The Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s (FVMA) 2019 Veterinarian of the Year Award was presented to Bradenton’s Dr. Terry Clekis on May 17 at the 90th FVMA Annual Conference in Tampa. Last year in October 2018, Dr. Clekis and his disaster relief team deployed to the Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Michael to provide aid and assistance to victims of the storm. He showed outstanding leadership, service and dedication to the veterinarians and animals that were impacted.

Clekis is a 1983 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. He purchased Braden River Animal Hospital in Bradenton in 2002 and later opened North River Animal Hospital in Parrish in 2017. Involved with the FVMA, Clekis has been chairing the Disaster Preparedness Committee since 2010 and a member of the Florida Veterinary Corps since 2013. In 2007, the FVMA awarded him the Gold Star Award. Clekis is also a board member of the Southeast Guide Dog Association, the Manatee County Humane Society and the American Heartworm Society.

Braden River Animal Hospital