Hospital Manager
Christy Mansis, CVT, CVPM
Christy enjoys cooking and reading. She also enjoys playing with her three kitties, Oliver, George and Andy, her two dogs, Crew and Chum her blue and gold Macaw Skyler. Basically she enjoys cleaning, cleaning and cleaning.
Christy graduated from St Petersburg College when it was St Petersburg Junior College with an Associates in Veterinary Technology. She has now completed a rigorous multi year program to become a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager. She is one of only 153 in the nation!
Christy said it was a struggle to decide between working with animals or with people. She finally decided on animals as there is no area that she can’t work in; any area from x-ray, lab, surgery and in rooms doing well-care. She finds the whole process very rewarding but especially enjoys working with birds and pocket pets.
Assistant Hospital Manager 
Jane Day
Jane has been with Oakhurst since 1987. She is the proud parent of six cats, one of which is a classic Kliban (do a web search for this artist’s great cat humor). She also has ten birds. Jane loves listening to the pets tell tall “tails” of their owner’s antics. Jane says that as a child she would take her pet tarantulas, garter snakes and horned toads to school. Unfortunately, her teachers were not amused and she was asked to quit bringing these colorful creatures. She thinks the teachers lacked a sense of humor. Jane has a Bachelor’s degree in archeology. Living bones or dead ones, Jane has decided to make a career with the living.
Bookkeeper 
Becky Bunch
Becky is the bookkeeper. She loves playing with the dogs and it is sometimes necessary to track her down and bring her back to her real job here at Oakhurst. She loves that the clinic is just four miles from her house and that she works part-time. The rest of the time she spends with her home based crew of five dogs, six cats and two birds. She enjoys sailing, reading and making her husband’s life miserable.
Client Care Coordinators
Denise Whitley
Denise is currently attending St Petersburg College where she is pursuing her Business Administration degree. She loves animals and that is what led her to pursue a career with animals. She enjoys spending time with the pets that come here and she also enjoys special projects where she can use her creativity to resolve problems. Denise has two special dogs: Belle, a shepherd mix and Maui, a Border collie/ Sheltie mix. Denise also has her hands full with digital photography and biking.
Stephanie Fergenbaum
Stephanie states that she has always had animals in her life. She had Airedales at her parent’s home growing up. When she and her husband were about to get married, they gave each other a Cocker Spaniel as a wedding gift. The family currently has a shepherd mix named Kara who is a bundle of energy. Stephanie graduated from University of Pittsburgh in liberal arts. She says her favorite part of the job is saying “hi” to all the dogs and cats that come in. She says they all have such unique personalities!
Certified Veterinary Technicians
Kelly Willey, CVT
Kelly graduated from St Petersburg Junior College with a Veterinary Technician degree. At a very young age she was named "nurse of the crabs", as they had a house on the water where they caught blue claw crabs. Even though they would eventually be a meal, her job was to make sure they had fresh water and food until they were ready to be dinner. Kelly has a Golden Retriever, three cats and a parrot. She enjoys scrap booking, cooking, baking and running her kids to all their activities. Kelly has been at Oakhurst since 1989, and still enjoys getting to see the kittens and puppies as they grow up. She says that many of the families feel like old friends as they have been coming to Oakhurst for so long.
Marcie Daly, CVT
Marcie attended St Petersburg Junior College and received her Certified Veterinary Technician degree.
Rachel Keeser, CVT
Rachel graduated from the University of Tampa with a Bachelor’s in Biology with a minor in chemistry. Her Certified Veterinary Technician degree is from St Petersburg College. Rachel loves working with animals. In her youth she volunteered at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium so that she could help the sea animals. She was on their stranding team to rehabilitate dolphins. Rachel enjoys spending time with her family and with her three dogs and one cat. Her favorite part of the job is helping sick animals get better.
Tiffany Colton, CVT
Tiffany has been at Oakhurst since 2000. Her “zoo” includes a Pit-bull, Beagle, Great Dane, Bull Terrier, tortoise, bearded dragon and love bird. Tiffany has always loved animals and as an only child, her main companions were her pets. She has pretty much always known she wanted to work with animals. In high school she volunteered at the SPCA and was in the pre-vet tech program. She became a Certified Vet Tech in 2001 and completed her Bachelor’s degree in 2006. Tiffany’s favorite part of the job is diagnostics to determine how best to help a sick pet. She also loves the new puppies. In her free time she enjoys texting, writing, drawing, going to the gym and tending to her pets. She is a busy girl.
