Meet our Team

Megan Bauer, DVM (she/her)

Medical Director/Co-Owner

Dr. Megan is our medical director as well as co-owner of Latah Creek Animal Hospital. She grew up in North Carolina and moved to Spokane after high school. She attended Eastern Washington University for her undergraduate degree, taught English in France for one year, then returned to the area to attend veterinary school at Washington State University (Go Cougs!!!).

Dr. Megan graduated in 2015 and started working as a veterinarian here at Latah Creek Animal Hospital, then bought the practice from her dad in 2017. Dr. Megan is passionate about animal behavior and internal medicine and also has a special interest in feline medicine.

Dr. Megan has two dogs: a Miniature Poodle named Remy Pierre and a Poodle/Chihuahua mix named Oliver Elvis. Oliver is a Pawsitive Dog Prison Program graduate! She also has two cats, Trixie and Chandler, who think they are the bosses of the house!

​In her free time, Dr. Megan enjoys training and competing with her dogs. Remy has been doing agility since he was a puppy and has many titles to show for it! Oliver recently started doing nose work and is really enjoying it so far. You can also find her camping and out on her 4 wheeler during the summer.

Jessica, CVPM (she/her)

Hospital Manager/Co-Owner

Jessica has been the hospital manager here at Latah Creek Animal Hospital since January 2020. She became partners in the clinic with Dr. Megan in April 2021. She is very excited at the endless potential Latah Creek Animal Hospital has and looks forward to the future.

​Jessica entered the veterinary field in 2003 as an assistant and receptionist, then grew into the hospital manager role. Her career as a hospital manager began in 2010. She completed her bachelor’s degree in HR management at EWU, then pursued her certification in veterinary hospital management. Completing her certified veterinary practice managers certification (CVPM) in 2016. She was the first CVPM in Spokane and one of less than 600 total CVPM’s.

Jessica is very passionate about the veterinary field. She enjoys meeting clients and patients. And she loves being a part of keeping your four-legged family members healthy. She also loves that she gets to help team members grow and be successful while also helping the hospital grow.
​
Jessica shares her home with her husband, three kids, a Great Dane named Liberty, a Golden Retriever named Dash, and two kitties, Gus, and Rocco Wilson. In her spare time, she enjoys playing soccer with and against her husband. You can also find her camping and riding dirt bikes with her family.

Tara Powers, DVM (she/her)

Veterinarian

Dr. Tara is an associate veterinarian here at Latah Creek Animal Hospital. She graduated from WSU in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Zoology. From there, she went to St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies for veterinary school, completed her clinical year at WSU and graduated in 2022.

Dr. Tara joined our team in March of 2023, after working a few months at another clinic after graduation. She is grateful for the mentoring and guidance she is receiving from Dr. Megan and other team members and is looking forward to the opportunity to care for patients and build long-lasting relationships. She is proud of being fear free certified and wants her patients to have a positive experience and to be happy to see her each time they come in.

Interestingly, Dr. Tara comes from a family of ‘rocket scientists’. Her grandfather was the very first physicist to examine moon rocks retrieved from the Apollo 11 Space Mission under a scanning electron microscope and years later, he founded an electronics testing laboratory that is still thriving today. Her father and two uncles took over the business and expanded their aerospace work to include testing components for the International Space Station.

Dr. Tara married her high school sweetheart, CJ, in 2011 and together they are parents of Static, a mixed breed pup (who got his name from CJ, an electrical engineer); Ludwig, a mini dachshund and Moria, a sphynx cat who thinks she rules the house.

In her spare time, Dr. Tara enjoys hiking, camping, bike riding, PC gaming, reading, and restoring old family photo albums. She’s also been told that she has a “green thumb” and enjoys growing a large variety of exotic and tropical plants in her house as well as maintaining a large yard and garden.

