Meet our Team
We have a great staff of friendly faces here at the Animal Clinic of West Plains. We are here to serve you, so we want you to get to know us! Our team is a led by our owner and veterinarian, Eugene Ulmanis, DVM - known to most of us as simply "Doc". The support staff is made up of four Registered Veterinary Technicians, several Certified Veterinary Assistants, and additional customer service and animal care support staff.​​
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A veterinary hospital is a chaotic and exciting place that requires a lot of energy, love, and teamwork! Everyone on our staff fills an essential role that allows us to keep the clinic running smoothly and your animals cared for in the best way we can.
Gene Ulmanis, DVM​​
Owner and Veterinarian
Emily
Practice Manager
Dr. Ulmanis has been loving his life as a veterinarian since his graduation from Michigan State University in 1976. He practiced in Michigan and Illinois until 1993, when he moved to Missouri and purchased the Animal Clinic of West Plains. He has been here ever since.
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Doc also spends time working (and playing) in Alaska, where he is also a licensed vet.​ He is an active member of his church and in his spare time enjoys gardening, swimming, and spending time with his two Labrador retrievers, Gus and Judge.
Sarah, RVT
Registered Veterinary Technician
Registered Veterinary Technician
Sarah was born in Salem, Arkansas and moved to West Plains with her family as a young child. She graduated from Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri earning an Associates of Science in Veterinary Technology.
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She is now a Registered Veterinary Technician and has worked at the Clinic since early 2006. On her off time, she loves spending time with her horses and cats and attending any equine related activity. She is an excellent artist who loves to paint and draw. She is also an avid hunter during deer and turkey season.
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Kasey
Client Services / Tech Assistant
Certified Vet Assistant / Client Services
Kasey joined the Animal Clinic team in 2017. This is her first experience in a veterinary setting, but she is no stranger to animals, having grown up on a farm and previously working at a local pet store. Kasey was born and raised in West Plains and always knew she wanted to work with animals!
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When she is not working with us, she is spending time with her husband and son. She is active in her local church, and loves singing with her husband.
Jamaica, RVT
Registered Veterinary Technician
Jamaica joined the clinic's technical team in September of 2014. She graduated from Crowder College's Veterinary Technician program in May, 2014. She is originally from the Eminence area, and moved back to the area after graduation in order to be closer to her family.
During her few free hours of time (when she isn't at one of her jobs), she enjoys riding her horses and relaxing with her dogs. She also loves kayaking, or just about any outdoor activity.
Kasey Trantham
Addi
Client Services / Tech Assistant
Addi was born and raised in New Mexico, but moved to Missouri to attend the University of Missouri. While at Mizzou, she obtained her bachelor's degree in animal science with an emphasis in pre-veterinary medicine and a minor in multicultural studies. She joined the clinic in 2021 and is now working towards her dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
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Addi has had many unique animal experiences, from researching wild elephants in Thailand to working as an animal specialist at a zoo camp. When she is not working, Addi enjoys traveling and being in the outdoors with her soon-to-be husband. Some of their favorite activities include scuba diving, snowboarding, and kayaking.
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Jamie Lynn
Animal Care Assistant
Jamie Lynn has been a part of the clinic on and off since 2006, filling a number of different roles. She is currently working part-time as an animal care assistant.
Lisa
Pet Groomer
Emily has been with the clinic since 2006, when she joined the team after graduating from university. She started working as an animal care assistant, and has over the years worked every position in the clinic (except Doc's, of course!). She has been the manager since 2010.
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Emily grew up in countries all over the world, but has since settled in Missouri and now calls it home. She enjoys working in veterinary medicine and loves the role she now gets to play at the clinic. When not working, she loves to cook, travel, relax with her old dogs, and spend time with her husband and daughters anywhere outdoors (especially if it is near water!).
Katie, RVT​
Registered Veterinary Technician
Registered Veterinary Technician
​Katie was born and raised in Eminence, Missouri. She attended the Vet Tech Institute at Hickey College in St. Louis, Missouri where she earned her Specialized Associates in Veterinary Technology in June 2011. She is our second "Katie" on staff, and is sometimes called K-Two to avoid confusion!
Katie has been working here at the clinic since August 2011. On her time off, she loves to spend time at the river and with her mischievous cats, Sheldon and Stewie.
Laurel
Client Services / Tech Assistant
Certified Vet Assistant / Animal Care
Laurel joined us at the clinic in late 2014, and while this is her first experience working in veterinary medicine, she is no stranger to animal care. She has worked on farms and has her own dogs, cats, and chickens to care for.
Originally from Ohio, she has been in the West Plains area for quite a few years. When not working, Laurel enjoys spending time with her cat Peaches or her chickens. Laurel enjoys traveling, taking photos, and anything outdoors!
Registered Veterinary Technician
Micka, RVT
Micka originally joined our clinic staff in 2013, and recently came back to work for us part time after several years staying home with her two young sons.
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Micka is an experienced technician who loves her many horses, her dogs, and spending time with her family.
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Kayce
Client Services / Tech Assistant
Kayce is originally from Florida, but moved to Missouri when she was a child and have lived here ever since. Kayce joined our team in 2021, and this is her first experience working in an animal care setting, something she has always wanted to do.
Kayce has 2 cats, 14 year old Mocha, and 8 month old Oliver. In her free time she works at her other job, caring for mentally disabled individuals who are very important to her. This is something she have done for the past 5 years. She also spend a lot of my free time working on her “small business” making car air fresheners and keychains.
Morgan Phipps
Lisa Jones
Hope
Client Services / Tech Assistant
Hope just recently moved to Missouri, having spent the first part of her life in Wyoming on a sheep and cattle ranch. Hope brings to the clinic a love of show pigs - her favorite animals! She is joining us as one of the faces at the front desk, as well as an assistant to our technicians and veterinarian.
Lisa is originally from California, but lived all over the United States before settling in Missouri to raise her daughters away from city life. She has been working with animals since she was 23, and has worked as both a veterinary technician and a groomer (and sometimes both!) for years. While not working in the animal field, Lisa has spent her free time showing dogs, training dogs, and volunteering at animal shelters.
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Lisa also spends a large amount of her free time doing wildlife rehabilitation and always has a wide variety of wild animals at her home. You never know what she might bring in to the clinic! Lisa joined our team in 2012 and can do just about any haircut or style you might want for your dog, and even does cats!