Benita Altier is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and a Dental Technician Specialist. She began her career in veterinary technology in 1988 and has worked in small animal general medicine, ophthalmology, equine and llama neonatal care, canine reproduction, and dental specialty.
Benita is the Past-President of the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians, President-Elect for the Arizona Veterinary Technician Association, and former Secretary of the Washington State Association of Veterinary Technicians. She has co-authored two textbooks on veterinary dentistry for technicians and published several articles in professional journals. Through her business, Pawsitive Dental Education LLC, she has provided professional dental instruction and consultation to veterinary hospitals and conferences across the US, Canada, South America, and China since 2008. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and helping veterinary technicians grow their careers in ways they never thought possible.

Dr. Balke is a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) and AVDC Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS). He has been practicing in Arizona since 2012 with Arizona Veterinary Dental Specialists. His areas of interest include oral oncological surgery and maxillofacial reconstruction. Dr. Balke enjoys lecturing on veterinary dentistry, locally, nationally and internationally. He is the medical director of Thrive Boutique Dentistry.

Dr. Kristin Linder is the Chief Dental Specialist for PerioVive. Dr. Linder earned her DVM from Kansas State University in 2018. She completed her residency in veterinary dentistry at Companion Animal Dentistry of Kansas City and achieved board certification as a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) in 2023.

A passionate advocate for science-backed veterinary medicine, Dr. Linder currently oversees multiple ongoing research studies at PerioVive, a company built on a commitment to innovation and evidence-based products. She is a published author in veterinary dentistry and has presented at the Veterinary Dental Forum, the Midwestern Veterinary Collaboration Conference, and multiple wet labs.

Dr. Linder currently serves on the AVDC Exam Committee and the AVDC Training Support Committee, contributing to board certification standards and veterinary dental residency program oversight. She is committed to advancing the field through education, research, and mentorship of the next generation of specialists.

Dr. Victoria Lukasik is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia (DACVAA) and Analgesia and has spent a majority of her career providing clinical anesthesia care for high risk patients through her mobile private practice Southwest Veterinary Anesthesiology. She is also a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine and continues to attend high risk anesthetic patients on a daily basis. After finishing her anesthesia residency, Dr. Lukasik completed advanced training in cardiothoracic anesthesia at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She has been involved in total artificial heart and left ventricular assist device research and participates in training MD surgical teams learning to implant and operate these devices. She is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker and has been presented with several professional awards, including one for compassion.

Stefanie has over 20 years of experience in the veterinary field, starting out of high school in the south suburbs of Chicago. She moved to the valley in 2006 where she began work at a general practice in Scottsdale. 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 NAVTA State Representative.

Stefanie 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.

Dr. Maria Soltero-Rivera is an Associate Professor of Dentistry and Oral Surgery in the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California. Dr. Soltero-Rivera completed her residency training in dentistry and oral surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and subsequently worked as a visiting scientist at the De Risi Laboratory at UCSF, where she investigated the causative agents of feline chronic gingivostomatitis using metatranscriptomic next-generation RNA sequencing. She is a Diplomate of both the American and European Veterinary Dental Colleges.

Dr. Soltero-Rivera’s clinical and research program is centered on oral medicine, with a particular focus on feline chronic gingivostomatitis — its pathogenesis, immunology, and treatment. She directs the UC Davis Dentistry and Oral Surgery Stomatitis Clinic, a dedicated specialty clinic for managing complex FCGS cases, and leads an active research group investigating oral mucosal immunology, mesenchymal stromal cell therapy, and host-microbiome interactions using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics. She is also a 2024 graduate of the Thomas P. Sollecito One Health Fellowship in Oral Medicine and completed a Master of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research at UC Davis in 2026. She is a member of the American Academy of Oral Medicine and the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

I began my career in veterinary medicine in 1997 in general practice and became a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) in 2001. After nearly two decades in general practice, I transitioned to dental specialty in 2016 and joined the Arizona Veterinary Dental Specialists team. My passion for dentistry grew quickly, and in 2023, I earned my Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) in Dentistry.

Since 2023 I have been able to assist in teaching at both Midwestern University and University of Arizona’s dental courses each year, explaining the dental equipment and understanding how to take dental radiographs portion of the curriculum. This has been amazing as I get to help educate our new veterinarians early in their career path.

I am passionate about advancing dental care standards and continuously seek opportunities to learn, teach, and develop new practices that improve the quality of life for our patients—especially since they can’t brush their own teeth! One of my proudest accomplishments is helping launch and instruct within Thrive Pet Healthcare’s Dental Growth Program, a nationwide initiative that supports general practice teams in elevating their dental care skills. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to mentor technicians who share the same drive to grow in veterinary dentistry.

Outside of work, I’m mildly obsessed with elephants and was ecstatic when my dental world and life-long dream of working with elephants collided in late 2025! At home, I’m happily outnumbered by my animal crew: Dunkin, a Frenchie with the sweetest soul; Hitch, my dignified and devastatingly handsome cat; and Boba, the newest addition—a spunky little French potato who keeps us all on our toes. I’m also the proud mom of a wonderful daughter, Alyssa, whose encouragement helped carry me through the long road to earning my VTS.