Dr. Green and her dog, Cohen recruited by the University of Tennessee in 1991 to become head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and hospital director of the Large Animal Hospital. While maintaining a 25 percent appointment to clinics, teaching, and research, she found that she really liked this leadership role, so much so that in 1996 when the University of Florida recruited her to be the chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and chief of staff of the Large Animal Hospital, she returned to the Sunshine State. “I said, decidedly, that I was home. While I have enjoyed every veterinary school and benefitted from each program, when I got back to Florida, I had decided to complete my career in my home state.” Green resolutely remained in Gainesville, turning down other job opportunities until Texas A&M approached her. “When Texas A&M called in 2008, at first I was not going to interview, because of my resolve to remain in Florida,” she said. “But I kept thinking, ‘It’s Texas.’ I have always related to Texas.” I decided to interview. It did not take long to develop a deep appreciation for Texas A&M and its College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). “I relate to the people of Texas, its culture, its animal industries, and its can-do attitude. I often refer to a full page in Texas Monthly, which says in bold, black, block letters, ‘Don’t Tell a Texan It Can’t Be Done.’ I can connect with that phrase,” Green said.
is clear that Texas A&M CVM faculty, staff, and students are remarkable and that Texas A&M provides an environment for boundless success. I believe that you can dream beyond your capabilities, but it is hard to perform beyond your dreams and aspirations; therefore, we must think about the possibilities in order to reach our individual and collective potential and have the impacts we should. I also believe that high performers want to be with other high performers in a culture of excellence.” D. Wayne Lucas, one of the all-time winningest Thoroughbred horse trainers, once said, “Treat them all like champions, and let them disappoint you.” Green concludes, “That is how we should treat our faculty, staff, and students—like champions.” Her encouragement for innovation and excellence prompted the CVM to adopt ambitious initiatives. The first CVM initiative is creation and preservation of a culture of inclusion and diversity in a welcoming environment, which is a baseline for today’s global society and a foundation for all other initiatives. People make programs and people must be respected and valued. Another critical initiative is designed to position Texas A&M CVM as a world leader and innovator in education. This includes many components, such as scholarship of learning, pedagogy, curricular delivery, advanced educational technologies, and high-impact learning experiences. Supporting research and researchers is a notable priority, including research that answers problems in animals and those that affect people. The range is from basic discovery to commercialization. There is a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research and clinical trials. The Global One Health Initiative is a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort to attain sustainable optimal health for animals, humans, and the environment in a shared ecosystem. A related initiative encourages CVM faculty and students to be problem solvers on an international scale through a variety of international programs. Creating the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) of the future is another important initiative. This VMTH of the future will provide the highest level of advanced,
Dreaming Up Innovative Changes The dean joined Texas A&M in 2009 with the resolve to encourage those in the College to dream big. She noted, “It
Dr. Green with her children Summer 2016 •
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