meet the team!

Spay Neuter Clinic of the CarolinasVeterinary team

Meet the veterinary staff at Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas who will take care of your pet’s health needs.

our team
Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas

We look forward to meeting you.

Meet our veterinary team! We have a wide range of experience and expertise and are here to help.
Michelle Maalizadeh
Dr. Maalizadeh, Managing Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Michelle Maalizadeh graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 after completing her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Illinois. Dr. Maalizadeh spent the first 11 years of practice doing emergency medicine in California, Chicago, and North Carolina. Having moved to Charlotte in 1991, Dr. Maalizadeh has spent the last 21 years working in both private practice and a spay-neuter clinic and has performed over 50,000 spays and neuters since 2001. Dr. Maalizadeh has a daughter and a son in college. She also has an adorable cat named Ernie.

Oona Gayle
Dr. Gayle, VEterinarian

Dr. Oona S Gayle, DVM, was born in Jamaica, WI. At a very young age, she informed her family that she would be an Animal Doctor one day, which her family believed since she was frequently found with rabbits, cats, chickens, and dogs. At the age of 7, she moved to the United States of America. She obtained her BS in Laboratory Animal Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC, in May 1991. In 1996, she graduated from Tuskegee University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Gayle has practiced as an Associate, Relief Veterinarian, Public Health Veterinarian (FSIS), and practice owner. She enjoys soft tissue surgery and consultation on difficult cases with the immediate Board-Certified Veterinarians in and around the Charlotte area.

Lauren MacDonald
Dr. Gardner, veterinarian

Antonia Gardner grew up in northwest Florida, attending undergraduate school at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She graduated with her veterinary degree from the University of Florida in 2004, after which she completed a small animal/ exotic internship at Florida Veterinary Specialists and North Bay Animal Hospital. In 2005 she moved to SE Florida and began a diverse career, practicing small animal and emergency medicine, spay, and neuter of exotic pets, and becoming the medical director at the South Florida Wildlife Center. Besides her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Gardner enjoys research, lecturing, and mentoring veterinary students. In 2022, Dr. Gardner, husband Dr. Makowski, and son Cayeden were thrilled to move to Charlotte NC, to enjoy the beautiful scenery and seasons that North Carolina has to offer. They are looking forward to hiking, rafting, camping, and other outdoor activities. Dr. Gardner is a self-described “bird nerd”, and currently shares her home with two spoiled dogs, Wennie and Nugget, and a chunky, demanding guinea pig named G. Fluff. She is looking forward to serving Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolina’s clientele and learning more about the greater Charlotte area!

Tammy
Dr. Wilson, Veterinarian
Dr. Katie Wilson received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biology from The Ohio State University. She then moved south to attend Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Over the past 8 years, Dr. Wilson has provided care for both large and small animals in need through local humane societies, rescue organizations, and low-cost veterinary service groups. Dr. Wilson’s professional interests include general surgery and preventative medicine. She is Fear Free Certified and an AAFP Cat-Friendly Veterinarian. She believes in making every visit to the veterinarian as stress-free as possible for her canine and feline patients (as well as for the people who love and take care of them!). At this time, she has one very pampered and spoiled senior kitty (Pippen). She is excited to be in the Charlotte area, and she looks forward to meeting you and providing care for your furry companions!
Tammy
Dr. Carmichael, Veterinarian

Dr. Carmichael grew up in Tennessee and completed his veterinary training at the University of Tennessee after undergraduate training at Baylor University.  Before moving to Charlotte, he spent most of the last 15 years living and practicing in Wyoming. He is passionate about providing the best care for pets and working with owners to exceed expectations of care. Dr. Carmichael and his wife have a wild two year old son that entertains them constantly. They enjoy adventures in the woods and mountains, tennis, skiing, and biking to restaurants and breweries. Dr. Carmichael recently completed training for an additional career as a pharmacist and is excited about the opportunities that provides as well as how it intersects with veterinary medicine. 

Tammy
Tammy, Practice Manager

Tammy started working in a large and small animal veterinary practice in South Carolina in 1994. Since then, she has spent the past 27 years dedicated to nonprofit organizations in helping with fostering animals, finding pets their forever homes, and has been a strong force in helping to eliminate pet overpopulation and euthanasia.

Tammy has been instrumental in building, up-fitting, staffing, and opening other facilities in the area and has implemented and organized local low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinics for the public. Tammy also helps out with several local animal hospitals and rescue groups and had sat on a Charlotte area Board of Directors for a non-profit organization as their Treasurer for 4 years.

