Our Support Staff

Originally hailing from Scotland, Mike joins Craig Road Animal Hospital as Hospital Administrator following six successful years transforming two veterinary hospitals in Arizona. Prior to that he worked in the U.S. and internationally along a wide-ranging professional career.

With a focus on marketing and customer service, Mike brings a diverse set of skills to Craig Road Animal Hospital. He writes extensively on management and marketing topics, and is involved in various veterinary management, human resource, and marketing organizations.

Mike is responsible for all non-medical aspects at Craig Road Animal Hospital. If you have any comments, concerns, or complaints he would welcome speaking with you either in person, on the phone, or by email.

Mike supports retired Greyhound rescue and shares his home with and retired racer, Chip, along with an Russell Terrier Mix named Dapple. In his spare time, Mike enjoys reading, film and the theater. He also spends far too much time on Twitter.

Read Mike Falconer’s Posts Here

Chad is originally from Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania. He moved to Flagstaff, Arizona to attend Northern Arizona University. Chad is a father to two daughters, Miesha 23, and Ashley 20. In November of 2015, he began working with Craig Road Animal Hospital as Project Manager.

The position of Project Manager encompasses multiple roles including payroll, human resources, and a number of other less well-defined areas of the hospital -lending a hand where needed. For him, the most fulfilling part of working at Craig Road is that he gets to work closely with his brother.

In his spare time, Chad enjoys going hiking and backpacking. He has backpacked in numerous places; The Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yosemite National Park in California, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, to name but a few. His favorite place to hike here in Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon. He also enjoys golf, alternative music, and his favorite food is Sushi. Chad shares his home with an orange tabby cat named Matty!

Tikara grew up in the small town of Franklinton, North Carolina.  Her grandfather had a small farm of cows and the neighborhood filled with companion animals.  As a small kid, she knew she wanted to work with animals.  She obtained her B.S. in Animal Science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.  While in undergrad she worked alongside various veterinarians at small clinics surrounding her university.  After graduating she married her husband who enlisted in the military, initiating their travels to Las Vegas.

Starting out as a Customer Service Representative in November 2012 and then taking a break to stay home with her twin daughters in 2015, Tikara is currently working towards a Masters degree in Public Health and is now our hospital administrative assistant.  “I’ve learned so much while working here, especially in customer service”.  Tikara enjoys spending time entertaining her family and 3 dogs, a Border Collie Mix, Australian Shepherd Mix and the queen of them all, Tikara, the Chihuahua.

Krysta started working with animals at a young age. She started out by taking in injured birds and nursing them back to health until they were able to fly again. Now that she is working with cats and dogs at Craig Road Animal Hospital, her love for animals has grown.

“I just love it when we are able to treat an animal that’s very sick and bring them back to life,” Krysta said. She said the best thing about helping the animal is seeing the family reunited with their healthy pet.

Krysta feels she has always had an instant connection with all animals and feels it is important for the client to know that we are here to give the best care available. This makes her the perfect fit for her position as the evening floor supervisor. Her responsibilities include supervising our staff and ensuring that the patients are receiving the treatment that is needed.

And this is why she finds working at Craig Road so rewarding. She can recall numerous occasions where the doctors have worked long hours doing everything they can for someone’s pet. Krysta said that it’s nice to work with others who share the same passion she has for animals.

Krysta has been working for the care of animals since 2007. As a licensed veterinary technician, she found that she has a niche for helping animals heal. It is something she said that she will want to do for the rest of her life. She has two children of her own, a Doodle named Dewey and a Maltese named Corona.

Marvin was born and raised in Miami, Florida. While he has always had a love for animals, it wasn’t until he was 15 when his pet dog showed him the love these animals can share with humans. Marvin said that he enjoys working at Craig Road Animal Hospital because of the way we utilize his skills as much as possible and the trust the doctors have in the veterinary technician. “This is also like a teaching clinic,” Marvin said. “I can share my skills and show how to do things the right way while still learning from others. Every day we learn something new.”

Being a pet owner himself, Marvin understands how important animals can be to a family. “I treat every patient, every dog, every cat, as if they are my own,” Marvin said. “That says a lot because my dogs are my number one.”

Marvin likes to work with aggressive animals, trying to make their stay here as stress free and comfortable as possible. He says that it is important to be able to read and recognize body language to understand where they’re at. While the technician doesn’t see a future without animals, he does like to explore the outdoors in his spare time.