Elizabeth, LVT (she/her)

Lead Veterinary Technician

Elizabeth joined our team in December 2020 as a veterinary technician. She graduated with high honors from Eastern Wyoming college in 2018 with her degree in veterinary technology. Her favorite part about veterinary medicine is working with clients to educate the public to help improve the lives of patients. Her favorite part about fear-free is that it allows for much more positive experiences. She also really enjoys getting puppies off on the right foot with proper education.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Wyoming and moved to the beautiful state of Washington in 2010. She now lives outside of Cheney with her husband on a working cattle ranch. They have a 4 year old heeler named Tank, 3 cats, 2 horses, a foal expected in the summer, chickens, and plan to add a border collie to their home this spring. In her free time, Elizabeth can be found working on the family ranch, camping, horseback riding, and snowboarding.

She looks forward to meeting you and your fur family.

Courtney, LVT (she/her)

Veterinary Technician

Courtney joined our team in January 2023 as a veterinary technician. Her schooling includes a bachelor’s in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University and she received her LVT from the Vet Tech Institute, Pennsylvania in 2016.

Courtney’s favorite part about the veterinary field is being able to see the bond a pet has with its owner. It means a lot to her when an owner trusts the clinic with their family pet and we get to watch them grow and be part of their lives.

Fear free is very important to Courtney and she loves the bond it allows us to create with the pets. It is a bond that comes from trust and that is very important. It’s also nice to always be known as the treat lady and have pets excited to see you.

Courtney Moved to Washington in the winter of 2022 with her boyfriend Dan, their dog Winston and their cat Wally. They are teaching Wally cooperative care so that in the future if he needs medications or treatments he will approve of having them done if he is on his mat. In her spare, time she enjoys reading during rainy and cold winter months and exploring the outdoors in the warmer months. Hiking and seeing new places in one of her favorite things.

Aliesa (she/her)

Lead Veterinary Assistant

Veterinary Technician Student

Aliesa joined our team in October 2021. She comes to us with a couple years of experience in the veterinary industry and she has a bachelors in biology from Idaho State University. We are very excited that she has chosen to join the Latah Creek team.
Aliesa’s favorite part about working in the veterinary field is that she gets to build relationships with both the pets and clients. She is also fear free certified and is excited to utilize the skills that she has learned. She likes the gentle, compassionate approach that fear free allows her to take with all the animals that come to the clinic.

Aliesa’s family consists of her husband Paul and the dogs, Louie, a brazilian mastiff, Xander, a bluetick coonhound, and Winston, a german shorthair pointer. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dogs hiking, biking, swimming, running, and camping. She also enjoys triathlons.

Emily, LVT (she/her)

Veterinary Technician

Emily joined our team in January of 2023. She comes to us from Utah, where she became an LVT. In order to gain more experience. Emily also graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s in Wildlife Conservation in 2017.
Emily has been in the vet field since about 2018. Her favorite part about veterinary medicine is creating relationships with clients and their pets and helping them live their best and healthiest lives.

Emily’s favorite part about being fear free certified and working in a fear-free clinic is being able to provide a positive experience for pets and allow the to be willing participants in their own care.

Emily’s family consists of her husband, Branden, and their cat, Winky. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outside hiking and camping. She also enjoys reading and doing puzzles.

Bradyn (she/her)

Veterinary Assistant

Bradyn joined our team in March of 2022. She came to us with a year of experience and completed the Carrington Veterinary Assisting Program here in Spokane. Bradyn is excited to be a part of our team.

Bradyn is very passionate about working in the veterinary field. Her favorite part is meeting and building relationships with the clients and their pets. She is also very eager to continue her learning in the field. She has enjoyed becoming fear free certified and learning to better work with patients with high stress and anxiety.

Bradyn’s family includes her fiancé Tyler and their 2 dogs Sampson, a german shepherd, and Rajah, an australian shepherd. In her free time she enjoys anything outdoors, hiking, fishing, snowboarding, and camping. She is also an exceptional drawer and loves to paint.