Tammy, Dr. Maalizadeh, and share the same passion when it comes to wanting to help families with their pets for a cost that can be affordable. Tammy and Dr. Maalizadeh have worked together since 1998 and share beliefs about animals and the care they should receive.

Tammy currently has two dogs and one cat. In her spare time, she enjoys motorcycle rides, singing, and watching her favorite college sports.

Sarah
Sarah, RVT

Sarah was born and raised in Iowa and is a graduate of the University of Iowa. In 1988 Sarah moved to North Carolina, where she raised two girls in Davidson. Her Registered Veterinary Technician degree was earned in 2011, the same year she helped Tammy and Dr. Maalizadeh open the Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas.

A horse farm in Concord, North Carolina, is where Sarah currently calls home. She has four horses that keep her busy and fill her heart with happiness.

Lauren MacDonald
Cris, Vet assistant

Cris was born and raised in California. After graduating from high school, she took a summer trip to North Carolina to visit her Aunt and has lived here ever since. Cris was about 6 years old when she discovered her passion for animals. She has been in the veterinary field since 1996 and is also a full-time pet sitter. During her spare time, she enjoys the comforts of home with her cats, Charlotte and Momma Kitty.

Tammy
Joy, vet assistant

Joy was born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina, with animals always by her side. This is where Joy found her passion for helping animals and people, leading to her stepping into the veterinary industry. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, being active, reading, and writing with her 4 cats and 1 dog always by her side.

Sarah
taylor, Vet assistant

Taylor McCoy is from Matthews, North Carolina. Ever since she was a child, she has had a soft spot for animals and wanted to care for them in some way. Taylor remembers pretending to be a Veterinarian and how it filled her with gratitude to work in the veterinary field and bond with various animals. Since then, Taylor has been working as a veterinary technician in general practice and dentistry specialty. She is excited to expand her knowledge to become a certified technician. Taylor has a pitbull mix named Meeka and a cane corso named Thanos. She enjoys going to the park, being positive, and spending time with loved ones.

Lauren MacDonald
Annie, Vet Assistant

Annie was born and raised in Charlotte and graduated from Olympic High School a year early, and moved to South Carolina with her family. Annie is the middle child out of three sisters and was always the one to ask for pets growing up.

“I feel my love for vet med started when I was fourteen years old, and my bloodhound had a vein puncture on her leg, and I was quick to stand by her and yell to my parents something was wrong.”

It was a long night for the family, but everything was ok, and she lived to be 15 years old. Annie finally made the step into vet med in 2020 and started school with Penn Foster to someday become an RVT. Annie started out as a receptionist at an Emergency Animal Clinic and is always looking to learn more about the health of all pets. Annie is a single mom, and her son loves what she does for work and is always asking to come to work with her. Together they currently have a 6-year-old border collie named Jack and recently a calico tabby named Lucy.

Courtney
Kaylee, Vet Assistant

Kaylee was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated in May 2022 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She was only 19 years old when she obtained her Bachelor’s degree. Even as a child, she always knew that she wanted to turn her love for animals into a career so she worked hard to graduate early and start working in this field as soon as possible. After graduating from UNC Charlotte, she interned at an exotic animal conservation center and became very interested in the medical aspect of caring for these animals. This is where she decided to turn her interest into a full-time career as a vet assistant. She grew up surrounded by animals and has ridden horses her entire life. She currently has a long-haired German Shepherd named Kelsey Mae, a Shih Tzu named Pebbles, and a tuxedo cat named Murphy. In her free time, she loves spending time with family, traveling to the beach, and going to the barn.

Courtney
Alyssa, Vet Assistant

I was born and raised in Peoria, IL. I have always loved animals since I was little, and seeing I was too young to work at eight years old, my sister and I started a pet-sitting business in our neighborhood, and I kept it going for over ten years, expanding to other surrounding areas. I was able to start my veterinary career in a clinic when I was 16 years old.

I have also lived in Youngstown, Ohio, where I worked as a vet assistant before moving to Monroe, North Carolina, where I plan on getting my veterinary technician degree.

In my free time, I enjoy making bread, organizing, riding horses, or doing anything else outdoors. I currently have one dog (German shepherd/sheltie mix) named Maya and a calico kitty named Hannah.

