Meet our wonderful Nursing staff
-
Abbey Cochran, LVMT
Abbey was born and raised in Dalton, Georgia. She graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology from Chattanooga State in 2019 and has been in veterinary medicine for 2.5 years. She has 1 dog, named Opal, 2 cats named Asta and Peaches, and a lizard named Alduin. Her passion is for all animals, but she specifically is passionate about exotic animals and emergency medicine. You can either find her at work or at home tending to her plants, creating art, or playing video games.
-
Abbey Hodge, LVMT
Bio coming soon...
-
Allie Williams, LVMT
Allie is from Cleveland, TN, and she has two dogs and two cats. Aubree is a chocolate Labrador/ Pit Bull mix, and Diesel is a Boxer/Cocker Spaniel mix. As a sign of her love for The Big Bang Theory, her cats are named Sheldon and Leonard. She graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology in 2014. Afterwards, Allie moved to Gainesville, Florida, to start an anesthesia internship at the University of Florida Small Animal Veterinary Hospital. In 2015, she moved back to this area to get married. She began working in emergency and critical care. Allie says that the appeal of emergency medicine is the fact that you never know what is coming through the door. Although emergency and critical care can be challenging, it is rewarding. Life happens to not only us, but to our beloved pets as well, and Allie is always eager and willing to help an owner and pet in need.
-
Anahlea Jaccarino
Anahlea is originally from New York. She moved to Franklin, TN, in 2011, and then to Chattanooga in 2017 to
attend college. A senior at UTC majoring in pre professional biology, she has hopes of going to veterinary school. Her interest includes focusing on exotics. When Anahlea is not in school or at work, she can be found hanging out with her boyfriend, Jorge, a cat named Addie, and a dog named Nova. -
Ashley Wheeler, LVMT
Ashley is a Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician and has worked in the Veterinary Field since 2014. Her love for animals began at a very young age when she would rescue any creature she would find. She lives in Chattanooga with her Rescue Australian Shepherd mix, Hattie, and her 3 legged orange cat, Cheddar. Ashley is excited to be working at VCSG and learning more about emergency medicine. During her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, hula hooping, and spending time with her friends and family.
-
Becky Howell, LVTEmergency Nurse Manager
Becky started her career in veterinary medicine in 1997 at a small, two-doctor practice in Paducah, Kentucky, as she finished her associate degree at a local community college. While completing her B.S. in Animal Sciences at the University of Kentucky, she also worked at local vet clinics and UK’s LDDC as a pathologist assistant. Her love of emergency medicine developed while working at Woodford Veterinary Clinic. In 2008, she graduated magna cum laude from a veterinary technician program through Jefferson State and continued to work at a clinic in Scottsboro, Alabama. After nine years in emergency medicine in the Chattanooga area, she began teaching at Chattanooga State in the Veterinary Technology program. Becky joined VCSG to provide in-house training to current employees. Becky and her husband have three sons (Henry, Noah, and Samuel) and three cats (Gus-Gus, Georgia Peach, and Whiskey).
-
Betsy Polich, LVMT
Betsy is a Virginia native but has lived in the Chattanooga area for 18 years. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2002 and graduated from Chattanooga State's Veterinary Technology program in 2008. She has a variety of experience from general practice, shelter medicine, emergency and critical care, and surgery. Betsy has a special love for sight hounds especially her whippet, Valentine, and greyhound, Cobb. She also enjoys camping and attending NASCAR races with her husband, Kevin.
-
Brittany Gates
Brittany is currently pursuing her Registered Veterinary Technician license. She has three cats named Stella, Davey, and Charlie. Brittany also has a Boxer mix named Ellie as part of her pet family. She has lived in the Chattanooga/North Georgia area for her entire life. Brittany has been working in the veterinary field since 2011.
-
Brittany Watkins
Bio coming soon...
-
Charlie Mendola
Charlie grew up surrounded by animals because she could never turn down a sweet fur baby's face. Her parents could also never refuse their kids' request to keep them. While working and volunteering at different shelters and clinics, Charlie bounced around between Maryland and Alabama before finally deciding on settling down in Chattanooga in 2019. She has two fur babies named Kuma and DK. Charlie says she luckily found a home with VCSG and her awesome coworkers where she can work and learn through the emergency medical field. In her spare time, Charlie enjoys learning new language and costume designing.