Marvin has a Labrador retriever, a Pit Bull, and a domestic shorthair cat that he brought with him from Miami.

Jessica has literally grown up with animals. She grew up on a farm in Rapid City, South Dakota. “I was always surrounded by pigs, cows, chickens and horses so it doesn’t surprise me that I ended up working with them.” While she adores horses, Jessica found that she enjoys working with smaller animals.

The Licensed Veterinary Technician loves the fast pace and adrenaline rush she gets from working at Craig Road Animal Hospital. “I just love helping,” Jessica said. “I love to know and feel that I am making a difference.” As a technician, she gets to be very hands on with the animals, something that Jessica cherishes. She does have hopes of becoming a D.V.M. one day but wouldn’t mind staying as a technician for as long as she can to see how she likes it.

She has one guinea pig and loves the outdoors. “I like to get out when I can,” Jessica laughs. “Hiking, swimming, going to the lake_anywhere where I can enjoy the beautiful blue sky.”

Initially from the Bay Area, Liz has worked in the field of inventory management since 2006. After starting her career at UCSF Medical in San Francisco, CA, Liz made the move to Las Vegas in 2013 when she took a position managing inventory for a medical supply company.

Back in Hayward, California, Liz appreciated the diversity of people she grew up with. She believes that, “If you live there your basically ready to live anywhere”, making her a perfect fit for Las Vegas.

Currently, Liz is pursuing her associates degree in Business Management to further increase her understanding of the other aspects of business and build on her leadership qualities. Liz believes that the opportunity offered to her at Craig Road will allow her to further develop her skills in inventory management.

In her spare time Liz enjoys being around her family, movie trivia, and cheering for Bay Area sports teams. Although she currently doesn’t have any pets, she plans to adopt a husky mix soon.

James comes all the way from Oswego, New York, a little town right on Lake Ontario. While James has always taken care of animals, he never really thought of it as a serious profession until a few years ago when he had two cats pass away due to renal failure. The first passed away suddenly and he brought the second one to Craig Road Animal Hospital. The cat was placed on an IV for 18 months, had a special diet and very specific restrictions. It was through taking care of him that James found the care of a pet can be a truly rewarding and enriching experience.

When he found that a kennel position was open at our hospital, he felt it was a great way to give something back and explore other possibilities in the industry. So far, his experiences have taught him that communication is key. “There’s a lot that goes into what we do,” James said. “We don’t want any client to feel uncomfortable, so it is important for them to know how we do things here and to know all the details upfront.”

But the main reason James enjoys working in the hospital is the connection he gets to make with each patient he encounters. James has two English Bulldogs and two cats, one of each who he adopted from Craig Road. In the spare time James does have, he plays his guitar, goes off-roading and is interested in learning to surf.

Stephanie moved to Las Vegas from Florida where she began her career working with animals as an animal care taker. “I really enjoy working with animals,” Stephanie said. “No matter how you’re feeling, animals just make your day. It’s hard to feel anything but happy when they’re around.”

As our Lead Exam Room Assistant, Stephanie is in charge of the exam room assistants who help the doctors with clients and patients.

While the animals make a big difference in why she loves Craig Road, Stephanie said that it’s the people that really make her feel welcome. “The people here are great,” she said. “It’s nice to have my CRAH family, especially being so far away from home.”

Stephanie enjoys hiking and anything that takes her outdoors. Her favorite thing to do when not working is to take a drive to Mt. Charleston just to enjoy the view. She doesn’t have any pets currently but she already has one picked out. “I love Labradors,” Stephanie said. I want a chocolate lab and I’m going to name him Hershey.” She can’t wait to take him hiking!

Wesley has been working with animals for over 13 years. He comes from Huntington, Indiana. After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Navy. Wesley then spent a few years in San Diego, California studying at Pima Medical Institute and starting his career in veterinary medicine.

Wesley has always wanted to work with animals. When he was very young, he helped a large animal vet on a friend’s farm. It was from that moment on that Wesley realized that working with animals was something he wanted to do.

This passion brought Wesley to Craig Road Animal Hospital. “It’s a great facility,” he said. “I get to work with a lot of knowledgeable doctors and staff. It’s a wonderful learning environment.” Wesley is head of our building and transport department. He is also in charge of our Pets in Transit program, a transportation service that provides non-emergency transport for pets all around Southern Nevada.
Wesley’s best friend is a rescued Pit Bull named Piglet. He also enjoys cooking up barbeque for all the staff members at the hospital, which we don’t mind one bit.

