Centre County Veterinarian Among 8 Named Penn State Distinguished Alumni

A Centre County veterinarian has been selected to receive Penn State’s highest honor for university alumni.

Dr. Fred Metzger Jr. is among eight Penn State graduates chosen by the university’s Board of Trustees to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2024, according to a news release.

Metzger earned a bachelor of science degree from the College of Agricultural Sciences in 1981 and graduated from the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986.

In 1992, he opened VCA Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, which went on to become the largest veterinary hospital in central Pennsylvania, with 13 doctors. After selling the general, referral and 24-hour emergency hospital in 2018, he continued to serve as medical director and consultant.

He is also a founding partner of Laboratory Retrievers, LLC, which works to help veterinary practitioners and technicians better use laboratory diagnostic skills and analytics to promote companion animal health.

Metzger was previously named an Outstanding Alumnus by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and has served as an adjunct professor in the college’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. In 2021, he and his wife, Megan, provided a seven-figure gift to support the university’s new Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building.

He also helped establish the Dr. John Thomas Veterinary Emergency Treatment Fund, which is administered through Centre County PAWS to provide grants to community members who have exhausted financial resources to provide medical care for their pets

Established by the Penn State Board of Trustees in 1951, the Distinguished Alumni Award honors graduates whose “personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their alma mater.”

The eight alumni who have been invited to receive the award later this year are:

• Abdul F. Alias, former group president and chief executive officer of May Bank. He earned a bachelor of science from the Smeal College of Business in 1990.

• Toni R. Ardabell, chief of clinical enterprise operations for Inova Health System. She earned a bachelor of science in nursing from Penn State in 1976.

• Barbara G. Cohen, retired founder and president of Kannon Consulting. She earned a bachelor of arts from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1974.

• Gregory T. Lucier, chief executive officer of Corza Health, and managing director of RiverRoad Capital Partners. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Engineering in 1986 and graduated with honors from the University Scholars Program, the predecessor to the Schreyer Honors College.

• Fredrick L. Metzger, Jr., founder and medical director of Metzger Animal Hospital. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Agricultural Sciences in 1981.

• George H. Miller, managing partner and chief operating officer, Meier Partners. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Arts and Architecture in 1973.

• Ala Stanford, pediatric surgeon and founder of R.E.A.L. Concierge Medicine. She earned a bachelor of science in 1991 from the Eberly College of Science and a doctor of medicine in 1997 from the College of Medicine.

• Thomas M. Verducci, sportswriter, commentator and analyst. He earned a bachelor of arts in communications from Penn State in 1982.