Kayla, CCDT, PDT, PDT-G, CTDI, CCFC, Elite FFCAT, MAT, KPA-CTP
Member of APDT, PPG, LIMA Trainer, AKC Evaluator, Puppy Start Right Instructor(she/her)

Veterinary Assistant

Kayla joined our team in May of 2022 and comes to us with several years of experience. To start her career, she attended Animal Behavior College for Veterinary Assisting and graduated in 2016. While she loves working in the clinic, her true passion is canine training and behavior. She is a nationally certified dog trainer and behavior consultant with a specialty in aggression. She attended several different schools to get her certifications. Some include, CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, Absolute Dogs taught by Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Tom Mitchell, Master Aggression Course, and Karen Pryor.

Kayla’s favorite part of working in the veterinary field is building relationships with clients and their furry family members. She loves educating and making sure clients can live their best life with their animals. Of course, kitten and puppy snuggles don’t hurt. Kayla is also Fear Free Elite Certified and loves to make the vet experience less scary for the animals and less stress on their owners. Creating Positive experiences make such a huge difference and it’s amazing to be a part of that.

Kayla’s family consists of her 2 German Shepherds, Mar-Vell & Noh-Varr, and 2 cats, Danvers & Andromeda. Kayla also fosters German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, so her pack is always changing. Outside of work, Kayla spends all her time with her animals. When not training, she takes her dogs hiking, camping, backpacking, and paddle boarding.

Jess (she/her)

Veterinary Assistant

Jessica joined our team in August of 2022. She came to us with several years of experience in the veterinary field and we know she will be a great addition to our team. Jessica has spent some time at SCC but took a break to really think about what she wants to do in her future. She is very passionate about the veterinary field but is also interested in the area of horticulture.

Jessica’s favorite part of working in the veterinary field is the medical help she helps provide and the education contribution she makes to the care of the patients. As she is learning more about fear free, one of her favorite things is the confidence it gives her when handling and being around different pets.

Jessica’s family consists of her parents, her husband and a house cat named Samra. When she is not at work, you can find her gardening, reading, knitting/crocheting, as well as enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming and tennis.

Val (they/them)

Veterinary Assistant

Val joined our team in July of 2022. They came to us from Alabama (and more recently Colorado) where they worked in the veterinary field and completed their degree in biology and psychology at the University of Alabama. They took a couple years off from the veterinary field and are so excited to be back.

Val’s favorite part about working in the field is the interacting with animals and observing their behaviors and emotions. This is their first experience in a fear-free clinic, and they love having the ability to give patients the best form of treatment in a low-stress environment. They can see the difference fear-free makes when the patients’ feelings are taken into consideration.

Val’s family consists of their fiancé, Danny, a cat named Mack, a ball python named Phineas, a kingsnake named Zander, and lastly, a new puppy is joining the family in August of 2022. When Val is not at work, they enjoy walking their cat in a stroller, water activities, reading, playing board games and video games, as well as making art.

Jolene (She/Her)

Veterinary Assistant

Emma (She/Her)

Veterinary Assistant

Emma first joined our clinic in the summer of 2023 for her externship while at Carrington College for Veterinary Assistant. After graduation, she officially joined our team in August of 2023.

Emma’s favorite part about working at the clinic is, of course, seeing all of the patients but also learning about fear-free and providing a low-stress experience. She loves the little things we do to make a positive environment for our patients, like the calming music and use of pheromones.

Emma lives with her partner Austin, and together they have 2 cats, Peanut and Zelda. In her spare time, her and Austin like to play video games, and Emma enjoys candle-making and yoga as well.

Joshua (he/him)

Lead Client Care Representative

Josh joined our CCR team in November of 2021. He comes to us from a pediatrics office where he really enjoyed working with children but has decided his passion is with animals. But his constant is that he really enjoys working with the clients. We are thankful to have him on our team.

