Becka Harris
Becka was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She attended the University of Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a focus in Veterinary Medicine. She is currently enrolled in a distance learning program at Purdue University to complete her veterinary technician degree and plans to apply her knowledge and expertise to benefit the patients at Southwind Animal Hospital.
Becka resides with her husband Craig, daughter Aubrey and son Caleb. They have one rambunctious dog, Burnie, and a cat named Fonzi.
Jennifer Ratledge
Jennifer is currently in the Veterinary Technician program at Penn Foster College. She is expected to graduate in 2021. She has been in this field for 7 years. She is married to her husband Dave and lives in Maryville. She has a dog and a cat and many, many fish. One of Jennifer’s greatest achievements is having completed an ultra-marathon (50 miles!!!), and she keeps on running.
Jaime Deck
Jaime was born and raised in Illinois, but currently resides in Tennessee where she has always wanted to live. She loves visiting Cades Cove with her pets and family and boating on the local lakes. Jaime works full time as a business analyst for a medical billing company and works with us on the weekends and any other moment she can spare.
Kelly Ortagus
Kelly has worked in the veterinary field for 8 years. In that time she has worked in general practice, referral, and emergency medicine and is very passionate about animal healthcare. She is currently enrolled in Penn Foster’s Certified Veterinary Practice Management Program and is working outward her certification. Outside of work she loves to spend time with her family and pets and spends much time boating and camping at the family camper.
Sarah Price
Sarah began as one of our volunteers from Heritage High School. She is currently enrolled at the University of Tennessee where she is majoring in Animal Science. She is a proud alumnus of the Heritage Future Farmers of America and received her American Degree at the National FFA convention. She has two dogs named Bear and Chester and a cat named Mouser.
Isis Gomez
Isis Gomez, a Colorado Native at heart, decided to venture out and start her life near the great smoky mountains a few years ago and never looked back! She has always worked in customer service, and found herself working as a receptionist wanting to dabble in the life of a veterinary technician here at Southwind Animal Hospital! She loves the work she does and loves helping all of our clients, especially the ones with paws. She grew up with little critters running all around, and currently has a four-legged best friend named Sunny, who she aims to give the world too. She’s someone who knows how much our pets truly mean to us. Isis always has a smile on her face and proceeds to take excellent care of everyone she can, and would love to help you with your next appointment at Southwind Animal Hospital!
Jamie Pennington
Jamie was born in a small town in Ontario, Canada and has lived in Indiana, Arizona, and Tennessee. She now lives in Knoxville and received her bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee. She is currently in the Veterinary Technician program at Penn Foster College. Jamie is married to her partner DJ and together they have three cats (Goose, Kiwi, and Clover) and their dog Pennie. She enjoys travelling, reading, and spending time with her pets.
Rachael Hamilton
Bio coming soon.
Sandy Rapey
Sandy, her husband and their dogs moved to Maryville, TN from Wisconsin in 2020. Sandy enjoys competing with her dogs in agility, barn hunt and nose work. Their family currently consists of an Australian Shepherd and 3 Border Collies.
Makayla Strickland
Makayla was born in Maryland and moved to Tennessee when she was in the 3rd grade. She has been working in the vet field since 2016. She loves doing anything outdoors, going to church, and spending time with her family, friends, and her dogs Daisy and Ranger.
Megan Lambert
Megan was born and raised in Memphis and now lives in Knoxville, TN. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at The University of Tennessee and is planning to pursue a career as a veterinarian. Her and her boyfriend Thomas have a dog named Lucky who joins them on all of their adventures.
Ashley Johnson
Ashley was born and raised in Jax Beach, Fl. She moved to Maryville at the beginning of this year and is currently working on earning her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science through UT. In her spare time she enjoys going to the Great Smoky Mountains park to hike and take pictures. She loves photography, spending time with her horse, and playing with her sweet lab, Zoe.
Alyssa Ambagis
Alyssa Ambagis just recently moved back to Maryville, TN from Fort Bragg, North Carolina along with her husband, James and 2 doggie fur babies, Koah and Allie. She discovered her love for working with animals while working at a cat and dog boarding facility while attending college, and continues to pursue her passion here at Southwind. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, and roaming around to all the adventures the Smoky Mountains has to offer.
Malorie Woods
Malorie was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She has worked in the veterinary field since she was in high school and has now been a veterinary assistant for 5 years. She received her associates in Animal Science from Blinn College. She and her husband Jake moved to Knoxville a little over a year ago and have loved building their life here.
