Dr. Kimmel grew up in the Seattle area with many pets including guinea pigs, gerbils, fish, cats, and dogs. She graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in biology and chemistry minor then moved back East to live and work in New York City for a few years before returning to Washington to attend Washington State University for vet school.

She now resides in West Seattle with her husband, two children, and adventurous French bulldog mixes, Hambone and Pickles. She loves boating, snowshoeing, long walks with dogs, and travel. 

Dr. Kelly Burke is the most recent addition to the doctor team at Elliott Bay Animal Hospital.  She’s a New York native and obtained a degree in Biology and Spanish from Binghamton University. Shortly after, Dr. Burke was accepted at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and moved to the beautiful island of St. Kitts & Nevis. She completed her clinical year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a DVM in 2016. Before moving up to the Seattle area, she worked for several years as a mixed animal vet on the coast of Northern California. She had the pleasure of working with all types of animals – from dairy cows and backyard chickens to geckos and guinea pigs (even the occasional ostrich.) She currently resides in Seattle and is very excited to explore her new home in the Pacific NW. In her free time, she likes to work out, travel, hike, practice yoga, and explore new breweries and restaurants with friends.

Dr. Debra Nicholson spent her early career working in the field of exotic animal veterinary medicine and rehabilitation at such facilities as WildCare Foundation in Noble, Oklahoma, Homer Veterinary Clinic in Homer, Alaska, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas and Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. Finally, in 2010, Dr. Nicholson moved to Seattle, Washington, where she worked a brief time with a local nonprofit before purchasing Rainier Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Nicholson would go on to purchase two more independent practices, Bothell Pet Hospital and Beach Veterinary Hospital, before setting sites on the large-scale rebuild of Rainier Veterinary Hospital.

Education:
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Colorado State University

Home Life:
In her free time, Dr. Nicholson enjoys hiking, running, snowboarding, touring the area in search of unique breweries with amazing IPAs, and biking with her family and her two bulldogs, Tater and Rocky, and their ever rowdy Bernadoodle, Yeti.

Marie Clemetson is a Licensed Veterinary Technician who has been a proud member of the Elliott Bay family since 2004 when she started her animal care career in the kennel. She went on to graduate from the Veterinary Technology Program at Pierce College, and she obtained her license to practice as an LVT in 2007. Marie’s hard work, dedication and leadership qualities led her to become the Technician Team Manager in 2016, where she gets to guide and coach the Technician Team to be the best group of pet nurses in Seattle. Marie is most certainly a dog person, and her own pets have created a special place in her heart for fluffy Pomeranians and long-necked Rat Terriers. Marie wants you to know that she will always treat your pet as if they were her own, and she finds incredible satisfaction and happiness by being a part of the team that keeps your pet healthy and happy.

Geri, LVT, Inventory Manager, has been a Veterinary Technician for 35 years, spending the last 26 years at Elliott Bay. Geri’s family consists of 3 cats (Doris, Frankie & Sammy) and Pappi, a 10-year old Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, who came from a Chihuahua rescue. Geri enjoys hiking in the Northwest with Pappi, road trips, reading and traveling.

Emma was born and raised in North Bend, WA where she first became interested in veterinary medicine because of all the wildlife living around her! She grew up with a Border Collie and later acquired a cat named Tomcat who loves to play and roam around outside, but once she moved to Seattle she had to leave Tomcat in eastern WA with her family so he could be an outdoor kitty. Emma now has a nice indoor cat named Charlie, who is very talkative and loving. Growing up she was a competitive gymnast but suffered a career-ending injury to her ankle, which ended up putting her on the path of veterinary medicine. Emma attended Pima Medical Institute where she graduated with an Associate’s in Science and passed her Veterinary Technician National Exam in December 2018.

Katie received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Boise State and then moved to Seattle in the summer of 2013. She found her second home in Elliott Bay Animal Hospital later that fall. Starting out in the kennel department, she quickly realized how much she loved working with animals and trained as a Veterinary Assistant spring of 2015, then became a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) December of 2018. In her spare time, she enjoys playing video games, reading, crafting, dancing, or cuddling with her sweet terrier mix Zeko.

Ezzy, LVT, was born and raised in the windy city of Chicago, IL. While living in the big city she loved playing for her varsity soccer team in high school, riding the ‘L’ throughout the city, indulging in the arts at Gallery 37, being a part of a digital media program called Free Spirit Media, and being a stage lighting technician for the high school theater. After high school, Ezzy moved to Cedar Rapids, IA, to attend Coe College for a few years until deciding to take another path to pursue her education. In 2017, Ezzy leaped out of her comfort zone to drive across the states with her partner, Eric, and her Pomeranian mix, Cubby, to begin a new life in Seattle, WA. Soon after she began classes at Pima Medical Institute to become a licensed veterinary technician. Ezzy passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam in December of 2019 and also became Fear Free Certified. Ezzy eventually hopes to continue studying veterinary behavior medicine and become a veterinary technician specialist in behavior. In her free time, Ezzy enjoys immersing herself outdoors and staying active by hiking, kayaking, running, painting, camping, traveling, bouldering, and attending festivals.

