Four employees from across the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) have been recognized with a 2024 Eugster Award. Formerly named the Director’s Excellence Award, TVMDL renamed its award program to honor Dr. A. Konrad Eugster, TVMDL’s former executive director who served the agency for more than 30 years. Dr. Eugster was the embodiment of selfless service. TVMDL is proud to recognize the following employees for fostering the same spirit of dedication, excellence, and commitment to TVMDL’s mission.
Administrative Category

DeEtte Mills, administrative coordinator at TVMDL’s Sam and Sally Glass Poultry Laboratory in Gonzales is the 2024 recipient in the administrative category.
Mills has served the agency since 2012. To say she wears many hats would be understatement. Mills is known for helping where she is needed, whether that be assisting some of the nation’s largest commercial poultry companies who trust TVMDL for diagnostic testing, or in the lab performing those tests herself. She is proficient across many skillsets that are critical to the Gonzales lab’s operations and performs all tasks with a positive attitude. She is known for going above and beyond to serve TVMDL’s clients, by staying late or arriving at the lab early to ensure clients receive the service they deserve. According to her nominator, Sydney Rosario, “DeEtte is the backbone of the Gonzales laboratory, a mentor to staff, and an asset to me and the poultry industry. The trust she has built with the poultry industry assures clients results will be completed accurately and in a timely manner.”
Professional Category
Vanessa Andrews, virology assistant section head in College Station is the 2024 recipient in the professional category.

Andrews has been an instrumental part of TVMDL since joining the College Station lab over 15 years ago. During that time, she has been a critical part in the virology section’s growth in both case volume and efficiency. Considered a “change agent” by her colleagues, Andrews is known for her dedication to helping others both in and outside of her section. For example, last year when there was a need to retrain supervisors in the hiring process, Andrews volunteered to assist, advise, and support her colleagues. She was also a member of the agency’s first Employee Advisory Council (EAC) and consistently lends her knowledge and expertise to projects throughout the agency. According to her nominator Dr. Ashley Arnold, “Vanessa exemplifies the qualities celebrated by the Eugster Award. Her dedication to TVMDL’s mission, commitment to operational excellence, and leadership in enhancing the employee experience make her a standout candidate.”
Technical Category
James Willet, operations program coordinator in College Station is the 2024 recipient in the technical category.

Willet joined TVMDL in 2023 and quickly proved to be an invaluable part of the agency’s operations and facilities program. Throughout his time at TVMDL, Willet has led efforts to enhance multiple procedures and processes. He has been the cornerstone of several projects including implementing a new biological sterilization indicator program, documenting and creating an inventory of College Station’s cold storage units, and taking the lead on the lab’s reimagined tissue storage retention and destruction processes. Willet’s assistance doesn’t stop within his section. He regularly supports the client services section, helping where needed, and was a crucial source for updating sample shipping information on TVMDL’s newly updated website. He has introduced and implemented new supply sales offerings, optimized packaging to increase shipping cost savings, and ensured multiple client-facing materials were accurate. According to his nominator, Jordan Brod, “James’ service-oriented mindset has developed strong relationships across laboratory sections and with clients, improving the customer service both internally and externally. His positive attitude and personality are infectious, and he has made TVMDL a better agency.”
Student Category
Emily Ewing, veterinary services student assistant, is the 2024 recipient in the student category.

Ewing joined TVMDL in 2023. Since joining, she has been instrumental in growing the agency’s epidemiology program and utilizing the vast amounts of data TVMDL generates. Since graduating in December, Ewing has been promoted to a full-time member of the veterinary services section now serving as a program specialist. As a student, Ewing was primarily responsible for managing data dashboards that are used by employees and clients. She improved the front-end user interface and continually refined each dashboard’s data model to ensure the information presented was not only accurate but easy for all users to access. In addition to her data management duties, Emily also regularly collaborated with professional staff across the agency. She assisted them with projects, answered questions about data critical to different lab functions, and co-authored articles that have been published in multiple industry publications. According to her nominator, Carlos Rodriguez, “Emily’s work is not only a testament to her technical abilities, but her ability to collaborate with others in a confident and professional manner. She is never fazed by large amounts of data and expresses genuine enthusiasm for every project or task to which she is assigned.”
Please join TVMDL in congratulating the 2024 Eugster Award recipients.