The staff at Circle of Life Animal Hospital is made of dedicated animal lovers who care for your pets as if they were our own! We invite you to meet our veterinary hospital team below:
Stacy joined the Circle of Life team as Practice Manager in February 2021! She has worked in the veterinary field since 1994 and has experience in nearly every aspect of an animal hospital, including general practice, emergency, and critical care.
As a practice manager, Stacy is always looking for continued education opportunities for her staff because she loves to watch her team learn new skills! When she is in Vet tech mode, she has a passion for patient care and surgery (with special interests in internal medicine and orthopedic patients).
Outside of work, she loves to spend quality time with her family (especially her two grandchildren). If the family isn't over then she's working in the yard with her very patient husband of 30 years and enjoying time outside. Her very patient husband of 30 years understands Stacy's need to bring home any and all strays or orphans that may need her!
Brenda has been in the veterinary field for more than 20 years! She's been on the Circle of Life team since the very beginning, helping in all aspects of building and advancing COLAH for over 15 years.
Brenda loves being one of the first friendly faces that you see, along with Ms. Mary, her Jack Russell!
Sylvia’s background includes a degree in childcare management, but it was her deep love for animals that led her to use her skill in the veterinary field. She finds her career to be most rewarding, particularly the connection and bond shared between owners and pets, taking her role in strengthening that bond seriously. You can regularly hear her laughing and interacting upfront with all our clients!
She is married to Eric Miller and has two beautiful children and two wonderful stepchildren. Her four-legged children include a Pitbull, Gaia; a Boston-Terrier, Maynard; and a Chihuahua, Maya. She loves being with her family and is proud to be a wife and mother. When she’s not at the hospital, you can find her enjoying the outdoors, whether at the beach, by the pool, in parks, or traveling.
Melissa has been a Credentialed Veterinary Technician at Circle of Life Animal Hospital since 1999. She's been in the veterinary field for over 30 years, and may be a very familiar face for some of you as she is also on staff at Blue Pearl Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Tampa where she is a Level 3 Technician with the Emergency Service!
Her foot in the field began when she graduated with Honors from St Petersburg College in 1991 with an Associate in Science degree in Veterinary Technology, now known as the Veterinary Nursing Program. Upon passing the Veterinary Technician National and State Board Exams in 1991 she became a Credentialed Veterinary Technician! She has maintained her credentials each year by attending national veterinary conferences and symposiums, as well as attending many webinars.
Melissa excels in pet anesthesia and dentistry and has a special interest in pain management, emergency medicine, and preventive care. As one of COLAH'a Critical Care Coordinators, she leads our technicians' advanced dental training. She's also been instrumental in developing our state-of-the-art in-house laboratory and advocating for advances in pain management and nursing care of our patients.
Her pets include Noodle, a miniature Dachshund; Petunia, a pug mix; Popit, a Yorkie poo; Butternut, a pygmy goat; and Squash, a pygmy goat. Melissa is married with 2 children. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys scuba diving, underwater photography, along with kayaking and wildlife observation.
Lisa has been a veterinary technician since 1981 and a Registered Veterinary Nurse since 1983. She is also our hospital’s Nursing Care Coordinator, Medical Director, and technical “cat whisperer!” Lisa’s patience is what drives her superpowers of being able to calm, medicate, and pull blood from unwilling cats. She was nominated for Technician of the Year and was on the cover of Veterinary Technician Magazine in January 1995.
She enjoys giving attentive nursing care to our hospitalized patients so that they may get better quickly, and she also loves being able to assure owners that their pets are receiving the best care that can be provided.
Lisa has a son who is an Eagle Scout and graduated from FSU with a master’s degree in accounting. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School. Her pets include Stitch, Chloe, and Pogo, three Chihuahua rescues. When she isn’t working, Lisa enjoys golfing, cruising, walking around flea markets, most pro sports, college football, and traveling.
Robert joined the team last year and has been growing with our Level Up program since. Though his degree in Business Management from Everest University suggests a different career path, Robert's inspiration to become a Veterinary Assistant started at the Tampa Bay Humane Society, as an intake coordinator!
He's a father of four amazing children who definitely keep him on his toes. At home, he has three furbabies, Chiqui a 5 yo Pomeranian, and 2 exotic mix Persians.
On the weekends, specifically on Sundays, you can find Robert volunteering at City Life Church in the kid's ministry as a Sunday school teacher MVP!
Isbi joined our team in April 2019. She graduated from Keiser University in October of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences, with magna cum laude honors. Isbi has been in the veterinary field for 6 years and has always had a strong interest in medicine. She loves working with all kinds of animals whether big or small, domestic or exotic. She also enjoys being a part of her patient’s medical journeys, whether for wellness care or a sick pet, and building great client relationships. Throughout her years in the veterinary field, she discovered she has a strong passion for anesthesia, with special interests in dentistry and orthopedic surgeries. In fact, she plans to go back to school to earn a Master of Science in anesthesiology at Nova Southeast University here in Tampa. Her goal is to become an anesthesiologist assistant. In addition to her veterinary schooling, she is currently enrolled in an online class to learn American Sign Language.
At home, Isbi has a rescued Golden Retriever/Cattle dog mix named Royalty aka “Cookie Dough.” She certainly lives up to her name! If she’s not in the clinic, you can always find Isbi by the water; she loves any outdoor water activity including jet-skiing, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, etc. She also loves movies, arcade games, baseball, volleyball, traveling, learning about different cultures, and spending time with her friends and family.
Born and raised in Lutz, Fl, Elise has had a passion for animals from the very young age of 3 years old ( this would be around the first time she snuck her first kitten into the house). Elise has been a veterinary assistant for 15 years! Even though she joined us recently, she's been a wonderful addition to our COLAH Family.
Elise has two wonderful daughters, Hannah and Aliyah. And a house full of fur babies! She has a Jack Russell mix, Toby, and two crazy Frenchies named, Sapphire and Reggie! Then there are her four friendly felines Piper, Freddie, Scooter, and Skylar. In her downtime, she enjoys cooking on the grill, family time on the lake, and cheerleading competitions with her two girls.
Maria is a current USF student, looking to become a certified animal physiotherapist! Her love for animals played a critical role in choosing a career, as some of her earliest memories include playing pretend and doctoring family pets with a bag full of toy instruments. Maria enjoys the time she spends with her patients as a veterinary assistant, whether that time is laser treatment or a vaccine visit!
When not at COLAH, Maria loves to read and spend time at the beach. Though, a combination of the two is one of her favorite pastimes! She's always ready for a Harry Potter book and movie marathon with Lilly, her Jack Russell. Her family dog, Lorenzo, is a golden retriever that lives with her parents.