Meredith Cataldo, CVT
Meredith likes to spend time with her husband and two boys going to the beach and local parks. She enjoys doing anything outdoors including swimming and boating. She also enjoys shopping! Meredith has always had a love, appreciation and sensitive heart towards animals. As a young girl, she was always trying to rescue injured baby birds, squirrels and save stray dogs and cats. Over the years that compassion grew and after volunteering at the SPCA, she felt compelled to pursue a career in veterinary technology. Meredith completed her General Associates degree at St Petersburg College and then continued on, receiving her Associates in Science in Veterinary Technology.
She and her family currently have Ollie a black lab.
Tina Mears, CVT
Tina’s hobbies are cycling and painting. She graduated from St Petersburg College vet technician program and is a Certified Veterinary Technician. She currently has no pets. She enjoys working with animals.
Jennelle Francis, CVT
Jennelle is currently attending St Petersburg College working on her Bachelor’s in Veterinary Technology. Jennelle enjoys relaxing and having fun when she is not studying or working. She has two dogs, a chow mix named Rusty and a shepherd mix named Angel. Jennelle states she has always wanted to work with animals. While she was a freshman at Tarpon Springs High School she enrolled in the Agriscience Academy and loved it there. She still loves working with animals and has completed her Certified Veterinary Technician degree while she works on her Bachelor’s of Science. Her favorite part of the job is learning new things.
Veterinary Assistants
Cashel Mack
Cashel is a mixed bag of talents. She teaches swimming full-time as well as working here at Oakhurst. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in music. Cashel is a gifted musician, playing the violin and piano. As well as her two jobs, she is also a foster mom. In her free time (free time?) she enjoys her music and kayaking. Her pets are Solo, a Dalmatian, Tinja a Cocker Spaniel, Tango and Kaash her cats and Lightening and Einstein her birds. Her favorite part of working at Oakhurst is, “helping the animals and the clients that love them”. As a child Cashel wanted to be a veterinarian. She grew up with dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs and a horse so animals have always played an important part in her life.
Ashley Elliott
Ashley is a real renaissance woman. Not only does she lift weights and work on her cars, she likes to dress up and go out with her friends, or go to the beach to work on her tan. She realized as she was getting ready to enter medical school that she would much rather work with animals. She says that the rewards you receive from helping sick/injured animals and keeping them healthy is great as they are at the mercy of our hands. She currently has five cats, four dogs, two Guinea pigs, one bunny (and a Partridge in a Pear tree). Ashley’s view on working at Oakhurst is No matter how bad your day’s been you will still end up happy because you see all those wagging tails waiting for you!
Kayleigh Kilburn
Kayleigh refers to her household as a mini-zoo. She has Heidi and Rudy, her dogs, Jake the frog, Oliver the bunny, Sammy the newt and Coconut and Noodle her fish. She started young with catching lizards and frogs and still enjoys frog hunting today. She also likes going to the beach and jogging. She is currently in school at University of South Florida. The best part of the job for Kayleigh is making a difference in the lives of pets and their people.
Lisa Peddicord
Lisa enjoys cooking and going to the beach. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Eckerd College She is planning on attending the St Petersburg College Veterinary Technician program. Lisa likes the idea of being a healthcare advocate for creatures whose voice may otherwise go unheard. She has two dogs: Mouse, a beagle mix and Louie, a miniature dachshund. Her favorite part of the job is learning new things.
Jason Bond
Jason loves animals! He always knew he loved them growing up, but never had any pets in the household until he was seventeen. It was at that point that he and his parents rescued a lab/chow mix, Murphy and a cat, Dali. He was also able at age seventeen to start working in the veterinary field. He started in the kennels at a Tampa hospital and within six months had moved into the veterinary assistant world. He says that he knew he had found his calling once he moved into the veterinary side of the hospital.
Jason currently has a Bassett Hound, Daisey and an orange and white cat. He is happy to say that Murphy and Dali still reside with his parents. His favorite part of the job is fostering animals. In a field all by himself on this one, his favorite gross part of the job is expressing anal glands. Jason will find himself really in demand at the hospital once this information gets out!
Jennifer Burke 
Jennifer is the perkiest person! She is always in a good mood. Jennifer enjoys shopping, movies and walking her dogs. She has a black lab/pit mix named Booger and a pit bull named Lexi. She is currently studying elementary education at University of South Florida. Jen says that working at Oakhurst allows her to continue her schooling. Her favorite part of the job is running around and playing with the animals and giving them lots of love.
