A Culture of Passion

Matt Van Winkle, DVM

Veterinary Medical Director

Dr. Matt Van Winkle has been practicing veterinary medicine in the Skagit Valley from 2016 until joining Village Vets in November 2020. Originally a Californian, he completed his undergraduate degree in Genetics at UC Davis before moving to the Pacific Northwest for the cooler weather and green outdoors. He attended Washington State University for his DVM.

Dr. Matt was a big fan of all pets, from cats and dogs all the way to exotic animal medicine and is dedicated to the dynamic bond between people and their pets. Dr. Matt enjoys camping and all forms of outdoor activities. He is an avid movie watcher and enjoys any catchy pop-culture reference. His wife and him share their home with a bird, two reptiles, four spoiled cats, and a dog. Matt is happy to help wherever he can. Please come down and say hi; he would love to meet you!

Gwyn Potter, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Gwyn Potter (they/he) has been an Associate Veterinarian at Village Veterinary Hospital since July 2025, seeing cats, dogs, and exotic animals of all kinds. Dr. Potter graduated from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and has a special interest in pain management, surgery, and exotic animal medicine. They truly enjoy building trust with pet parents and formulating tailored, detailed plans for each patient. They are a Fear Free Certified Practitioner and prioritize patient comfort and wellbeing. Dr. Potter is a lifelong equestrian and has two horses in Bellingham, Argo (26 year old Mustang) and Roadie (16 year old Thoroughbred). They are also have two cats, Snippy and Obi! They enjoy hiking, camping, and nerdy activities of all types.

Callie Foote, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Foote grew up in Bellingham, WA, and has always had a passion for helping animals. She graduated with a degree in biology from Western Washington University in 2013 and obtained her veterinary degree from Washington State University in 2021. Dr. Foote joined the Village Vet team in the summer of 2021 after graduation and was very excited to return to her hometown. Her special interests are heart disease, taking care of senior pets, and internal medicine. Dr. Foote loves helping the community wants to continue to learn and improve her medicine.

She shares her home with many animals: Sophie, a 12 year old terrier mix; 2 snakes (Archimedes the ball python and Forrest the Hognose); Remy, a 6 year old cat; Bowie and Pirate, two 4 year old Sphynxes; and Juno, a 2 year old cat and the baby of the group. In her free time, Dr. Foote enjoys taking Sophie for walks, painting, baking (her specialties are chocolate cream pie and lemon bars), and watching musicals.

Allyson Ripley, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Allyson Ripley has been practicing since 2015, originally from Virginia where she completed both her undergraduate degree in Biology and Animal Science and Veterinary degree at Virginia Tech. She started her veterinary career in equine reproduction, living all over the country and in the UK following the horses. After a brief career change, she settled in Bellingham in 2020, attracted to the area’s beautiful outdoors.
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Dr. Ripley’s small animal interests include reproduction, behavior, and exploring deeper into sport/working dog medicine. In her free time, Dr. Ripley enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, and training with her dog Huck as a tracking/trailing Search and Rescue dog team. If there is any time left in the day after all of those outdoor activities, she also enjoys painting, drawing, and cuddling her two kittens Cheeto and Chickpea. Please come by and meet Dr. Ripley, she would love to talk to you about all things dog and cat!

Niko Baron, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Niko is originally from Denmark, where her family still resides. She first discovered her passion for animals while working on a dairy in Israel following high school, and further confirmed her passion while serving as a combat soldier in the K9 unit with her bomb sniffing dog, Kita. She decided to move stateside to begin her education at Cleveland State University in 2015. She obtained her undergraduate degree in biology in 2019. With her background in biology and passion for working with animals, she was set on her pursuit of veterinary medicine. She attended The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in May 2023. During vet school, Dr. Niko decided she wanted to migrate further West, and, while spending two weeks in Whatcom County, she fell in love with it. In Dr. Niko’s free time, she enjoys the great outdoors, audiobooks, and lifting weights at the gym. Her favorite thing to do is spending time with her partner, Blake, and their two dogs, Dylan and Ellie.

Cassna LaCount

Hospital Director

Bio coming soon!

