Client Service Representatives
Our front desk staff plays a vital role in the day-to-day management of our practice! The client services representatives welcome you to our practice, handle multiple phone lines, enter invoices and client/patient data, answer your emails, take prescription refill requests, relay messages to and from the doctors, assist with inventory, manage patient records and filing, lend an ear, answer questions, share your joys and sorrows, and are responsible for scheduling appointments for six veterinarians – everything from nail trims and vaccinations, first visits and follow-ups, to lumps, bumps, and limps, senior wellness exams and surgeries. Each one of them is a valuable member of our team!
Mary Vedder, Client Services Specialist
Mary Vedder and BPD K9 “Axe”
Mary is originally from a very small town in upstate New York, but has spent most of her life here in Bellevue. She graduated from Bellevue West High School, and attended Kearney State College for two years. She began her career at Bellevue Animal Hospital in 1993 as a part-time receptionist, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Mary was a member of the American Animal Hospital Association’s 2016-2017 Online Accreditation Engagement Committee (OAEC) and continued with that role in 2017-2018. She is the administrator for our hospital’s official website, our Facebook page and Instagram account; coordinates all outgoing e-mail correspondence; and is our “go-to” person for US and international health certificate information, in addition to her many other responsibilities.
Mary’s hobbies include reading, nature and cat photography, jigsaw puzzles, and piecing togther the puzzles of ancestry and family history through genealogy research. Mary is also a life-long “Star Wars” fan, and has seen all of the movies multiple times! She says that her “happy places” include Omaha’s botanical oasis Lauritzen Gardens, Fontenelle Forest, independent bookstores, and at home with her cats. Her two much-loved feline furbabies are Sheldon O. Cooper – a former barn cat, Nebraska Humane Society alumnus, and unofficial AAHA “spokescat” – and Zazzles (who goes by Zazzy) – a former foundling and foster kitten alumnus of the Foster Kitten Project.
Sarah Wilkinson, Practice Manager
Sarah Wilkinson
Sarah was born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and has lived in the Omaha-metro area all her life. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2003. Sarah joined our front desk team in June 2010, and was eventually promoted to the position of Hospital Office Manager, with management and oversight over the front desk team, hospital attendant staff, and veterinary assistant team. Upon the retirement in January 2021 of our previous Practice Manager, Dr. Bev Wofford, Sarah was asked to take on the role of Interim Practice Manager. She took over the responsibilities of shepherding our hospital through the height of the COVID pandemic and its associated staffing shortages and supply chain issues.
Sarah completed a five-month long executive-level leadership program through the Veterinary Management Institute sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and earned her certificate in November 2021. Her advanced training included courses in: Creative Decision Making; Innovation and Adapting to Change; Building Effective Teams; Veterinary Financial Management; Animal Behavior and the Human Bond; and much more. Sarah was officially promoted at that time to the role of Practice Manager, and since then she has overseen all the day-to-day operations at Bellevue Animal Hospital. She also serves as supervisor to all of the employees at our practice.
Sarah and her husband, Jeremy, have been together almost 20 years and have three beautiful daughters named Bailey, Jazmin, and Isabell. The family also includes a rambunctious Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix named Olaf, Ella the Boston Terrier, Gidget the Chihuahua; senior cat Stevie, middle child cat Negan, and kitten Theo. Sarah describes herself as “loud and outgoing!” and in her free time she enjoys working on projects with her girls. She is a big fan of Winnie the Pooh, and one of her favorite animals is the sloth.
Chelsea Bumann
Chelsea Bumann and Finnigan
Chelsea grew up in Bellevue and graduated from Bellevue West High School. She now lives in Glenwood, Iowa “for the horsies.” She joined our front desk crew in January 2024 and says that her best work here is making everyone laugh (which is really an important contribution on some of our more stressful days here at the veterinary hospital!)
Chelsea loves her “puppy” Finnigan (also known as Chicken) and all of her many kitty friends. Chelsea’s favorite food is chicken alfredo (although any pasta will do.) She also loves to travel, and says that her trip to the Bahamas was a favorite. She can frequently be seen wearing fun “claw clips” in her hair, such as a cheese clip, a pretzel, a kitty, or a puppy!