-
Ciara Bell, LVMTClient Care Manager
Ciara was born in Canada, but she found herself a Georgia boy and has no plans of leaving! Ciara is a graduate of Chattanooga State and has over 7 years of experience in the veterinary field. She and her husband have a lab named Merit, a beagle named Tanner, a cat named Opie, and horse named Grace. She loves working with dogs, riding, hiking, fishing, hunting, archery and being in the amazing outdoors God created! Ciara and her husband became the proud parents of the most adorable baby human, named Levi.
-
Dana O'Lone Long
Bio coming soon...
-
Evelyn Greter
Originally from the Netherlands, Evelyn has lived all over the world. Since settling in Chattanooga four years ago, she and her husband, Mark, have fostered over 80 cats and kittens and managed to keep just two! Evelyn’s love for veterinary medicine blossomed as she was caring for her elderly cat. Evelyn enjoys hiking with her husband, teaching her cat how to jump through a hoop and give high fives or studying hard toward a veterinary technician degree.
-
Grace Jolley
Grace grew up on a large farm in Apison, Tennessee, where she spent time riding horses and caring for her many animals. A recent graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Anthropology, Grace moved back to Chattanooga to pursue her dream of one day becoming a veterinarian. During her free time, Grace enjoys visiting her family’s farm, camping, hiking, and traveling.
-
Jenn Kirby
Jenn has been in the veterinary field for about 8 years but has been an animal lover since birth. She has worked in shelter medicine, general practice, and now emergency medicine. She is a certified cat lady, and owns a Sphynx, Hammy, as well as a fuzzy cat, Cheeto. She has always had pets, and had pet rats for about 10 years! She enjoys reading and playing video and board games in her time away from work, and even enjoys costuming and attending Sci-Fi and gaming conventions around the southeast.
-
Jessica Robertson
Bio coming soon...
-
Jessica Fox
Jessica has been working in the veterinary field since 2012. Her passions are critical care and emergency medicine. She lives with her zoo of five dogs (Rou, Shine, Feisty, Bella, and Gunner), four cats (Daryl, Carol, Baby Kitty, and Rick), and four horses (Geti, Dusty, Dexter and Joe). Jessica likes to spend her free time barrel racing or trail riding with friends.
-
Jordan Bowling, LVMT
In 2013, Jordan graduated from the Veterinary Technology Program at Chattanooga State. Jordan enjoys seeing emergency and internal medicine cases. She has two cats, Joaquin (orange tabby) and Goose (brown tabby). Jordan also three dogs : Yoshi (Pitbull), Flea and Juice (Boston Terriers). Jordan also openly admits to being obsessed with our clinic cat, Mimi, whom she spoils with pretty collars and treats. When not at work, Jordan spends time with her husband and friends, yelling 'Go Dawgs!' to cheer on her favorite football team, traveling, trying new restaurants, and riding motorcycles during the warmer months.
-
Jordan Crump
Bio coming soon...
-
Kara Mischke
Bio coming soon...
-
Karith Barclay
Coming Soon!
-
Katelyn Broadway
Katelyn was born and raised in Red Bank, TN. She is currently a junior at UTC where she is majoring in pre-professional biology. She eventually hopes to go to vet school; she is particularly interested in conservation or lab medicine. When not at the clinic, she can be found volunteering at the Chattanooga Zoo, research in the biochemistry lab or spending time with her fur babies, Linus and Wendy.
-
Katie Carter, LVMT
Katie graduated from Chattanooga State in 2014. For the past six years, her sole veterinary focus has been Emergency/Critical Care and ICU. Katie has a special love for Sphynx cats and French Bulldogs. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies and creating art (sometimes pet portraits).
-
Kendra Shepard
Kendra has been working in the Veterinary Industry since she was 17 years old by starting out as a Kennel Assistant and working her way up to Technician. Kendra lives in the area with her fiancé, three dogs Pogo, Rudy and Ditto along with two cats, Inky and Mugen. When not working she enjoys camping, hiking, swimming, reading, and playing video and board games.
-
Kristen Shaffer
Bio coming soon...
-
Laura Hudgens, LVMT
Laura graduated with a BA degree from the University of Georgia in 2011. She then earned her AAS in Veterinary Technology from Gwinnett Technical College in 2014. Laura worked as a registered veterinary technician (RVT) in emergency at Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic and neurology at Bush Veterinary Neurology Services in Atlanta before moving to Chattanooga when she got married. She was the Lead Oncology Technician and assisted in inventory management at AESC before joining VCSG. Kayaking, quilting and baseball are activities she enjoys. Laura and her husband have a son named Connor, three dogs (Benji, Chewy, Molly) and one cat (Firefly).