Tammy
Cara, Vet Assistant

Cara is 23 years old and born and raised in West Virginia. At the age of 19, she moved to N.C. with some friends and has loved it ever since! She has always had a dream of working with animals and as cliche as it may sound, her childhood dream was to become a veterinarian! Cara has two dogs, Freya a Shih-poo, and Chase a Pitbull mix. She also has three very naughty cats who get into everything! Cara enjoys hobbies of constantly doing something with her house plants, and gardening. She has also just recently has started as a tattoo artist. Cara is very excited to be able to take care of your fur-babies needs in any way she can!

Leah
Leah, Vet Assistant
Leah was born and raised in Oakboro, North Carolina, and continues to reside there with her husband, two dogs, and three cats. She began her journey in the veterinary industry four years ago as a kennel assistant and discovered her deep love and passion for caring for animals. Leah is currently pursuing her goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) through Penn Foster and is excited about her future in veterinary medicine.

In her free time, Leah enjoys spending time with friends and family, horseback riding, reading, and being outdoors.

Leah
Yazmine, Vet Assistant

Yazmine is from Fayetteville, NC, and moved to Charlotte 3 years ago to attend UNCC. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently working on her masters. Yazmine fell in love with working with animals a few years ago as a dog groomer and is excited to start her journey in veterinary medicine. In her spare time, Yazmine enjoys spending time with her boxer and crocheting.

Tammy
stephanie, Pharmacy Technician

Stephanie Hernandez was born in Los Angeles, California, but moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, with her mom and brother at the age of 12. Stephanie has been an animal lover since she was very little and has been working with animals in the veterinary environment as a receptionist for almost 3 years. Stephanie is bilingual and has 1 son named Anthony and 1 fur baby named Bruce. During her free time, Stephanie enjoys spending time at home with her family and, of course, Bruce!

Courtney
Courtney, CSR

Courtney was born in Columbus Mississippi and moved to South Carolina at 6 years of age and has been here ever since. Courtney is married with 2 children, Mason 4 and Maddilyn 2. When not working, she enjoys being outside, playing with her children, going on trips, hiking, and anything that has to do with water or plants. Courtney was around 7 years old when a dog was hit in the middle of the road, so went out to the road, picked up the injured dog, took him to the vet, and that’s when she discovered she wanted to help animals in need for the rest of her life. (She still has that dog she saved; his name is Drako.)

Sarah
caroline, csr

Caroline is married with 3 children, two sons and a daughter (and daughter-in-law), in addition to her furry family of three sweet kitties and one big loving dog. Caroline grew up in nearby Van Wyck, South Carolina, and went to the College of Charleston. After graduation from college, she began working at a veterinary hospital in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, in 1987. Caroline worked there until she moved to Charlotte with her family in 1993. She had several years away from the working world while raising her children. After time away, she realized that she truly missed working with people and their pets. Caroline is very excited to meet you and your fur babies soon.

cat painting
Rachel, csr

Rachel was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, her family moved to Charlotte when she was 15. She went to college in Hyde Park, New York, where she got a degree in baking and pastry. Shortly after moving back to Charlotte, she met her husband where they now live with 2 dogs and a cat. Ever since Rachel was a little girl she’s always wanted to work with animals, and is very excited to meet you and your fur babies!

Tammy
kyle, csr

Kyle is a returning member of the team who has worked with animals for many years but has always been an animal lover! He has attended SCAD for video game design and has worked making logos, websites, and much more for the local community. In his spare time, he likes to paint, draw, and just about anything creative. His love for the arts extends into the animal realm, where he uses his creative thinking to analyze and solve problems in and out of work. He also has a passion for computers and pretty much the entire digital world! He aims to create his own apps and games in the near future, using inspiration from all around. Kyle has one cat named Pebbles.

cat painting
Tennille, csr
Tennille has been married for 25 years and believes communication is key to their success. She met her husband from where she was born and raised in South Dakota/Minnesota, on farm land with every farm animal you could think of.  For the past four years she has resided in Charlotte, N.C. and  is absolutely loving it. Tennille currently has two domestic and one Maine Coon cat, as well as two dogs. She is surrounded in love with her three children and five grandkids.  In her spare time, Tennille loves to garden and cook! She also enjoys watching NASCAR and football (GO STEELERS). Tennille has always loved working with animals and is excited to get to know everyone at the Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas!
cat painting
Stephanie, csr

Stephanie was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephanie got her first dog at the age of 17; this new interest led to her stepping into the veterinary field, which later sparked and fueled her passion even more for helping animals. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the city for new things to do and new places to eat with her boyfriend, but when she’s home, she loves spending time with all 3 of her fur babies, and baking all kinds of homemade doggie treats.