PROJECT SAMANA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Board Treasurer of Project Samana Inc.
Donna Turley is the Board Treasurer of Project Samana Inc. She sat on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine for six years and is the founder and a director of All Dog Rescue, Inc. For the last 20 years, she has studied canine behavior with nationally recognized pioneers in the field. She works as a veterinary assistant when traveling with Project Samana. To support her animal-related activities, she is a practicing attorney in the Boston area and on Cape Cod.
Dr. Carrie McColgan started working with Project Samana in 2003, after graduation from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine with a certificate in International Veterinary Medicine. She spent several years in equine practice, particularly loving internal medicine, lameness cases, and learning ways to serve working horses, mules and donkeys worldwide. She served on the Welfare Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and participated in the first Equitarian project in Mexico. Carrie lives and works outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her family, and is Hospital Director and partner at The Village Vets of Lilburn, Stone Mountain, Georgia, providing small animal medical and surgical care. She has served on the Project Samana board since 2015, and currently serves as the president.
Celeste graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. She has practiced almost exclusively on horses, focusing on performance and lameness issues until a recent move to Idaho has her now treating all farm animals great and small. She was introduced to Project Samana while working at Genesee Valley Equine Clinic in Scottsville NY. Dr. Jay Merriam gave a lecture to a large group of GVEC's clients about something Celeste does not remember, but she DOES remember the 5 minute promo he gave at the end of the lecture about Project Samana. She was instantly intrigued and one trip there got her hooked. She has been on multiple trips to Samana, both as a participant and as a leader of the equine team, as well as chief harvester of mangos and passion fruit.
Dr Castillo is very passionate about helping Project Samana, being Dominican, he saw first hand the need in his home country. He will often send his technicians on trips when he is unable to go. He completed veterinary school with UNPHU and continued his education with an internship at Tufts University to be able to be fully licensed in Massachusetts. Owner and operator of the clinic, Dr. Castillo and his family have made Franklin their home since 1996. Dr. Castillo's special interests are small animal medicine and surgery. While very much involved in community affairs and international relief work, his proudest moment as a vet was working with the search and rescue dogs at Ground Zero following the 9 / 11 tragedy. He is the author of Barking Big. In his free time, Dr Castillo enjoys many athletic activities such as Cross Fit, biking and swimming, Martial Arts and spending time with wife Ellen and two adult sons.
Françoise "Dr. Fran" Tyler is an Atlanta native and a 1984 Woodward Academy graduate. She attended University of Georgia (UGA) for undergraduate studies, and then Tuskegee University in Alabama for her DVM (received in 1991). Before moving back to Atlanta, she completed a small animal internship at UGA. She loves dermatology, internal medicine, and exotic animal medicine. She married Dr. Will Draper in 1993, and together they founded The Village Vets in 2000 with the purchase of Cedar Village Animal Clinic.
Dr. Tyler has been ranked as a FIVE STAR Veterinarian in the Atlanta magazine- which only 7% of the veterinarians in the metro Atlanta area have received (one of which is her husband, Dr. Draper). She enjoys listening to jazz, reading, walking her dogs around her Inman Park neighborhood ( dubbed "Atlanta's first suburb" near downtown Atlanta), as well as spoiling her family members, friends, team members. She loves time at the beach, and traveling anywhere her passport allows her to.
She and her husband have four children, David, Tyler, Gabrielle, and Olivia; four dogs: Max, Louie, Frank, Bella and Beauford; and one cat, Charlemagne.
Dr. Klopfer is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin. Since 1997, she has been active in many animal shelters and with many spay/neuter programs. She was on staff at the MSPCA in Methuen, MA for 10 years and continues to volunteer monthly. Dr. Klopfer has been on yearly trips with Project Samana since 2013 both as a team member and co-leader. Rachel has been a staff veterinarian at Central Animal Hospital in Stoneham MA since 2006. She lives in Winchester, MA with her husband, her two teenagers, and her furry entourage. She spends her time off volunteering in her children's schools, traveling, hiking, running, cycling, swimming, exploring, and crossfitting.
In his own words, Dr. Burns decided to become a veterinarian because, "It's what I was born to do. I've always loved science and medicine. It's a totally natural fit." Dr. Burns lives by the mantra that if you are not improving, you are declining. To that end, he always strives to bring his absolute best to every patient visit, working to enhance the quality of life of each pet that he sees.
Dr. Burns first became the Hospital Director of Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod in 2005. He is also proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Animal Referral & Emergency Center (CARE) and previously served as President of the Cape Cod Veterinary Medical Association.
As a testament to his commitment to excellence, Dr. Burns received an honorary citation from Governor Deval Patrick, Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi, State Rep. Cleon Turner and the Massachusetts House of Representatives in recognition of his vital role in protecting the local commonwealth from the spread of rabies.
Pets are an integral part of Dr. Burn's family, and part of his commitment to service comes from the knowledge that pets everywhere deserve the highest quality of care possible.
Dr. Burns lives with his wife Whitney and their three children, Jack, Ellie, and Chloe, alongside their two Goldendoodles, Fin and Zoe. He also enjoys kayaking, paddle boarding and underwater photography. In fact, in 2015, Dr. Burns completed a ten-week assignment with National Geographic in conjunction with their widely popular, Nat Geo Wild Channel. His photos on white sharks and underwater life have been published around the world, but nothing makes him happier than caring for your pets here in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
Dr. Burns participates within the small animal team and also helps organize supplies and supports technicians from his practice in joining our trips
Julia W. Bentley, DVM received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2008 and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Western University of Health Sciences in 2012. She enjoys horseback riding, running marathons, as well as traveling around the world and teaching students interested in pursuing the field of veterinary medicine. Dr. Bentley participates with Project Samana Equine team