Instructors

Kimberly Barry is a certified veterinary technician (CVT) with nearly 30 years of veterinary experience. She began as a kennel attendant at a local veterinary hospital at age 15, and expanded her career from there.

Growing up riding and showing horses, in 2013 she realized her dream to one day have her own farm. Her farm in Northfield, MA is home to a herd of beef cattle, goats, Kunekune pigs, four cats, several reptiles, and multiple dogs.

Kim joined the Franklin County Technical School vocational faculty in September 2021. She completed her Master of Science with a concentration in veterinary forensics in the spring of 2022.

She received a Bachelor of Science in animal science/pre-veterinary medicine from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1999, and soon found her calling in emergency and referral medicine. The majority of her career has been in referral medicine, ICU and surgery. During a six-year stint at the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in South Deerfield, MA, she ran anesthesia for routine and critical surgeries. Later, as a veterinary ophthalmology technician at Animal Eye Care of New England she gained an appreciation for the many eye conditions that can afflict large and small animals.

In 2015, she left clinical practice to pursue a teaching career at Becker College in Worcester, MA, where she taught small animal anesthesia and surgery, and basic small and large animal veterinary care. With Becker College slated to close, she left in 2020 and worked remotely for Trupanion, a veterinary medical pet insurance company.

Kim is a licensed American Kennel Club hunt test judge, and one of her hobbies is to breed and compete with Hungarian Vizslas in AKC field trials and hunt tests. Her five Vizslas were born at home; and her livestock guardian dogs - two Maremma and a Karakachan - live with the livestock and protect them from predators.

Kim is married and has two daughters.

Sara Dugas joined Franklin County Technical School with over 20 years in the veterinary field.  A certified veterinary technician (CVT), she was most recently the practice manager of a successful and busy veterinary ophthalmology facility.  Currently in the process of obtaining her MBA with a focus on Leadership, Sara enjoys the challenges presented by complex group dynamics, and how to focus that diversity into professional success and productivity, particularly as it pertains to veterinary medicine and building the human-animal bond.  She is looking forward to applying that skill set to teaching.

Sara has always felt a deep appreciation for animals, spending much of her youth on farms, in 4-H programs, and horseback riding.  She studied Biology at Northeastern University before obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science/Pre-Veterinary Medicine from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2005.  She began working in general medicine. but quickly moved on to emergency and critical care.  It is here that Sara gained extensive experience in more advanced medicine, ICU care, and anesthesia.

Discovering a love of challenging anesthesia cases, she was excited to move into Ophthalmology, which promises an abundance of those due to the nature of most eye surgical patients.  Sara spent 12 years in that field, working with critical, compromised patients to help restore vision and improve quality of life for those pets.  She acted as Nursing Supervisor, Surgical Coordinator, and eventually Practice Manager before deciding to change gears and venture into teaching.

Sara is passionate about Veterinary Medicine, and the role of support staff in the field.  She is thrilled to have an opportunity to help build the profession as it grows and changes in a post-pandemic world.