Dolores Kuiper

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Dolores has been an LVT for over 30 years, specializing in hospice and end of life care. Dolores has a passion for providing comfort and support to families and patients in their final days. She has extensive experience in creating the highest standard of care for the final days with our beloved pets. While Dolores doesn’t currently have pets, she would describe herself as a cat aficionado. Dolores is very well versed in handling anxious or scared animals, especially our feline friends. Her passion derives in providing the highest quality of care, particularly for our senior patients. In her free time, Dolores enjoys spending time outdoors, particularly swimming (regardless of temperature)!

Ryan O’Leary

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Bio coming soon!

Josh

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Natalie

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Leander Webber

Veterinary Assistant

Lee (Leander) joined veterinary medicine after working in the pet food and agriculture industries, pursuing a lifelong goal of caring for animals in a clinical setting. As a queer, transgender person of color, Lee is deeply committed to serving our community and helping ensure the veterinary field is welcoming to people from all backgrounds. They’ve been part of the Village Vet team for nearly five years and have had the opportunity to work alongside multiple doctors while watching the practice grow and evolve for the better. A true jack-of-all-trades, Lee’s primary role is Veterinary Assistant, and they also support the team as a Surgical Assistant and Receptionist.

Lee especially loves working with nervous dogs and takes pride in helping both pets and people feel safe, supported, and cared for during appointments. They enjoy sharing practical training guidance and believe the bond between pets and their humans is vital—something they strive to honor in every interaction. In the future, Lee hopes to expand into large-animal work, including horses and cattle.

Outside of the clinic, Lee loves being outdoors—hiking, foraging, and exploring botany (and any fun oddities along the way). They also have a special interest in cleaning and preserving bones. At home, Lee has a cat named Huckleberry (“Huck”), a sweet, chaotic two-year-old domestic longhair who suits them perfectly, plus two roommate cats in the mix. You’ll often find Lee at a coffee shop or out in nature—and they always welcome a friendly hello if you spot them outside the office.

Annie Muller

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Brontë Schmidt-Wells

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Alyssa Meister

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Emily Gross

Customer Service Representative

Bio coming soon!

Heather Burford

Customer Service Representative

Another familiar face, Heather has been a lifetime resident of Whatcom County. She was raised to approach life logically, using diplomacy and a calm demeanor, and she brings this same approach at Village every day. She is also a very proud generation X member and will gladly bridge the gap between the younger and older generations.

Heather has lived in Whatcom County for most of her life. She worked in the human health field for many years before taking her love for pets, and her excellent communication skills, and came to Village Veterinary Hospital for the past 6+ years.

Heather shares her home with a host of furry pets. These include Nani, a 17-year-old cat, Shadow, a 16-year-old cat, Koda, a 11-year-old cat, Calcifer, a 5-year-old cat, and Tank, the baby kitty of the family but also 5 years old.

Outside of work, Heather enjoys spending time visiting and camping with the grandchildren, collects unique cookie cutters, and spending all the rainy days cuddling with her kitties.

Karen Jans

Customer Service Representative

Bio coming soon!

Grace

Customer Service Representative

Grace has been working as a customer service representative at Village since 2024. She grew up in the Bellingham area but has spent the past few years working in Puerto Rico. Living there, she discovered her passion for working with animals–especially those in need of medical attention. Ella habla español por si lo prefieran!

She finds fulfillment in advocating for the needs of pets and their owners. She thrives on creating resolution for stressful conflicts and issues; making your pets happy is her joy.

Grace loves dogs and has two German Shepards, Kenai and Denali. When she’s not working or studying, she can be found stomping through the woods, knitting, or talking on the phone to her overseas husband . Grace’s favorite thing about working at Village is Heather, her cohort at reception.

Jonnica Royal

Shift Lead

Originally from Seattle, Jonnica is a proud member of the Duwamish Tribe. Between creating cedar bark weaving, intricate beadwork, and annual tribal canoe journey, Jonnica enjoys immersing herself in the indigenous cultures of the pacific northwest.

Jonnica found her love of animal care as a teen and attended Shoreline Community College and Montana State University to study equine science. She started her veterinary career at Madison Street Animal Hospital–a sister clinic of Village Veterinary Hospital. She aspires to manage her own clinic one day with her passion for leadership and teambuilding.

In her free time, Jonnica gets harassed and harangued by her two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Josie and Oliver. Josie works diligently at Village Veterinary Hospital to provide morale and snuggles to staff and clients alike.

[Employee 18 Name]

[Employee 18 Title]

Bio coming soon!

[Employee 19 Name]

[Employee 19 Title]

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[Employee 20 Name]

[Employee 20 Title]

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