Our Staff

Joanna was born in Ladner, B.C but spent most of her formative years in Prince George. Growing up, she always had a cat to keep her company, which instilled a love for all types of animals. At 18, Joanna moved back to Vancouver where she pursued the Veterinary Office Assistant Degree at Granville Business College. Joanna had originally wanted to be a Veterinarian and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to gain experience in the field. After working at a vet clinic in Richmond for a few years, Joanna realized she wanted to pursue a Veterinary Technician degree instead of becoming a Veterinarian. Joanna was accepted into the Veterinary Technology program at Douglas College, and graduated in 2018. Prior to even graduating, Joanna was accepted into the prestigious Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital for a 4-month internship, where she went on to be hired permanently. In September 2019, Joanna decided to move to Nanaimo and join the Applecross team. Joanna made the move with her three cats Jade, Beans and Timbit and her two rats, Mocha and Grace. This was Joanna’s first move on her own, and she has felt so welcomed by everyone here. Working at Applecross has helped her gain a lot of confidence and she feels the team here is the best she has worked with in her entire career. Joanna absolutely loves being a part of the Applecross Family, and looks forward to meeting you and your fuzzy family members!

Mykena moved back to Vancouver Island after graduating from the Veterinary Technology program at Thompson Rivers University in 2018. She grew up riding horses, working at the barn since the age of 9 and knew from a very young age that her passion lay in veterinary medicine and has never looked back! An avid traveller, hiker, and lover of all things outdoors you will always find her exploring all the island has to offer whether it be on horseback, boating, or on foot.

Originally from Winnipeg, Rileigh moved to Vancouver Island four years ago and loves it! She is currently studying at Vancouver Island University for a major in Biology, but her true passion is medicine. She has been at Applecross for a year and a half as an assistant where her true passion for medicine was discovered. Rileigh is kept busy by her 1-year old Bernedoodle named Gus and 14-year-old Airedale terrier Rafter. She enjoys spending time with her dogs, crocheting, oil painting and exploring this beautiful Island!

Sarah has lived on Vancouver Island her whole life and is originally from Port Alberni. Sarah moved to Nanaimo six years ago for a change of pace and loves working alongside animals. She has been an animal lover ever since she can remember! Sarah is currently taking the Animal Health Technician distance program through Thompson Rivers University while working full time. This keeps her busy, but when she’s not studying, she enjoys reading, coloring, and going for walks with her fiancé, James. She also loves spending time with her two cats named Larry and Penny.

Originally from Winnipeg, Jeff moved to Nanaimo in 2013. Feeling unfulfilled in retail and foodservice positions, he decided that what he wanted most was to work with animals. Jeff completed the Animal Care Aide program at VIU in April 2018 and started working at Applecross shortly after. He enjoys playing rec league soccer and listening to true crime podcasts, but his favorite past-time is watching Toronto Raptors games with his 15-year-old cat, Natalie Portman.

Brandy grew up on Vancouver Island and has always had a passion for animal welfare. After high school, she moved to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Animal Biology in 2015. After graduation, she moved back to the Island and participated in a summer internship at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, where she helped nurse injured birds and fawns back to health. Since then, she has been working in the veterinary field, moving from reception to assisting. Brandy is halfway through the Animal Health Technology program through Thompson Rivers University in pursuit of becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician.
In her free time, Brandy loves travelling, playing board games, and spending time with her husband, Matt, and Morgan X pony, Fortune Cookie.

Wendy has been with the Applecross Veterinary team since 2016! Prior to starting with us as a receptionist, Wendy was a long-time client. After being very persistent and submitting her resume (more than a few times…). Wendy joined the family, and we couldn’t have been happier to have her as part of our team. Born and raised in Quebec, Wendy moved to Vancouver Island with her husband, Lucas, and her 12-year-old son, in 2015. Wendy enjoys spending time with her family which also includes her 4-year-old English Bulldog (Ellie), and her 13-year-old Boston Terrier (Benny).

Alicia has always loved animals since she was a little girl. At one time she had a cat, a dog, a bird and 36 rabbits! Now she gets to be around animals all day at her job and she loves every minute of it. At home Alicia lives with her husband of almost twenty years, her two sons aged 12 and 14. They are joined by their beautiful black lab, Nova, and a little gerbil named Chubz. Alicia has written two books and is in the process of writing a children’s book with her own two children. Alicia started at Applecross as a client and because of the care that was provided to her dog Nova by the staff and the Doctors it was a no brainer for her to work as a part of our team, I mean our Applecross Family.

Meghan joined the team at Applecross, as one of our receptionists, in November of 2018. She is an animal lover through and through and comes to us after an enjoyable career in ecotourism and wildlife viewing where she spent her days watching whales, pinnipeds, seabirds, and other marine wildlife. Meghan loves animals from wildlife, to livestock, and all the patients she is happy to take time out of her day to snuggle with here at the clinic. She is especially passionate about encouraging everyone to carefully balance the needs of their pets and those of our local wildlife.

When not at Applecross, Meghan is frequently found outdoors skiing, hiking, cycling, and keeping a keen eye out for birds and other wildlife. Her free time is mostly managed by her 7-year-old boxer, Cooper, who enjoys hiking, televised hockey games, and sleeping in sunbeams.

Bio and photo coming soon.

Bio and photo coming soon.

Born and raised in Nanaimo, Alissa had a career in retail management before starting at Applecross. After realizing she needed a change of pace, Alissa resigned from her previous job and took an extended trip abroad. After experiencing different countries where animals were not so fortunate, she realized her passion for animal health and welfare. Alissa returned to Canada and started as a receptionist with Applecross in 2015. From there she continued to further her knowledge of the veterinary field inside, and outside, of the practice. In the summer of 2018, Alissa became the practice manager. She loves the diversity of the job and the lasting relationships that are created with the clients and patients.

Alissa is owned by her energetic chocolate lab Gibson, who loves eating, slobbery kisses, and running around in the great outdoors. Gibson is owned by Alissa’s black kitty Mowgli, who loves to boss Gibson around.

Toni has been part of the Applecross team since 2012. Born and raised on the Mainland, she met her husband on the Island and subsequently moved here to start a family with him. With her three little boys, two dogs and a cat, Toni is kept quite busy. She says her break from the chaos at home is coming to work here with us! When she gets down time, Toni enjoys reading, cross-stitching, gardening and spending time with her little dudes.