Dr. Kara Plotz
Chief of Staff
Dr. Kara Plotz is from Toronto, Canada and graduated from Ontario Veterinary College in 2007. She took an associate veterinary position with Banfield in Phoenix to get as far away from the snow and cold as possible. There she met her husband who transferred them to Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2009, where they spent 4 years. They settled in Charlotte in 2013 where they hope to stay for a long while. She is grateful Banfield has supported her through so much transition. She is interested in internal medicine, especially gastroenterology and endocrinology. She also has a "special" obsession with her two standard poodles, Mabel and Forest and has enjoyed learning to groom, which has become a bit of a side hobby. She also enjoys spending time outdoors, travelling and visiting family and friends.
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Dr. Jenna Chavez
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Jenna Chavez was born and raised in Florida. She received her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Central Florida before attending St. George's University for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her clinical year at the University of Florida and joined the Banfield Charlotte team in January 2013. Dr. Chavez lives in Dilworth with her two labs, Luke and Cooper, and enjoys spending her free time playing trivia with friends, running and hiking with her dogs, and watching football in the fall. Go Panthers!
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Dr. Katherine Higgins
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Katherine Higgins was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She attended the University of Rochester in upstate New York where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. After college, she went back to Seattle for two years and became a Licensed Veterinarian Technician before attending The Ohio State University for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating, Dr. Higgins joined the Banfield SouthPark family in June of 2017 with an interest in dentistry and preventive medicine. Dr. Higgins enjoys spending time exploring the city, playing sand volleyball, and hiking with her husky mix, Bolt.
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Debra DeSimone-Traugot
Shift Lead
Debra was raised in northern New Jersey. Over the years, she has had a diversified career from human resources at Citibank, owning and running a bed & breakfast, as well as holding a position on the Barnstable Fire Department when she lived on Cape Cod for 21 years. Debra's passion for 40 years was breeding, showing and training golden retrievers. After moving to North Carolina last April with her daughter, 4 cats and 2 dogs, she has found her Southern roots.
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Cecilia Molina
Veterinary Assistant
Cecilia was born in Mexico and raised in the states, living in and out of Charlotte for about 8 years. She has 2 cats and 2 dogs, and is currently working on finishing her Veterinary Technician classes at Gaston College. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with family, reading, writing, hiking, and taking care of her animals and others. Cecilia also loves cars and building them.
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Adria Clay
Veterinary Assistant
Adria was raised in a small rural town in Kenansville, NC. She graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 2012 with a B.S. degree in animal science. Adria has 3 cats, Buster, Oreo, and Adam, and in her free time, enjoys fine dining with friends, going to the movies, doing anything Harry Potter related, and of course taking care of her children!
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Kelsey Robinson
Veterinary Assistant
Kelsey grew up in Washington, DC and moved to Charlotte 10 years ago. She recently graduated from Clemson University with a degree in animal and veterinary science with a pre-veterinary science concentration. She started working for Banfield as a kennel assistant at 16 and worked her way up to nurse. She has 4 dogs named Obi, Mafia, Nikki Sixx, and Stanley. For fun, Kelsey enjoys horseback riding, cooking, and tailgating at Clemson football games.
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Nicole Sciabarrasi
Veterinary Assistant
Nicole has lived in Charlotte most of her life and has 2 dogs, a Chihuahua named Lil' Man, and a Jack Russell named Picasso. She has always had a passion for caring for animals, as she is working on pursuing a career as a veterinary technician. In her spare time, she loves watching football (go bills!), baking and decorating cakes, and spending time with her dogs.
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Patricia Martin-Vegue
Client Service Coordinator
Patricia spent most of her working career in the medical field as a RN and compliance manager in the blood banking industry. Due to her love for pets though, she made the move into the animal medicine world. Patricia looks forward to meeting you and your pet!
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