Our Team
Dr. Ash Mills
DVM, CHIEF OF VETERINARY STAFF
Dr. Mills graduated from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and came to work for our hospital right after school. He belongs to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Montgomery County Veterinary Medical Association. He enjoys all aspects of the job, but has special interests in internal medicine (especially kidney and endocrine disorders), dentistry, and exotic animal medicine.
When not at work, Dr. Mills enjoys traveling, video games, and spending time with his fiancé and their furry/scaly children.
Professional Memberships:
American Veterinary Medical Association
Texas Veterinary Medical Association
Dr. Neal M. Bernstein
DVM
Dr. Bernstein has been on staff at our hospital since 1998. He Graduated from Purdue in 1980 and received the Senior Award for outstanding small animal surgery & medicine 1980.
Professional Memberships:
Harris County Veterinary Medical Association
Montgomery County Veterinary Medical Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
Honor Roll Member in the American Veterinary Medical Association
Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Fridays starting at 7:00am – last appointment 2:30pm
Dr. Emily Flores
DVM
Dr. Emily Flores was born and raised in Northwest Houston. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University in 2017. Dr. Flores graduated with honors from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2024.
Her professional interests include dentistry, cardiology, internal medicine, and exotic animal medicine. In her free time, she enjoys reading and crocheting blankets, tapestries, and costumes for her pets. She shares her home with a hedgehog, Taro, and two dogs, Addie and Lucky.
Dr. Sarah Goodyear
DVM
Dr. Goodyear practices small animal medicine and surgery with a strong interest in reptile and small mammal exotics. She received her Bachelors of Animal Science in 1995 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She’s been practicing at our hospital and living in the Houston area with her husband, dogs, horses, ferrets, and hedgehogs since 2002. Also an avid equestrian, she regularly competes her two horses, in the sport of Three-Day Eventing. Other hobbies include contra dancing and scrapbooking.
Professional Memberships:
The American Veterinary Medical Association
The Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
The American Animal Hospital Association
Dr. Amelia Looper
DVM
Dr. Looper was born and raised in southeast Houston. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2013, and again from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018. She is proud to be Fear Free Certified and has a passion for animal behavior and training. Her other interests include dermatology, internal medicine, and outstanding senior care for pets.
She shares her home with two very talented mixed breed dogs (Banjo and Juliet) and adventurous young cat (Quinn). She and her husband are avid birders and overall outdoors people. She is most likely to be found reading or working in the garden.
Dr. Danielle Swartz
DVM
Dr. Danielle Swartz is originally from Cinicinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine. She is passionate about ultrasonography, dentistry, and general wellness for her patients. She and her husband love hiking with their two dogs Guinness and Ramsay, and re-watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with their three cats Alfred, Neville, and Violet. She also loves food and cannot wait to take advantage of the excellent Houston restaurants.
K. Shaw MBA, RVT (OK), LVT (TX), CVBL
Hospital Administrator
K. has been in the veterinary field for over 20 years, starting in kennels in her hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. Throughout her career, she has worked in various aspects of veterinary medicine. She is both a Registered Veterinary Technician in Oklahoma and Licensed Veterinary Technician in Texas. Additionally, she is a Certified Veterinary Business Leader, and holds certifications in Fear Free and Recover CPR. K. is also pursuing certifications in the Animal-Human Bond and LEAN/Six Sigma Black Belt in Healthcare.
K. attended Oklahoma State University, where she earned two Associate of Applied Science degrees, one in Accounting and another in Veterinary Technology. Then, as a 4th generation Sooner, earned her BS in Interdisciplinary Studies of Medical Management from the University of Oklahoma. Most recently, she earned her MBA from Texas A&M University, joining the ranks of the Fightin’ Texas Aggies.
Outside of work, K. is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and serves as the Advancement Chair of her son’s Cub Scout Pack. She resides here in The Woodlands with her husband, Kenneth, their son, Cormac Angus, and their daughter, Charlotte Lorelei. The family is completed by two Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mixes, Finlaggan and Skye.
Karla Thompson
Assistant Hospital Administrator
Karla has been with VMV since August 2000. She enjoys taking care of her horse Suzy, making crafts and being outdoors. Karla is a fan of NASCAR and her favorite driver was Tony Stewart. She is great at making the machines work around our hospital, most of the time all she has to do is look at them and they start working.