Amanda is one of our customer service supervisors and was born and raised right here in Las Vegas. She has always shared a love for animals which she attributes to growing up in a house filled with them all through childhood. Amanda had a variety of pets growing up including ferrets, rats, turtles, chickens, rabbits and hamsters.

She believes that those who work with animals have a very important job. “Someone needs to speak for them,” Amanda said. “I may not be a doctor or a vet tech but we are all here to help the animals.”
As a customer service supervisor, Amanda’s focus is on meeting the client’s needs. She ensures that a line of communication is open between the doctors and clients so that all questions are answered and so that all parties are comfortable. “A dog can’t come back and tell the owner that they’ve been mistreated,” Amanda said. “If the client feels we are taking care of their animals from the start, then they will be more comfortable about letting us care for them.”

When Amanda is not at the hospital she enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and Pit Bull-Chihuahua mix; Raider. Amanda wants to encourage all those who walk through our doors to ask questions and get to know us. “We all have a love for the animal and that’s what we are here for,” Amanda said.

From a young age Sarah knew her goal in life was to help others. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, she grew up assisting the efforts of a dog rescue focusing primarily on Shepherd, Huskie, and Mastiff breeds.

After graduating with an associate’s degree in English & Literature, her original plan was to teach, however her love of animals shifted her focus toward emergency medicine. Sarah began her Veterinary career as a technician at an emergency hospital, she joins the team at Craig Road with over 10 years of experience.

Sarah loves to bake and she makes winning as easy as pie. Her blue-ribbon winning cookies are famous in Arizona, and she’s always welcome to challengers. She also enjoys hiking at Red Rock to watch her male Shepard blow bubbles under every puddle he lays his eyes on.

Sarah has four dogs and two cats, she and her husband both have service dogs as well.

Ronni is our phone room supervisor.  In her capacity, she makes sure that customers who call into the hospital receive quality care and excellent customer service.

“I feel that my work is important as we are the first interaction many clients have with the facility. Our focus is prompt and efficient customer care.”

She is currently in her first year at the College of Southern Nevada pursuing a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology.Ronni grew up with pets, her father owns chickens, goats and sheep. In addition, her family has two labs, two Dachshunds, and two Yorkies. In her spare time Ronni likes to go hiking  Lone Mountain is her favorite hike site.

Nicole was born and raised right here in Las Vegas. The Licensed Veterinary Technician absolutely adores animals. Her earliest memories are visits to animal parks with her family. She would eventually like a change of climate and move to Washington to work with exotic animals in a zoo.

Like many of our staff members, Nicole has a particular special talent as well. “I have a great connection with scared dogs,” she said. “I have a certain amount of compassion for them and just want them to know we are here to help.”

Nicole said that it is great to be able to work with such a great team and looks forward to coming into Craig Road Animal Hospital. “It’s a fun staff and that adds to the levity of a stressful and sometimes emotionally draining job,” Nicole said. “It’s nice to be able to work with others who can stay upbeat and have a sense of humor while still providing quality care.”

Nicole is an experienced traveler and is preparing for a trip with her son and husband to Greece and Japan. She also has two blue nosed pits and a Shepard mix, all of whom she gives tons of tender, love, and care to.

Sarah comes to Craig Road from the Golden state of California. The Veterinary Technician says that she can remember wanting to work with animals at a very young age. “I was the little girl that has all the photos of me holding a cat and wearing a Barbie stethoscope,” Sarah said. Her household has always been filled with animals, mainly cats, dogs and wolves.

Her passion for animals and love for wolves have led Sarah to taking care of them in her spare time at Lucerne Valley Wolf Sanctuary. Sarah has been volunteering as an animal handler there for the past 14 years. It is also where she wound up falling in love with Segoni, her Shepard-wolf mix.

Segoni does have to share Sarah’s affection with three huskies, 17 tarantulas and a carpet python at home.

Sarah said that she eventually would like to become a D.V.M. and work with exotic and zoo animals. She believes that animals have so much love to give and she enjoys her job because she is able to return that affection every day. The animal lover said that this isn’t a career for her, it’s her life. “This has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl and will be until the day I die,” she said. “I can’t picture myself doing anything else.”

Originally from Canada, Kendra has called Las Vegas her home for the past four years. The licensed veterinary technician used to be a baker but then decided she was ready for a career change. “I’ve always loved animals and a have always dreamed of working with them,” Kendra said. “The decision was easy and now my dream has come true.”