Kennel Manager
Michele Beggs
Michele is an “old-timer” here at Oakhurst as she started in 1990. She is a bundle of energy and finds time for camping, boating, horse back riding and swimming and taking care of her wonderful daughter. She also has two English Mastiffs, Miley and Tuff, two goldfish Gold and Fish and a bunny named Princess Cutie Pie. Michele wanted it known that her daughter named the fish and bunny! Her two Mastiffs are a backlash to her childhood pets. “When I was little I begged and begged for a big dog and instead had two mean little Lhasa apso’s that only loved my mom and ate dinner at the dinner table. My mom said I could get a big dog when I had my own house. Now I have the two biggest and gentlest dogs I could find.” Michele loves the family aspect of her job. “The clients and workers are very close and the clients trust us with their beloved pets. Sometimes we see people and their pets on a daily basis when they come for doggie daycare. They become part of the Oakhurst family.” Michele has completed the Advanced Pet Care Technician program that is certified by the ABKA.
Kennel Attendants
Renee Coon
Renee is a ball of fire when it comes to working with all the pets at the kennel. She can’t stand not petting, comforting and making sure they are clean and comfortable at all times. Renee also works in the restaurant industry and enjoys this field as it is so different. One is all people and the other is all animals. The best part of working at Oakhurst for Renee is seeing all the animals every day and making them happy. In her free time, Renee enjoys cleaning and spending time with her daughter.
Marilyn Music
Marilyn has always had a very special place in her heart for animals and felt that working at a kennel would give her the opportunity to care for animals. Doggie Day Care is Marilyn’s domain. It gives her the time to spend with lots and lots of dogs and be rewarded with tons of affection. Her greatest satisfaction is when the dogs start understanding her behavior and when she understands theirs. “I try to teach them good behavior and at times I succeed!” she states. Marilyn graduated with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Drake University. Her hobbies are reading, sewing and gardening.
Charlotte Welch
Charlotte loves all animals, especially Schwabbling, a rescued Rat Terrier and a rescued kitten named Sophie. Charlotte says that she has always wanted to work with animals. She worked in a shelter and found that to be so rewarding that working with animals became the only thing she could see herself doing for her future. Charlotte enjoys doggie daycare the most as she loves to play and interact with the animals. She also is the resident photographer and takes many pictures of the pups at play. You can see some of her work on the walls of doggie daycare. Charlotte is a Certified Doggie Daycare Technician and is proud of the knowledge she has gathered through her education and working with the dogs. Her hobbies are photography, animals and playing with her sons. We are very happy to have Charlotte as part of our team. She is upbeat and positive and most of all, truly loves the dogs.
Tammie Richmond
You would never know it by looking at her, all calm, cool and collected, but Tammie is a rabid Nascar fan. She has several other hobbies including sewing, painting and going to car shows. She loves all animals and feels that they make your day better, no matter what your mood is like. When she was growing up there was always a mini-menagerie; two to three dogs, fish, birds. There was also a menagerie of kids - SIX! Tammie currently has a dog named Splash ( she fell into the pool and that is how she got her name). Her favorite part of being at Oakhurst is being part of a team. She also enjoys how the animals that board or go to Daycare become part of the Oakhurst family as well.
Groomers
Chris Belko
Chris is from Long Island, NY. She always wanted a Cocker Spaniel while she was growing up. When she was on her own, she got one. She also got more and more until she had nine! Since they need grooming she thought a good idea was to do it herself. Nine years ago she went to school to learn and then came to Oakhurst. She has been here ever since. Now she has seven cats instead of dogs. No matter what she must have a tribe. Chris’ favorite part of being at Oakhurst is giving the pets the cut the owner wants. She says you can see it in their face when they pick their pets up. Her hobbies are gardening, sewing and crafts, and of course, taking care of seven cats.
Beth Jennings
When Beth was eight years old she started playing with the dogs at a breeders kennel near her home. As she grew up she started to show the dogs (Labs and Shelties). She learned how to care for and prepare the dogs for show. When she moved to from Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1992, she started to groom. She still grooms today. She states, “I can’t imagine doing anything else – I love it!” She has an American Eskimo Spitz as her current pet. She enjoys jewelry making and spending time with her husband.
Diana Edwards
Diana has always had animals. She had a horse and dogs when she was growing up and was always responsible for their well-being. She currently has four dogs (two Cockers, one Shih-Poo and one Chihuahua). Her pastimes include her new granddaughter, reading, crafting and crocheting. She LOVES dogs and especially enjoys the part of her job that allows her to love on the dogs and puppies in her care.
Quick Test
