Our Careteam

Autumn can’t remember a time when she didn’t love animals of every shape and size. Keeping others’ pets healthy, and helping them to feel better when they fall ill, is simply what she loves to do! Autumn is a proud member of the front-desk team here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic.

Autumn is a native of northern Mississippi and joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family in the summer of 2018 when a position opened up at the front desk. She’s been here ever since! Autumn loves to learn new things on a daily basis, and especially likes jumping in to help while a litter of puppies or kittens is being born.

Most of Autumn’s free time away from the office is spent with her family. She and her husband have two wonderful daughters and also share their lives with many pets. They have 10 dogs, a cat, and a turkey!

Thomas grew up in Ashland, Mississippi, where he cared for dogs and horses since he was a young boy. Those early experiences helping animals to live happy, healthy lives made a permanent impression on him. Thomas has always known that he wanted to learn more so that he could help as many of the earth’s creatures as he possibly could! Now, he gets to gain hands-on experience here at the hospital while he’s applying for veterinary school.

After attending Northeast Mississippi Community College, Thomas earned his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University. Currently, he’s in the application process with Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Thomas joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family in May of 2019 in order to complete shadowing hours for his veterinary school application and gain hands-on experience in the field, and he couldn’t be happier with his choice. He’s found that he particularly likes going on farm calls, assisting with surgeries, and studying laboratory results.

Thomas’s interests away from the clinic include hunting, fishing, riding horses, and tending to his cows. He has six horses that he rides on the weekends, and he also shares his life with a poodle named Zoe, Bailey the Great Dane, and a Black Lab named Billy.

Stephanie has always wanted to do everything she possibly could to help animals and promote their health and wellness. What better way to do just that than by working in the world of veterinary medicine? When the opportunity arose for Stephanie to put her passion for pets to good use in a clinic setting, she didn’t waste any time. She’s been a part of the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family ever since!

Stephanie is originally from Metairie, Louisiana but grew up in Collierville, Tennessee, and is a proud psychology graduate of the University of Mississippi. In March of 2017, she came across a Facebook advertisement noting that the clinic was hiring. Stephanie jumped at her chance! Now, she’s proud to serve as one of the first faces clients see when they enter the clinic.

When she’s not greeting pet owners and their adorable companions here at the clinic’s front desk, Stephanie can be found fishing and boating on the lake and spending time with her family and pets at home. She and her husband, David, have three dogs: Hank Williams and Jolene, both spunky Terrier mixes, and a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix named Dolly who often comes to work with Stephanie.

Shirley has felt drawn to animals of all shapes and sizes ever since her earliest memories, and she’s always been fascinated by their behavior and the impact that pets can have on their human family members. Having the opportunity to strengthen those bonds as a veterinary professional is a dream come true for her! Shirley is a Veterinary Technician here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic.

A Holly Springs native, Shirley was only 12 years old when she first started volunteering here at the clinic. She was hired on officially at the age of 16, and has been a member of the clinic family ever since! Shirley serves as a Veterinary Technician and can be found working in just about every area of the clinic, from the exam rooms to the kennel.
Shirley’s family has several pets at home, including three dogs—Badboy, Gizmo, and Chica—and a cat named Amber. When she’s not at work, she loves curling up with a good romance novel.

For Michelle, veterinary medicine is a family affair. Her mother works as a Veterinary Technician right here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic! Michelle is thrilled to follow in her mom’s footsteps and care for pets hands-on as a member of the clinic team.

Michelle was born and raised in Byhalia and joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic team in the summer of 2019. She and her family were clients here at the clinic before Michelle was an employee—they brought their cattle and then their dogs here for care, so it simply made sense for Michelle to join the hospital family. She hopes to continue her education in the future to advance in the world of veterinary medicine, and even hopes to become a veterinarian herself one day.

When time permits between work and school, Michelle likes traveling to cow shows and spending time with her family. She shares her life with five dogs, three cats, a horse, and several cows.

Katlyn has always recognized that animals don’t always have the luxury of speaking up for themselves. That’s why she’s wanted to do everything in her power to help pets, ever since she was a little girl! Katyln gets to do just that on a daily basis as a Veterinary Technician and as the clinic’s Kennel Manager.

Katyln grew up in Potts Camp with her parents, two sisters, and plenty of family pets. She interviewed here at Willow Bend Animal Hospital on the first day of her senior year of high school, and Katlyn has been a member of the team ever since. Medically, she’s fond of exploratory surgery and C-sections, but her favorite part of her job is the variety it brings. For Katlyn, no two days are ever quite the same.

When she’s not at work, Katlyn can be found reading, hunting, four-wheeling, and spending time with her family and pets. She and her husband, Trent, share their lives with several animal companions: three Schnauzers named Nessie, Chester, and Greta; a rambunctious Labrador named Mack; and two cats who go by Romeo and Juliet.

In 2012, Juanice brought her own cat to Willow Bend Animal Clinic for medical care. She also happened to be looking for work at the time. When the doctor was treating Juanice’s cat, she took the opportunity to inquire about a job. The rest is history! Juanice has been a member of the hospital family ever since.

Juanice was born in Tennessee but moved to Mississippi with her family at the age of four. She’s lived in this area ever since! She launched her journey in veterinary care right here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic, and couldn’t be happier with her choice. Now, she serves as a Veterinary Assistant, front-desk receptionist, and Kennel Technician. For Juanice, nothing beats knowing that her efforts made a lasting impact in the lives of not only pets, but their loving owners as well.

Outside of the office, Juanice enjoys working in her yard, caring for her pets at home, and spending quality time with family. Her family consists of two children, three grandchildren, and a multitude of pets. Juanice has five cats and two loveable dogs.

