Dr. Rick Tanner - DVM 1991

Fetch dvm360 Conference 2026

Dr. Rick Tanner, Topeka, Kansas, is the recipient of a 2026 Alumni Recognition Award presented during an alumni reception held in Kansas City, Missouri, on Aug. 29 in conjunction with the annual Fetch dvm360 Conference. The award is given to veterinarians in grateful recognition for time and effort devoted to advancing veterinary medicine and for being an exemplary role model for future alumni in a professional and community setting.

A lifelong Kansan, Dr. Rick Tanner was born in Dodge City and grew up in Larned. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1991 at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, Dr. Tanner practiced mixed animal veterinary medicine for 20 years in northeast Kansas with emphasis on equine and bovine medicine and surgery.

"I consider myself fortunate to have fulfilled my dream of becoming a veterinarian and a K-State alumnus and to have experienced many memorable moments in my career as a veterinarian," Dr. Tanner said. "I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition."

“Dr. Tanner has an excellent record of service in the arenas of private practice and public health,” said Hodes Family Dean Dr. Annette O’Connor. “His years of dedication to animal health in the state of Kansas also demonstrate wide range of potential career opportunities for future veterinarians. He has shown great leadership and professionalism throughout his career, so we are please to take this opportunity to recognize him with this award.”

Dr. Tanner began working for the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Import Export Services in 2011. He initially served as an export veterinarian responsible for all aspects of APHIS import and export programs. Including coordination, review and inspection of approved export facilities, inspection of approved import establishments, review and endorsement of export certificates for animals and animal products, coordination and inspection of semen and embryo export facilities, and inspection and oversight of export isolation facilities.

In 2019, Dr. Tanner was appointed USDA Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC) for Kansas. In this leadership role, he supervised and directed Kansas APHIS personnel as they carried out official animal health programs across the state, including disease surveillance, regulatory enforcement, and emergency response activities. He also oversaw the implementation of federal animal health policies and worked to ensure that program operations met USDA standards and complied with federal regulations.

As AVIC, Dr. Tanner was responsible for coordinating, in collaboration with Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health, responses to reports of sick or dead livestock, aquatics or poultry, working closely with local veterinarians and producers. He oversaw the accreditation of Kansas veterinarians, ensuring they met USDA standards and carried out their duties professionally.

Dr. Tanner is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, where he served as president in 2013 and 2014, the Kansas Livestock Association, the Red Angus Association of America, and the North Topeka Rotary Club, where he served as president from 2006 to 2007.

An avid team roper, Dr. Tanner and his wife Dr. Kathy Gross have three adult children and raise Red Angus seedstock on their ranch north of Topeka.