While she loves all animals, Kendra absolutely adores cats. “I never had a dog, it was always cats growing up,” she said. “They’re just so perfect!” Kendra has five cats of her own but enjoys playing with puppies at work any chance she gets. This is also why she loves being a technician. “It’s just so hands on,” Kendra said. “I know how much I love my babies and I always felt it was important for others to know that their pets are being cared for by people who truly love animals.” That, she says, is the most important part of her job.

Susie comes from Los Angeles, California. Working with animals is the only thing she has ever wanted to do. She has worked in the industry for over 15 years.

This Licensed Veterinary Technician is also Dr. Mych’s Exam Room Assistant. Her degrees are in working with exotic animals, something she thoroughly enjoys. Susie’s dream is to work with these animals at a zoo in the future.

While working with puppies and giving vaccines are fun, Susie said that Craig Road Animal Hospital has taught her how equally important it is to be there for the client as well as their pet.
“I always bond with people when their pets are really sick,” Susie said. “They need our support and being there for them when they are going through a hard time is something that matters a lot to me.”

Susie has a few pets of her own. Being greeted after a long day by her four cats, two dogs and a fish always puts a smile on her face. On her days off she enjoys watching a comedy film with her husband.

Melinda is what many would call a true animal lover. “I have two Corgis at my parent’s house, four cats, a lot of snakes, lizards, tortoises, chinchillas, frogs and a fish,” Melinda said. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Melinda has been surrounded by animals all her life, a characteristic that has clearly stuck with her into adulthood.

Melinda wanted to be a DVM but it’s the hands on experience with the clients this Licensed Veterinary Technician loves. She also enjoys having a job that is different every day. “You never know what to expect when you come to work,” Melinda said. “There’s always excitement here.”

While working with animals has always been her dream, Melinda is also very talented with paint. Her artwork can be seen hanging on our walls in the waiting room and the giant mural painted in the cat suites.

Like others at Craig Road Animal Hospital, Melinda believes it is very important for clients to understand how the love we have for animals extends into the care we give. “There have been patients we’ve cried over, patients we’ve hugged_I mean, we get attached,” Melinda said.

While she deals with cats and Corgis a lot, Melinda is an extremely well-rounded individual, taking in any animal that needs help. Melinda said that she will be working with animals for the rest of her life.

Born in the Philippines, Cher has always felt a need to help others. She moved to Las Vegas when she was 12 with her family. The biology student says she always knew she would end up in the medical field. “It was an easy choice for me because this profession allows me to pair my love of animals with my passion for medicine,” Cher said.

The Licensed Veterinary Technician said she understands the care that goes in to taking care of others’ animals. “People want to give their pets to people they trust,” she said. “It’s important for anyone who in this field to have a genuine love for animals.”

The first thing she wants to do when she graduates is to travel. Europe and New Zealand are at the top of her list. When she isn’t working at the hospital or studying for her exams, Cher likes to spend all her spare time with her Australian Shepard, Chewy.

Jasmine was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended Pima Medical Institute, here in Las Vegas, to complete her Associate in Veterinary Technology. Jasmine was a hunter and welder before she found her passion. “I never knew I wanted to save animals,” she said.

After the birth of her daughter, she moved to Las Vegas. Her father encouraged her to choose a fulfilling career. “I went to all of the colleges, I saw people drawing blood on a dog at Pima and I knew that this was it.

Jasmine plans to specialize in dentistry in the future.

Outside of work, Jasmine loves spending time with her three children.
Her two boys enjoy surfing and her daughter likes reading and writing. Jasmine’s hobbies include cooking, welding, auto mechanics, and gardening. Jasmine lives with a large lovable Pitbull named Chance.

Lauren is from Ontario, Canada and has just recently moved to Las Vegas. She’s cared for animals since an early age, looking after her dog Fritz, for over sixteen years. “As early as I can remember I’ve wanted to work with animals,” she said. Lauren attended St. Clair College in Windsor, Canada to received her Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology.

Lauren recently spent time in Africa with the Harnas Wildlife foundation where she had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of animals there including lions, tigers, baboons. Cheetahs, warthogs, elephants, giraffes, and more. She looks forward to returning to Africa in the future.Lauren currently owns a Shepard mix named Sadie that she rescued from a shelter in Quebec.