-
Lindsey Comer
Bio coming soon...
-
Lisa Kemp
Lisa is a Virginia native who graduated from Old Dominion University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. After graduating, Lisa started working in an emergency animal hospital and fell in love with emergency veterinary medicine. Lisa moved to Chattanooga in September 2018 and started working in a general practice clinic but missed her days at the ER and recently started working at VCSG in February 2019! On her off days you can find her rock climbing in the mountains with her boyfriend, Graham, and their goofy coonhound, Napoleon.
-
Liz OlleySpecialty Nurse Manager
Liz has been in the veterinary field for over 20 years. Her primary interests include internal medicine and emergency care. Liz has been working with Dr. Pullen for 12 years in internal medicine, and within that field, her favorite part is the interaction with her oncology patients. In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, cooking, playing board games, and going to the beach. In addition to her wonderful husband and children, her family is complete with Arthur, a Golden Retriever, Hunter, a Pit Bull, Penny, a black Labrador, and two cats named Pretzel and Kevin.
-
Magen Stevenson, LVMT
Magen is a Chattanooga native and graduated in 2014 with a B.S. in biology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has worked in specialty medicine and is a licensed technician. Magen is a member of the Hamilton County Disaster Animal Response Team. She and her boyfriend, Jason, and their two dogs live on the Southside. Magen enjoys outdoors, crafting, and books. Her next goal is to become a veterinary technician specialist.
-
Marlee Snow, LVMT
Marlee was born and raised outside of Atlanta, in Marietta, Ga. She started working as a kennel assistant at the age of 15. After completing high school, she moved to Auburn and attended Auburn University where she met her husband, Steve. She completed her Associates Degree in Science from Wallace Community College in Dothan, and her Associate of Applied Science (Veterinary Technician) Degree from Jefferson State Community College. She moved to the Chattanooga area in 2010 where she started working at an ER practice in the area. She happily joined the VCSG team from the beginning in 2016, and has enjoyed working in the Internal Medicine Department. Marlee resides in Ringgold with her husband, Steve, 2 small children Maddie (age 6) and Grayson (age 1), Napoleon (the perfect Papillon), and 2 cats Lula and Trigger. In her spare time, she enjoys running Spartan races and spending time with her family.
-
Meagan Peach Smith, LVMT
Meagan graduated in 2013, and she has worked in emergency medicine since that time. Meagan and her husband have one child; a boy named Tristan, who is 4 years old. She loves corny jokes and reading.
-
Mercedes Prior, LVMT
Mercedes is from Dalton, Ga, and she graduated from Chattanooga State in May 2019 from the Veterinary Technician program. Mercedes has been in the veterinary field for 2 years and has a special interest in emergency medicine and surgery. Mercedes has always had a love for animals and tried to save any animal she found. She currently lives with her 2 kids that are senior pitbulls named Bruce and Chico. They enjoy hiking and spending time outside.
-
Nathan Hall
Bio coming soon...
-
Olivia Destefano
Bio coming soon...
-
Rachael Romero
Bio coming soon...
-
Randi Salmons
Randi has been an animal lover for as long as she can remember. When she was little, she always wanted to become a veterinarian. Her life’s journey has taken her down a few different paths, but she is happy to have found a place where she can care for animals. Randi is looking forward to continuing her experiences along this journey.
-
Rebecca Torgenson
Rebecca started in veterinary medicine in 2001. She moved from Florida to Tennessee in 2008. Her experience includes working in spay/neuter, general practice, shelter medicine and emergency. Rebecca shares her love of animals with her three children. Together, they have three German Shepherds, a schnauzer, one cat, and two reptiles!
-
Rochelle Rankin
Bio coming soon...
-
Sarah Daniels
Bio coming soon...
-
Shannah Lawrence
Shannah grew up in Miami, Fl, where she always had a love for animals ever since she was young. She has been back in Chattanooga for 9 years and working in the Emergency Veterinary Field for the past 5 yrs. She is a loving mother of 11 children (1 of which is her darling fiance and 3 are her fur babies ). She enjoys spending time with her BIG family as well as relaxing and socializing with friends.
-
Whitney Caylor
Whitney graduated from Lee University in 2014. She started in the vet field in 2017 in general practice and then in emergency in 2018. Whitney started at VCSG in June of 2019. She has 2 dogs named Sammy and Juno.