Heather truly enjoys every single part of her job—from cleaning cages to performing C-sections, she never gets tired of the excitement, challenges, and rewards of the veterinary profession. After taking a break from the field for a time to raise her wonderful daughter, Heather was thrilled to jump headfirst back into veterinary care right here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic! She’s a proud member of the Veterinary Technician team.

Heather is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. She was trained on-the-job at her very first clinic to become a Tech, and worked in that capacity for almost eight years before receiving an offer to oversee a brand-new boarding facility with more than 80 cages. Next, Heather got married and started her family a few years later—she took some time off to raise her daughter, then returned to the workforce as a school bus driver.

It wasn’t long before Heather decided that she missed the world of veterinary medicine. That’s when she decided to rejoin the animal care field—Heather joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic team in July of 2016 and has been a member of the clinic family ever since. One of her favorite parts of the job is being a firsthand witness to the incredible resilience of pets. No matter what might be going on in their lives, Heather’s furry patients never fail to give her a tail wag or a loving kiss!

Much of Heather’s time away from work is spent caring for her cattle, going to cattle shows, and enjoying quality time with her family and pets. Along with her husband, Jason, and their daughter, Michelle, Heather shares her home with five dogs (three of whom were rescued from Willow Bend Animal Clinic!), three cats, and several heads of cattle.

Ginger grew up locally and always had an affinity for the earth’s creatures. Ever since she can remember, she’s wanted to make a difference in the lives of others—whether they have two legs or four. For Ginger, working in the world of veterinary medicine was the perfect fit. She’s a Veterinary Technician with the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family!

Ginger heard of an opening here at the clinic and applied on a whim; she was thrilled to hear back with a job offer! Now, she gets to help animals and their loving owners on a daily basis. She’s particularly fond of helping to birth litters of puppies and kittens.

Ginger’s interests outside of veterinary care include cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals, reading great books, and spending quality time with her family and pets. She has two dogs, Noah and Speck.

Before working in the world of animal care, Cindy spent many years in the human healthcare field. Using her background and skill set to better the lives of not only pets, but the owners who care for them, just came naturally! Cindy is in charge of accounting and human resources here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic.

Cindy worked in the National Parks Department for a time, as well as in the world of human medicine, before making the transition into veterinary care. She joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family 21 years ago, starting as an Assistant and front-desk staff member, before becoming the clinic’s chief accountant and human resources professional.

Cindy has been married for 37 wonderful years and shares her life with four dogs and numerous cats—her husband likes to joke that they sleep on a game trail! When she’s not here at the clinic, Cindy enjoys traveling and trying out new restaurants.

Chris has always adored the company of animals, and she’s a pet owner herself. That means she knows firsthand how valuable our animal companions are—she wants to do everything in her power to help pets and the people who care for them. When the opportunity arose for Chris to use her background in accounting and bookkeeping in a veterinary setting, she jumped at the chance!

Chris is from a small community called Cornersville and still lives there to this day. After 13 years working in accounts payable/receivable in the furniture industry, she knew it was time for a change. That’s when she came across an opening right here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic. Chris joined the clinic family in October of 2013 and has been enjoying every moment since.

Here at the hospital, Chris loves to work behind the scenes and keep everything running smoothly so that doctors and staff can concentrate on medicine. But they know to call Chris when puppies visit the clinic—it won’t be long before she is running in to help!

When she’s not at work, Chris likes reading, watching HGTV to get ideas for home DIY projects, and spending time with her family and pets. She and her husband, Lonnie, have six dogs—Pip, Millie, Charley, Bodee, Dodge, and Daisy—as well as a pair of loveable cats who go by Boomer and Rumble.

When her sister’s horse fell ill, Blair rushed over to help. With the aid of their equine veterinarian, Blair and her family helped their horse make a full recovery. Ever since that experience, Blair knew that she wanted to do more to help animals in need. Becoming a veterinary professional was the perfect choice for her! Now, she’s proud to help the pets and animal owners of her hometown as a member of the Willow Bend Animal Clinic team.

Before she was an employee here at the hospital, Blair was a client, and brought her own fur babies here for care. In November of 2018, she was thrilled to accept a position as a member of the clinic family! Blair serves as a Veterinary Technician and Kennel Technician, and she especially loves to comfort nervous or anxious animal visitors.

Outside of veterinary medicine, Blair enjoys painting, training her horses, and pampering her own pets at home. She has two dogs: Everleigh Rose, who likes to bark at everything new, and a longhaired Dachshund named Lexi who loves playing with her floppy mop toy.

Ashton has been surrounded by animals ever since her earliest days. She grew up on a cattle farm, and rode horses and showed cattle for many years. For Ashton, transitioning into the world of veterinary care simply made sense. That’s why she decided to become a Veterinary Technician!

Ashton is from Potts Camp, Mississippi and started part-time here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic in 2010, working through the summer before starting college. She became a full-time employee after graduating with her animal science degree from Mississippi State University in 2016.

Ashton now helps the area’s pets and animal owners as a Veterinary Technician, and also serves as the clinic’s Inventory Manager. She can be found in virtually any area of the hospital: in the laboratory or surgical ward, in the kennels, or at the front desk! She’s especially fond of radiology work, and also likes to perform blood draws. Ashton’s favorite part of her job, however, is meeting and greeting new pet owners and their companions on a daily basis.

Away from work, Ashton enjoys halter breaking and showing cattle, and she even volunteers with the 4-H organization. She also loves to dote on her own pets at home. Ashton has two dogs—Bella the Pomeranian and a Yorkie named Shaggy—as well as two cats named Jane and Remi.