Meet our Incoming Members
President-Elect
Marina Tejada, D.V.M. ’10
Dr. Tejada graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. She has been at North Shore Animal League America since 2012, serving as a Supervising Veterinarian since 2014. Her special interests include surgery, emergency response, shelter medicine, and mentoring veterinary students. She was a Maddie’s Fund Shelter Medicine Fellow at Cornell University in 2017. She is a certified Human-Animal Bond practitioner (HABc) and is Outreach Director for the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association. In her free time, Dr. Tejada enjoys traveling, yoga, running, and spending quality time with her adopted rescues: three cats and two dogs. Dr. Tejada is a member the Cornell University President’s Council of Cornell Women. She returns to the College’s Alumni Association Executive Board after serving from 2012 – 2016 and 2020 - 2024.
At-Large Members
Awilda Acaron, D.V.M. ’11
Dr. Acaron graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She did her bachelor's degree in Animal Science at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After graduation, she worked as an associate veterinarian in Miami, FL seeing small animals and exotics. During this time, she learned about holistic medicine and became certified in animal acupuncture and chiropractic. After 6 years, Dr. Acaron moved to New York City, became medical director and eventually area medical director. She has recently moved back to Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico to be closer to family and works as a relief vet locally and in different states. In her spare time Dr. Acaron loves to spend time with her family, at the beach, reading, and travelling the world.
John Grealish, D.V.M. ’25
Dr. John Grealish is a 2025 graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He grew up in Wilmington, MA just north of Boston. Prior to veterinary school, he studied at Berklee College of Music and
completed his pre-veterinary undergraduate studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst following coursework at North Shore Community College.
Dr. Grealish currently practices small animal primary care at Cayuga Veterinary Services in Auburn, New York. His professional interests include preventive care, end of life/palliative care, organized veterinary medicine and mentorship.
In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Grealish has been involved in mentorship and leadership initiatives within the veterinary profession, including participation in the New York State Veterinary Medical Society’s Power of 10 program. He was heavily involved in extracurricular activities while studying at Cornell, serving as the SAVMA Delegate and national secretary, peer mentor, Southside clinic director, and Pet Loss Hotline officer. He is passionate about supporting first-generation and nontraditional students pursuing careers in veterinary medicine.
Outside of work, John remains active in music as a bassist, songwriter, and performer. He currently plays in a few different bands in the area and loves discovering new music and fun things to do in the Finger Lakes area.
Stephen Kochis '92, D.V.M. '96
Dr. Kochis received his BS in Animal Science and his DVM both from Cornell University in 1992 and 1996 respectively. He then completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Oradell Animal Hospital in 1997.
Dr. Kochis made his way to the Pacific Northwest and worked as an ER/critical care doctor at Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, OR. In 2002 he entered general practice working alongside 2 other general practitioners, a boarded behaviorist and a boarded dentist. In 2008 Steve moved into industry spending 7 years with Pfizer Animal Health and Zoetis. After Zoetis he went back into practice as an ER/ICU doctor and Medical Director of VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists in Portland, OR.
Dr. Kochis was on the board of trustees for the Oregon Humane Society and currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and interim CEO. He has served as President of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association as well as its Board of Directors for an additional 6 years. His veterinary interests include infectious diseases, immunology, emergency medicine, and communication skills.
In his free time Dr. Kochis enjoys travel, gardening, nerdy science fiction topics, music, and time with family, friends, his husband Chris and his Border Terriers Bruce and Tiberius.
Nicole Andrea Monts de Oca, D.V.M. '10
Dr. Nicole Monts de Oca is the General Manager of U.S. Nonhuman primate (NHP) Quarantine Operations at Charles River Laboratories. She grew up in Puerto Rico and left the beautiful island to attend Cornell University in upstate New York in 2003. After receiving her DVM from Cornell University in 2010, she completed a 2-year residency in laboratory animal medicine in Houston, TX and achieved American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine diplomate status in 2015 while working as a clinical veterinarian in academia.
Since joining Charles River Laboratories in 2016, she has held progressive leadership roles in veterinary, operations, and site management and has led key operational expansions, including new U.S. and international quarantine sites. She now oversees national NHP quarantine operations.
Nicole is extremely passionate about giving back to the community and investing in developing the next generation of veterinary and laboratory animal professionals. To this end, she has developed internship and externship programs for students at her sites and has partnered with the local independent school district to support STEM efforts in the local high schools.
Additionally, she is actively involved in the Association of Primate Veterinarians, National and Local chapters of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, Texas Veterinary Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Association.
Samantha Morello '02, D.V.M. '06
Dr. Sam Morello graduated from Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with her BS in Animal Science in 2002, and from the College of Veterinary Medicine with her DVM in 2006. She completed an internship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky and a residency in large animal surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) in 2010.
She spent more than a decade in academic veterinary medicine as a professor of large animal surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, training students, interns, and residents, and served as Courtesy Associate Professor at Cornell’s Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship. Alongside her clinical research in musculoskeletal disease, her work increasingly focused on the veterinary profession itself, including workforce demographics, career pathways, compensation, faculty experience, and work-life integration. Her research has centered on generating data to inform organizational strategy and decision-making, and she has published and presented nationally and internationally on these topics.
In 2022, her research on postgraduate trainee compensation and living wages contributed to a nationwide effort that resulted in substantial salary increases for veterinary interns and residents. She has also held leadership and advisory roles with the ACVS as Assistant Director of Continuing Education, the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI) Board of Directors, blendVET®, the President’s Council of Cornell Women, and AOVet. Through AOVet, she led a global assessment of organizational demographics and climate that helped launch the AO Access program, an initiative focused on engagement, mentorship, and opportunity across the international AO community.
Sam joined the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Education and Research Division in 2023. As Associate Director, she supports the Council on Education in its role as the accrediting body for veterinary medical education programs. She lives on the north shore of Boston where she enjoys spending her free time in the garden, by the ocean, and with friends and family in coastal Maine.