Just before the adoption, Lauren was surprised to learn that Sadie was pregnant and helped her deliver eleven puppies.Lauren aspires to specialize in one of the following areas; emergency care, cardiology, or oncology. Lauren describes herself as friendly and outgoing, “I’m an outdoor person, I’m very active” she said. When she isn’t working, Lauren enjoys snowboarding and soccer.

Sean was born and raised in the Washington. He later joined the military after high school which landed him in Nevada.

Although he grew up with animals, Sean never thought he would someday work with them. “We always had them around growing up so they always fascinated me,” he said. “I was very sensitive to their emotions. I would feel what they were feeling.” It wasn’t until after moving here Sean would pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

The Veterinary Technician attends Pima and likes his job because he can hang out with pets all day. “I enjoy the challenge of a patient that can’t talk to you,” Sean said. “All I want to do is be around animals.” He said that he would like to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician and keep working in small animal medicine.

Sean has two children of his own, a son and daughter who also enjoy being around animals. His time off includes taking them shooting and off-roading. They have three cats, two dogs and a constant request for a goat.

Krystle has been around animals all her life. While she has always loved animals, she started caring for them when she was a teenager. “My grandmother had a lot of senior dogs,” Krystle said. “There wasn’t a 24 hour veterinary hospital around so after surgeries, they would have to come home.”

Krystle’s earliest memories are of waking up every two hours to distribute medicine or check on her grandmother’s dogs. “I knew that I was going to be doing this for the rest of my life.”

Krystle started at Craig Road Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant before receiving her Veterinary Technician in Training license. “I love being the person who helps the animals get better,” she said. “There is no better feeling than working with a pet from their lowest point and literally nursing them back to health, to their happy normal selves.”

Krystle believes that one can only be in this industry if they are a true animal lover. “We have pets, we can relate, and we know how that client is feeling,” she said. “We are here to help clients make the right decision when it comes to their pet’s health.”

Krystle has a Beta fish named Kim and Silky Terrier named Pepper. The veterinary technician in training would eventually like to specialize in nuclear medicine and MRI’s. “I’m in this for the long run,” Krystle said. “It’s all I’ve ever known and I’m very proud to say that.”

Growing up in Las Vegas, Olivia always felt a connection and sense of belonging when it came to the health and welfare of animals. Before joining the team at Craig Road, Olivia received her Bachelors in Biology & Veterinary Science from the University of Nevada, Reno. Ultimately, her goal is to obtain her Masters degree and pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine.

As a Technician in training, Olivia says she likes how engaging the problem solving is in this field of medicine. Of all her veterinary interests, she is most involved in surgeries and zoonotic diseases.

Olivia see’s the Technicians role in the hospital as multi-faceted, with opportunities to become involved in ultrasound, dental, x-ray, and more. “That’s what I like about Veterinary Medicine”, she said. “You’re not just one thing, our training teaches us to become a jack of all trades.”

Olivia’s personal interests include health & fitness, body building, and music. She also enjoys spending time with her two cats, Bones & Jack.

Desten joins the team at Craig Road Animal Hospital hailing from San Diego, California. He started as a veterinary assistant with Craig Road but felt there was more he could be doing to assist the welfare of animals. See, Desten aspires to become a veterinarian one day, but his story with animals doesn’t start at Craig Road.

Originally he wanted to pursue engineering, but one day when he was helping his mother clean out kennels at PetsMart he saw a family come in for a cat. After seeing how much the cat that they had only known for a few minutes meant to the family, he decided his purpose in life was to, “Help bring people the happiness they get with animals.” After that day, working with animals was the only thing he’s ever wanted to do.

Currently, Desten is pursuing his Technicians license from PIMA Medical Institute and plans to continue his education until he is able to make his dream become a reality. Desten aspires to work with exotic animals with a focus on large animal breeds after he becomes a veterinarian.

Outside of work, Desten enjoys playing video games, listening to a wide variety of music, and hanging out with his assortment of animals. At home Desten cares for a Chinchilla, two dogs, three cats, a Blue-Tongue skink, and a Bearded Dragon.

Karissa has known since the age of five that she wanted to work with animals.  “I just had a passion for them, they’ve always interested me, and I’m always happy around them.”  The Las Vegas native grew up with a wide variety of pets including cats and dogs, as well as, ferrets, hamsters, and hermit crabs.

Karissa is a student at the College of Southern Nevada in the Veterinary Technician program. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as playing video games and going camping in her spare time. At home Karissa has two boxers, a boy named Vader and a girl named Baby.