, Carter hopes “to get more and more people involved in supporting the veterinary school.” Moreover, she hopes to address current wellness issues among practicing veterinarians. “There’s been a lot of information in veterinary literature about stress and suicide in our profession,” she explained. “We need to try to find ways to help our students and graduates deal with these issues, and try to find some way to support people so that we can slow down those numbers.” The Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and the veterinary college also teamed up to provide a workshop and discussion on the topic at the Virginia Veterinary Conference earlier this year.

After graduating from the veterinary school, Carter, who is originally from Chuckatuck, Virginia, practiced in Smithfield, Virginia at a mixed practice for two years before continuing to Staunton, Virginia. There, she worked at Westwood Hospital for a year before transferring to Augusta Animal Hospital, now Augusta Valley Animal Hospital after a 2004 merger, where she has continued to work since 1990.

At this small animal practice, Carter spends most of her time seeing scheduled appointments. “I love that, even though I’ve been doing this since 1987,…[clients] will bring in something you’ve never seen before,” said Carter.

She also specializes in gastrointestinal diseases and performs endoscopies for the hospital. “I still love practicing veterinary medicine. We have a really good staff and the other doctors I work with are all excellent people to be associated with,” she said.

When she’s not working at the hospital, Carter sings and plays guitar with a local blues band, a tradition she’s continued since her time in Blacksburg when she used to play “in a little bar that doesn’t exist anymore,” she explained, in reference to Maxwell’s. In 2010, she released her first album “Out of the Blues,” (as Lisa Miller) and then in 2015, released a new album with her current band called “Hangin’ On the Line” (as Kiz Carter and Juke Jackson). She also currently serves on the board of directors of the Staunton Music Guild. 

Carter fondly reminisces about her time at the veterinary college. “It was certainly a great experience and we had a really good class — It was a wonderful group to go through with,” she explained. “Back then, it was just 80 [students] and you stayed pretty tight…,” she continued. Carter encourages any graduates looking to get more involved with their alma mater to contact herself or Lynn Blevins, the college’s director of alumni relations. 

Written by Kelsey Foster, a master’s degree student in the Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Lis Carter (DVM '87)
Lisa Carter examines a patient at Augusta Valley Animal Hospital, where she has worked since 1990.
Lisa Carter Playing Guitar
Carter sings and plays guitar with a local blues band.
CVC East Alumni Luncheon
Carter (fourth from right), current president of the Alumni Society Board, attended the college's alumni luncheon at the CVC East Conference in Virginia Beach in May.