Josh is looking forward to serving our patients and clients as he truly loves all animals of all shapes, sizes, and breeds. We just introduced him to fear-free and he is very excited to get his certification and start utilizing low-stress techniques.

Josh is married to his amazing wife Kimberly and they have their fur baby Kaine who they love dearly. In his spare time, they enjoy camping, hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding, writing novels, sketching, and making music.

Erika (She/her)

Client Care Representative

Erika joined our team in January of 2023 as a client care coordinator. She comes to us with several years of experience in the field and we are so excited that she joined our team.

Erika’s favorite part about working in a vet clinic is making a difference in a client’s and animal’s life. Being able to see happy and healing pets is the biggest reward. She really loves fear-free and being able to provide a better veterinary clinic experience and the difference that also makes to the client and patient.

Erika’s family consists of her Boxer Teagan and her torti cat Adara. In her spare time, Erika joys the outdoors and taking advantage of the beautiful PNW. Hiking, Kayaking, and boating are among her favorites. She loves road trips and exploring new areas, especially small towns and waterfalls. She also loves the Seahawks!!

Amanda (She/her)

Client Care Representative

Ashley (she/her)

Client Care Representative/Veterinary Assistant

Ashley joined our team in April 2023 as a CCR. She has been in the field for several years and took care of many animals growing up. As she begins her journey here, she is looking to become a veterinary assistant to further her experience in the field.

Ashley enjoys building relationships with the clients and their pet’s. She also loves to learn about how best to take care of pets and their needs to give them a long life. She loves the fear free experience and being able to provide a positive experience for all animals and their owners. She is so happy to share her workdays with a team that has the same goals for our patients as she does. She enjoys being able to educate owners on the best way to keep their pets low stress and teach others about beneficial it is to their high stress pets.

Ashley shares her life with Kevin, a marketing director and creative video producer and editor. She has 2 very smart and busy teenagers, Taylor and Chloe. They share their home with a senior orange/white tabby Peavy, senior pitbull/Staffordshire Petunia and a pitbull mix named Bowser. In her off time, she enjoys the outdoors, tending to house plants and gardening. She likes spooky movies and watching many shows and films. She likes to travel to warm places and visiting with family in Arizona. She hopes to learn some Spanish in the next few years. She and her daughter like to go thrift shopping as well. But most of all, she enjoys watching her kids participate in sports like track and football while cheering them on.

Molly (She/her)

Client Care Coordinator

Molly joined the team at Latah Creek in September of 2022. She has been passionate about veterinary medicine since she was a kid. She attended Iowa State University with an undergraduate in Animal Science with a pre-vet emphasis. When vet school didn’t work out she became a licensed veterinary technician through Front Range Community College in Colorado graduating in 2008.

Molly worked as a nurse since then spending most of her career working in feline only practices. Seeking a career change, she is excited to focus her skills as a client care representative.

Molly loves meeting clients and their pets and was excited to learn about Fear Free and become Fear Free certified because such an emphasis was made on creating a positive experience for the animals at the vet clinic which can be such a scary environment for them.

Molly lives with her sassy cat Pikaki who definitely owns the house and spends most of her free time with her beautiful chestnut Thoroughbred horse named Remmy.

Flopsy

Resident Cat

Flopsy joined the Latah Creek team in 2010, and is the longest term team member here. She attended St. Meowy’s University and majored in feline behavior. She really enjoys being at the clinic and being able to greet all of the clients and patients. She is very social and sometimes invades personal space. She also enjoy that the humans here give her medications to help make her feel better and put they put her bandanna on every day so she looks cute.

Flopsy loves our fear free clinic. She likes that the waiting room doesn’t get very crowded because she likes to be able to sun bath at her leisure and sleep on the counter in peace. Her family is all of the team here at Latah Creek. In her free time she likes to sleep in her special bed, sun bath, eat (she really likes her food, sometimes we put her on diet because she likes it too much), playing for short periods of time before she gets tired and getting as much attention as she can from the team.