April Hill
Head Technician
April has been an LVT since completing the Veterinary technology program at Lonestar college in 2004. She first began working at VMC Woodlands in August 2002. She and her husband, Richard have two children, Ruby and Ira. April loves working with all types of animals. Her favorite breed is the Australian cattle dog.
Shirley Cusack
LVT
Shirley received a BBA in accounting from University of Texas, followed by an MBA at University of Houston, to be followed by an AAS in the veterinary field to become a licensed veterinary technician.
She is passionate about animal rescue and is often fostering kittens in her free time. She loves live theater, cruising, and travelling when she’s not busy with fosters at home!
Shirley’s proudest achievement is for her work on the advisory board for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, where she fought for the county to embrace and fund a trap, neuter, return (TNR) program for community cats. Amazing advocacy for animals, and for a cat-lover, this is no surprise!
Shi LaHair
Lead Technician
Shi is our shift lead Technician for the evening crew. He is currently studying Veterinary Technology at Penn-Foster to become a licensed technician; he loves all animals including exotics. When not working Shi likes to spend time with his family. His perfect day would be 67 degrees, raining, in a cuddle-pile with his animals and family, watching Harry Potter movies with great snacks and no worries about what needs to be done later.
Claudette McIntosh
Technician
Claudette has done amazing work since she has started with us and we are so, so grateful for for her knowledge, experience, and her positive attitude! Claudette has been a veterinary assistant certified since 2008 and has a BA in criminal justice.
She is most passionate about client education – the more we talk to the owners, the better pet parents they become. Her perfect work day is having a full schedule with a variety of appointments and running them efficiently with the team.
In her free time, Claudette likes to roller skate and do her nails. We didn’t ask, but it is safe to wonder if she’s ever done both at once. No one here would be surprised if she could, considering how well she multi-tasks on the job! Her three sons are her greatest achievements and she says “They’re phenomenal humans – I did that!”
Kasey Brown
Technician Assistant
If you’ve ever boarded an animal with us, you might’ve met Kasey, as she was formerly a kennel tech (and she still helps out sometimes!) but she is one of our wonderful veterinary technician assistants, and every day she’s here is a day of smiles! Kasey is a passionate equestrian and is on the All Around Cowgirls rodeo drill team. Her perfect day, of course, would be riding horses somewhere she’s never been – somewhere exciting and beautiful! In her free time, and at this point it shouldn’t surprise you, but… She likes riding! As far as achievements go, Kasey says getting married to the love of her life and ponying up to buy her own horse are her two greatest so far. Kasey has a hidden talent for signing, and she can stand on a horse while the horse is running!
Alicia Popp
Technician
Alicia is an amazing multi tasker – she can tech rooms and surgery, run the kennels, and hold down the front desk phones and check-ins-and-outs like a champ! When Alicia’s in, the day’s filled with laughs and hard work, and we couldn’t appreciate her more. In her free time, Alicia likes gardening, painting and art, and watching those feel-good movies on the Hallmark channel. According to Alicia, her secret talent is a backflip.
Kayci Atkinson
Technician/Groomer
Kayci is passionate about furthering her education in the veterinary medicine field. She wants to learn to help with all types of animals, equine especially! In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family outside, riding horses, and playing with her pet pig and dogs. As far as achivements go, we could probably brag about Kayci forever, but in her eyes her two biggest ones with work are becoming an established special needs groomer and becoming a surgery technician.
Krystle Reed
Lead Surgery Technician
Krystle has been working in the veterinary field for 18 years as an on-the-job trained technician and has been with VMC for almost 10 of those years. She graduated from the Distance Education Veterinary Technician Program at Cedar Valley College, then became an LVT in April 2023. Krystle loves working with all animals, especially exotics, and would like to eventually work in zoo medicine.
Jessica Stringer
Technician
Jessica is a vital part of our team and has been with The Veterinary medical Center of The Woodlands since May 2000. Jessica’s perfect work day would be a day in which she can deliver the best, quality care to her patients without any rush. That’s a dream we can all get behind! In her spare time, Jessica likes spending time with her family and friends, when she’s not working on one of her many art hobbies.
