Our Team

Dr. Tonya Curtis

Practice Owner/Doctor

Welcome to PAHC! We are so happy you stopped by. Dr. Curtis came to Mt. Dora for the love of family and made the decision to build the practice in 2006. We have a combined 30 years of Veterinarian experience.

When asked about her profession, her response is as follows: “I am in the veterinary profession because I believe it has the heart of goodness in people and innocent creatures in the palm of its hand. The first veterinarian I worked with at the age of 19 was the most intelligent, compassionate person I had ever met, and that drove my influence and life’s work.”

“Palmetto is here because we have the skill, humanity, and visible passion to go above and beyond for the pets and the pet’s people (you). We are a partner, constantly learning, growing and adjusting to create a superior experience for our patients. Not just better, longer, and stronger, but making each day better for the patrons and the fur kids we treat.”

Dr. Curtis’ special interests include Endocrinology, Neurology, feline medicine, critical care medicine and a fear-free experience for all pets. She is a true “cat lady”, living with 5 adorable kitties, including two Maine Coon cats. She also shares a home with 4 Jack Russell Terriers.

Palmetto Animal Health Center is her passion. We welcome you and want to share health and healing with you.

Rachelle

Office Manager

Rachelle has been our Office Manager at Palmetto Animal Health Center since it opened in 2006. What a drastic change! She went from living in New York (brr) where she worked for many years for a plastic surgeon, to locate here in sunny Florida. With over 20 years in the medical profession, Rachelle is delighted to be part of such a wonderful hospital.  Rachelle enjoys many outdoor activities such as golfing, boating and playing tennis in the warm Florida sun. Rachelle also has an interest in cars; she truly loves cars. She resides here with her son and husband.

Jesse

Veterinary Technician

Jesse is our head veterinary technician as well as in charge of ordering/inventory here at PAHC. He has 12 years of experience as a Veterinary Technician in both emergency and small animal veterinary practices. He joined our team over 3 years ago when he and his wife moved form Louisville, KY. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Health from Murray State University, and is also certified for the K-Laser therapy, Fear Free and Oncura ultrasound. He completed a Leadership program at the University of Denver specifically geared towards people in the same industry. Growing up Jesse always knew he wanted to work with animals. He participated in 4-H and shadowed at several animal hospitals with the hopes of going to vet school. Those plans changed in college and instead decided to become a technician. Now he strives to continue the growth of PAHC for employees, clients, and most importantly the pets so their experience here can be as enjoyable as possible. In his free time, Jesse enjoys fishing, woodworking, and home brewing beer and wine. He and his wife have a chocolate lab named Kobe, two cats named Brat and Daisy, and a horse named Eeyore.

Kristen

Veterinary Technician

Kristen is a lead veterinary technician here at Palmetto. She has been an important member of our team for many years now. She graduated with an AS degree in Veterinary Technology in 2015. Kristen is a CVA as well as a CVT. Her other certifications include K-laser therapy and Fear Free Certified Professional. She is also well versed in our Nomad dental radiography equipment. Kristen keeps up with the latest advances in veterinary medicine by attending multiple continuing education seminars yearly. Born and raised in Florida Kristen can be found enjoying the outdoors. In her spare time, she enjoys being on the water kayaking or boating. She is also an avid equestrian and loves to compete in local barrel racing events and fun shows. Kristen shares her heart with a variety of animals which include her two dogs Harley and Tank, a cat named Paisley, two horses, named Devils Dance and Azure, two guinea pigs, and her flock of 7 chickens.

Sonya

Veterinary Technician

Sonya recently joined our team after she and her husband moved here from Georgia. She has been a veterinary technician for 20+ years. She is married and has two sons. Her family also includes lots of fur babies such as dogs, guinea pigs, a bird, a squirrel, and a pot-bellied pig. In her spare time Sonya likes to fish and loves going to Disney World.

Tiffany

Veterinary Technician

Tiffany joined our team a year ago as a patient care coordinator and has swiftly moved into a veterinary assistant role. She began her career as a kennel technician at boarding facilities that lead her to the path she desired to care for animals. She enjoys the complexity of emergency and critical care and is currently focusing on anesthesia and laboratory skills. She has quickly adapted to the fast-paced environment of being a technician and the variety of tasks that are performed with each patient. She enjoys making a positive difference in the lives of not only the animals but also the owners. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, and cooking.

Julien

Client Service Representative

As long as he can remember, Julien has had a great love and fascination for nature. Growing up, he knew that one day he’d work with animals. Julien’s first big chance to do just this came when he joined Palmetto in the Spring of 2018. What he loves best about working at Palmetto is being part of a team which shows exceptional care and passion for the care of animals. Julien graduated from Lake-Sumter State College with an Associate’s Degree in Health Sciences. Pursuing a career in Animation, Julien is currently working on completing a B.F.A in Emerging Media at University of Central Florida.

He and his family have a cat named Tyga and 2 budgies named Tiki and Rio. Julien enjoys building digital environments, traveling and playing his cello in his spare time.

Molly

Client Service Representative

Randi

Client Service Representative

Randi joined our team in 2011 after spending many weeks at our hospital with a very sick dog. She admired the compassion and dedication of the Doctors and staff and decided this was the animal hospital in which she would enjoy being a part of the team. She and her husband moved to Florida in 2008 with their 3 dogs and a cat. Since then her furry family has grown leaps and bounds. In her spare time, Randi enjoys riding her recumbent trike with her husband and dogs. She also loves visiting friends and family.

Brittany

Client Service Representative

Brittany’s love for animals is what drove her to join our team in 2017. After working at an equestrian barn in Apopka for three years, she was inspired to care for animals of all sizes. Palmetto has been her family’s primary veterinary clinic, even before becoming a member of the Palmetto team. She was moved by the overwhelming accommodation and kindness she and her pets were shown. Brittany is currently attending Lake-Sumter State College to complete her AA degree in Business Management and hopes to transfer to UCF for her Bachelor’s Degree. In her spare time, Brittany enjoys horses (specifically Dressage), fishing and spending time at the beach with her friends and family.

LeAnna

Client Service Representative

LeAnna has loved animals and everything about them since she can remember.  Something about their unconditional love has always been close to her heart. She started as a volunteer “Puppy Bather” and would bathe the puppies that were up for adoption so they could meet their prospective new owners.  What a joy it was to return the next week to see they had gone to their new homes and greet new faces waiting for a spa day!

LeAnna has worked in varying scopes of veterinary medicine for over 10 years and loves working at PAHC, where she can greet owners with a friendly smile.

Kye

Inventory

Kye feels right at home here at Palmetto, that’s because he is Dr. Curtis’s Nephew!   He might even look familiar to you or you remember seeing his little feet hanging around the Hospital over the years.  (Not so little anymore) We are super happy to have him working with us!  Kye is a Junior at Mount Dora Christian Academy where He is Captain of The MDCA Tennis team. On days there is no tennis, you will find him here helping out.  He is allergic to animals – yes that is true- but there is plenty of lab / inventory / office / computer work to keep him busy here.  We love the young generation,  they are computer savvy and pick up everything so fast.