Taylor Kastrup
Taylor Kastrup
Born and raised in the Omaha metro area, Taylor joined the BAH team in November of 2023. She graduated from Bryan High School in 2015. Although Taylor is new to working with animals and this is her first job at a veterinary office, she has always been an animal lover “for as long as she can remember.” When Taylor was younger, she thought she wanted to be a vet, but quickly realized that she doesn’t like needles!
Taylor got married to her boyfriend of six years in June of 2024. They have a beautiful daughter that was born in August of 2023. Their fur family includes a dog (Rhea,) cat (Lynx,) and two ferrets (Rufus and Sirius,) as well as feathered friends Echo, Lucy, and Delilah.
Taylor’s favorite things include steak, Dr. Pepper, zebras, sunflowers, the color purple and of course – her family.
Allison Stanton
Allison Stanton and Tuna
Originally from Savannah, Missouri, Allison and her boyfriend moved to the LaVista, Nebraska area in May 2023. We welcomed her to our staff in June 2024. Allison is a 2018 graduate of Savannah (MO) High School, and studied for a pre-veterinary degree in Biological Sciences at Northwest Missouri State University. Although her current duties at our hospital haven’t yet afforded her the opportunity, Allison says she is excellent at wrangling spicy cats!
Allison has two cats of her own, a male short-haired tuxedo named Tuna, and a fluffy black male named Sushi. (That’s Tuna with Allison in the photo.) Allison also has a rescue dog named Violet, a Rat Terrier / Chihuahua mix, who loves tennis balls and water. Violet inspired the name of Allison’s pet portrait business, Violet’s Vision. An artist since she was just a wee sprite, Allison enjoys painting portraits, murals, and everything in between!
Kaitlyn Stratos
Kaitlyn Stratos
Kaitlyn joined our front desk team in July 2021. A Bellevue native, she has lived here for 25 years, and attended Bellevue West High School. Kaitlyn’s fur family includes busy little ferrets Cicero and Relish, and a happy, handsome hunk of Pit Bull named Frank. Kaitlyn’s hobbies include crafting and reading; her favorite genre is psychological thrillers, and she often devours several books within the span of a week! Kaitlyn also does volunteer work for The Foster Kitten Project.
Grayson Truax
Grayson Truax
Grayson graduated with honors from Papillion-LaVista South High School in May 2023. He is currently a student in the pre-med program at Creighton University, with a biology major. He plans to enter medical school, and then specialize in pediatric oncology. Grayson joined our front desk team during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020; he is now cross-trained as a veterinary assistant, working with our medical support staff during urgent care hours. Grayson enjoys solving technical problems, and played a large role in helping us get our hospital’s “app” with VitusVet up and running! He loves dogs, especially Golden Retrievers, and when he’s not busy assisting our clients and patients, you can usually find him hanging out with a cute dog. Grayson’s other talents include acting as an “at-home barista.”
Bailey Wilkinson, Lead Client Services Representative
Bailey Wilkinson
Born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Bailey recently graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (2022) and during her senior year she was also attending classes at Iowa Western Community College. She came to work for Bellevue Animal Hospital in July 2020, and was a great help to us throughout the long years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey’s furry siblings include dogs Olaf, Ella, and Gidget, as well as Negan and Stevie the cats. Bailey says that one of her favorite foods is chicken tenders! When she’s not working or studying, Bailey enjoys experimenting with makeup, and she is planning to become a professional hair stylist.
Marley Ysusi
Marley Ysusi
A Bellevue resident all her life, Marley joined our client services team in February 2022. Marley graduated from Bellevue East High School (go Chieftains!) with the class of 2020. At BEHS, she was a section leader in marching band and received multiple awards for outstanding musical performance. As you might expect, Marley loves music, and she also enjoys just hanging out with her pets: she has three guinea pigs (Lulu, Bindi, and Louis,) two wiener dogs (Frank and Willie,) a Chihuahua named Bosely, and a three-legged cat named Fox! Marley prides herself on providing our clients with excellent customer service, and we’re happy to have her here!