WILLOW GRACE VETERINARY HOSPITAL - Key Persons
Asha was born and raised in New Jersey but moved to Delaware in 2015. She has been involved in the pet
Ashley was born and raised in Massachusetts and moved to Delaware in 2022 following her military boyfriend. She graduated from Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, NH and received her Associates Degree in Veterinary Science and became a licensed veterinary technician in 2016 after passing the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE)…….
Dianna was born and raised in Delaware and always knew from a very young age her lifelong passion involved caring for animals. She started her journey when she was in high school volunteering for local shelters and working as a veterinary assistant for 4 years……
Dr. Sharkey completed her undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College with a B. A. in
Biology in 2010. She then attended The University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Oklahoma State University
School of Veterinary Medicine where she earned her veterinary degree in 2014…
Dr. Lester has had a love for animals as long as she can remember. Her fondest memory as a young girl was completing a Therapy Dogs International training course with her neighbor's dog, Windy. She had a very special bond with Windy since she did not have any animals of her own……
A Delaware native, Dr. Stacey has always loved animals, and her family was confident her collection of
Liz is a lifelong resident of Delaware, originally residing in Milford. Liz graduated from Delaware Technical Community College with her Associates in Veterinary Technology and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) in 2013. While working in general practice with both small and large animal patients, she made the decision to further her education with Purdue University in Lafayette, IN and earned her Bachelors degree in Veterinary Technology. Liz returned to general practice for a short time before accepting a position as an emergency technician in a busy emergency and specialty practice in Delaware. Liz excelled in this position for almost four years and prides herself in being CPR certified through the RECOVER initiative. In addition, she really enjoyed the opportunities to provide quality care to critical patients as well as educating clients. She always looked forward to reuniting a patient and owner after a stay in the hospital. Emergency is also where she earned her nickname "EKG", which are actually her real initials. You may often hear other members of the team refer to Liz as "EKG" in the hospital.
Liz married her husband Greg in 2018, though they have been together almost 11 years. Together they have two fur babies, Ellie and Avery. Although quite luxurious, Ellie is a typical cat and only does things on her time. Avery the Golden is one of a kind; she goes everywhere and does everything with Liz and Greg. Liz loves to spend time with her family, be outdoors, travel and go camping. She also loves Christmas and can be found watching Christmas movies year round.
We would like to welcome Erika Phelps to our Willow Grace Team. Erika has been a Delaware resident all
Helian was born in Oregon, spent a majority of their childhood in California, and moved to Delaware in
Hilary joined our team at the end of June 2022 as a Client Service Representative and although she is new to the veterinary field, animals hold a special place in her heart! Hilary has been a resident of Cecil County her whole life and married her husband, Ray, in 2007…..
Jess is a born and raised Delawarean. She grew up with one older sister who she has always looked up to. Jess has always had a love for animals and finally talked her parents into getting their very first dog, Tally, a chocolate lab in 2012. Although, she has always dreamed of being a part of the veterinary medicine industry, this is all still very new and she is excited to learn more. Jess comes from a customer service background where she worked for the past 9 years. Jess eventually plans on going to school to become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) after getting her feet wet here with us at Willow Grace. She is super excited to be here and meet all of our patients and clients!
Kim was born and raised in Delaware and has always had a passion for animals. As a small child, she had always said she wanted to work with them. In high school, she worked at a kennel and was a receptionist at a general practice veterinary hospital. In college, she began working as a general practice veterinary assistant and also became an accredited pet trainer at a local pet store. In 2010, she graduated from Delaware Technical and Community College with an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology and passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) to become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT). She completed an internship at The Hope Center for Advanced Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, VA and then went on to work there in emergency and internal medicine for a year and a half following her internship. In 2012, she began working as an emergency technician at a large emergency/specialty facility in Delaware. She was proud to become Recover CPR certified in 2019 and has loved learning and practicing veterinary emergency/critical care for the past 10 years.
Now she is excited to start her new journey in general practice as an LVT at Willow Grace Veterinary Hospital and can't wait to create special long-term relationships with her patients and their owners. She enjoys educating pet parents on how they can better their pets' lives by keeping them healthy and happy.
Kim is very close with her family. She lives with her fantastic husband of 8 years, Dan, and their two adorable children. Their favorite things to do as a family are going out on their boat and traveling to new places as often as they can. They have two dogs named Bentley and Rita and a bird named Ollie. Kim loves all of their animals but Bentley holds a special place in her heart as he was her first pet on her own and she has created a very special bond with him.
Melanie is a native of Delaware and is passionate about her career in veterinary medicine. She began her career as a receptionist and soon decided to pursue training to become a licensed veterinary technician. Melanie passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) to become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) in 2010.
She then accepted a position in emergency and critical with a busy emergency and specialty practice in Delaware. In 2019, Melanie completed an online course and hands on simulation training to become a RECOVER CPR rescuer. During her 8 years in emergency care she was able to develop exceptional patient care and technical capabilities.
Melanie is eager to begin the next chapter of her career with Willow Grace Veterinary Hospital. She looks forward to bringing exceptional care to the community and to develop long-term relationships with pets and their owners. She has a special interest in geriatric pets and pets diagnosed with diabetes.
Melanie married her high school sweetheart, Josh, and the have 2 adorable sons together, Jake and Nolan. They also have 2 beloved dogs, Coors and Utley. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family while boating and fishing.
Nicole grew up in Delaware and always had a love and passion for animals. She had many pets growing up
and would try and bring home ones in need. Nicole always knew she wanted to work with animals……
Sandy was born in New Jersey but has lived in Delaware for the past 19 years. She began her career in laboratory medicine working in a hospital chemistry lab. For almost 30 years, she held positions in sales, customer service and management with DuPont, Dade Behring and Siemen's Healthcare……
Stefanie came to Willow Grace Veterinary Hospital after serving two years as a client services coordinator (and later supervisor) at a local emergency vet, although much of her professional careerhas been spent managing a family-owned optometrist's office back home in her native Scranton, PA. While Stefanie loved the thrill of emergency medicine, she longed to make lasting, more one-on-one connections with the clients she was aiding daily. Caring for both animals and people has been amongst her core values, so she was drawn to the family-like atmosphere of Willow Grace.Unlike most in veterinary medicine, Stefanie's educational background did not revolve around technician school or the sciences. She's a life-long student of the Humanities. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in English (business and technical writing) from Wilkes University in 2009 and her Master's in English Literature (with a concentration in Postcolonial Studies) from Duquesne University in 2012. She found value in studying the literature of peoples whose own stories were often suppressed and how the intensely personal and communal nature of literature provides a window into various aspects of the human condition. While working in veterinary medicine, Stefanie became passionate about prioritizing mental health and wellness in the veterinary community. She joined her hospital's Wellness Council to promote daily mindfulness activities and other self-care and mental health resources. When not working, Stefanie can be found spending time with her family - husband, Dan; daughter, Penelope; three fur-babies, Thorin Kittyshield (who wants you to know he is the bestest boy), Sunshine, and Ceres; and an axolotl named Ovid. She also enjoys playing guitar and ukulele, reading, writing, playing video games, matching her hair color to her eyeglasses, and cooking. She is excited to begin her new adventure at Willow Grace Veterinary and to get to know all of you!