If Jo were to pick a dog breed that best exemplified her personality, she would pick an American Eskimo dog, which she happens to have two of! Skwisgaar and Toki are her little white fluffballs of energy who know plenty of tricks and will happily do all of them all at once when a treat is involved (whether you asked them to or not.) She’s a nerd who loves hanging out with her dogs, cooking, video games, and travelling and learning about different cultures.

Destiny moved to Seattle after graduating college in Orlando for film. She quickly realized she was missing animal companionship as animals have always been an important part of her life. She was raised with four German shepherds, an Australian Shepherd, and two Yorkshire terriers. Currently, Destiny has a sassy kitty, Freya, who loves to go on hikes and adventures through parks with her. Destiny has worked as a dog walker, in a doggy day care and now finally at an animal hospital. She enjoys being able to help animals and give them the love and respect they deserve.

Leah has been with EBAH since 2016 after working many years in multiple roles at a retirement home on Mercer Island. She’s had great compassion for helping people live healthy and happy lives and has decided to focus that compassion towards animals and their owners. Born and raised in the PNW, Leah has always had animals in her life, she currently has a 14-year-old big tabby named Billy and a leopard gecko named Lemmy. During her time away from EBAH Leah also works at a retirement home in north Seattle. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, walking dogs, cross-stitching and watching all the movies.

Coming Soon!

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, Marlo moved away from the frozen tundra in 1998.  After several years working with both children and adults in education and mental health services, she fell in love with a four-legged friend named Charlie and it changed her world! Marlo enjoys the educational and team-building aspects of her role, but mostly loves the relationships she and her team build with our clients and their pets. Marlo currently resides with her two-legged husband Dave, and Edward, a corgi/cattle dog mix who thinks he is human. They love to spend their off-time relaxing in the back yard, playing music, taking road trips, and chasing squirrels.

Megan joined EBAH in 2015 and is ecstatic to work with a team who is driven, passionate, and treats every pet that walks through the door like their own. Her compassion and integrity are huge parts of who she is and loves working in an environment that supports these values. Megan is a cat lover at heart and has two quirky, loving kitties named Bubbles and London. She enjoys her morning snuggles with them prior to work and is greeted at the door at home every evening with meows. In her free time, Megan enjoys partner dancing, reading, playing games, puzzles and (when the weather permits) outdoor activities. 

Coming Soon!

As one of the Animal Care Assistants, Olivia works to make sure your pet is cared for and boarded comfortably while at EBAH. She’s always had a passion for animals and the people that love them. Olivia has two of her own pups, Dexter and Moose, that she enjoys snuggling on Seattle’s many rainy days. Together, they all watch movies and indulge in the occasional board game!

Remie was born and raised here, just north of Seattle. She started working at Elliott Bay Animal Hospital in November of 2018 and has loved every second. She really enjoys being part of the team and getting to work alongside her mom, Karon. When she’s not working, Remie is doing homework for school and loving her own perfect pets!

Kim’s passion for the veterinary industry began when she started working at Elliott Bay Animal Hospital in 1995 while earning her BS in Nursing from the University of Washington. When she completed her degree, she had plans to move into the nursing field but could not bring herself to leave Elliott Bay.  She made the decision to stay in the veterinary industry and work with the phenomenal Elliott Bay family, the incredibly dedicated clients and their furry family members.  She has never regretted her choice! 

Kim enjoys volunteering her time both within and outside the veterinary industry.  For 3 years, she volunteered by serving on the ACE committee for the American Animal Hospital Association where she worked with a team to develop continuing education programs in the areas of leadership, communication, management, human resources, and coaching. She earned her Certification in Veterinary Practice Management in 2005, has been active with the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association since 2000 and was recently elected as a Member of the Board of Directors for the VHMA.  Kim is also passionate about the special needs community and serves as an ambassador for the Melodic Caring Project, an organization that brings hope and joy to children who are battling serious illness by providing them with live-streamed personalized music concerts.

Kim was born and raised in Alaska and relocated to Washington in 1994.  She has 2 wonderful children and she enjoys hiking, reading, photography, travel and spending time with her family and friends. She currently has 2 dogs at home, “Hatch” (a bulldog mix) and “Finnegan” (a goldendoodle) who continue to keep things exciting!

Helping people and caring for animals has been a passion of Karon’s since she was young enough to remember.  During the late summer of 1998, she moved herself and her dog from Alaska and joined the amazing Elliott Bay Animal Hospital team.  She never thought of staying in Seattle long-term, but working alongside such caring and hardworking people made it impossible to leave her work family.  In 2002, Karon and her husband started their own family welcoming their daughter (also part of the EBAH family!) and five years later welcomed their son.  Karon’s home, in addition to her two beautiful and amazing children, is shared with her adorable, rescued fur-babies (Diesel, Jack, Charlotte, and Moose) and always filled with friends, family, a lot of love and much-needed laughter.