Everyone Leaves a Legacy

Medical Director, Old Town Animal Hospital | Katy, TX  For Dr. Cecilia Chea, veterinary medicine has always felt less like a career choice and more like a calling.  From the time she was young, whenever someone asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was always the same: veterinarian. Her passion for animals led her to volunteer at shelters and sanctuaries as a teenager, intern at the Audubon Zoo, and work

From Technician to Hospital Administrator – Four Decades of Learning, Teaching, and Leading For Laura Gardner, veterinary medicine wasn’t the family business – it was the alternative. Growing up in Houston surrounded by relatives working in human healthcare, Laura knew she wanted a career helping others, but she wanted to forge her own path. When her sister showed her an article about a new animal health program in Texas, everything clicked. More than 40 years

Not every veterinary career is defined by growth or expansion. Some are defined by steadiness — showing up, taking responsibility, and doing the work when a hospital needs structure and direction.  That’s been the case for Dr. Tiffany Premo, Medical Director at Woodland Animal Hospital.  Learning the work from the ground up  Dr. Premo’s path into veterinary medicine started early and practically. She worked kennel and assistant roles as a teenager, gaining firsthand experience with how hospitals function long

For Jenna Mayer, veterinary medicine isn’t something she discovered—it’s something she grew up inside. Her mother, Jayne, was Eau Claire Animal Hospital’s (Eau Claire, WI) practice manager for 20 years and later owned the clinic prior to its transition to Lakefield.  “I was raised here,” Jenna says. “From running circles around the old building to writing on the studs that hold the walls together—I’ve been part of this hospital my entire life.” That sense of

When Linda Hall started working in veterinary medicine as a teenager in the early ’90s, she didn’t know that her passion for animals—and her determination to keep learning—would one day lead her to become an Area Manager supporting multiple hospitals across Texas.  Her journey began humbly, as a kennel assistant at her local veterinary clinic. “I was thrown into everything,” Linda recalls. “From helping with surgeries to working the front desk, I learned by doing.”

Kim Koerner began her veterinary journey over 40 years ago as a Certified Veterinary Technician at Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital in Minnesota—her very first job out of tech school. From a young age, she knew she was meant to work with animals. “I was the kid who brought home snakes and frogs and anything I could catch,” she says. But the moment that truly shaped her path came at age 10, after her family cat

When Lakefield acquired Emergency Veterinary Hospital (EVH) in Springfield, OR, in 2019, Dr. Max Rinaldi was on paternity leave. “I had no idea who Lakefield was,” he said. “I came back for a meeting and suddenly found myself in the middle of an acquisition.” Despite the whirlwind timing, he was impressed with how Lakefield handled the transition. “They made sure the doctors felt valued and supported. It was a little scary for all of us,