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 later took on the supervisory role of Office Manager. In November 2021, Sarah became a graduate of the Veterinary Management Institute (VMI), an executive-level leadership training program developed by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and Colorado State University’s College of Business. In January 2023, after two years as our Interim Practice Manager, Sarah was officially promoted to the position of Practice Manager.
Sarah and her husband, Jeremy, have been together almost 21 years and have three beautiful daughters named Bailey, Jazmin, and Isabell. The extended family also includes a rambunctious Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix named Olaf; Ella the Boston Terrier; Gidget the Chihuahua; senior Domestic Shorthair cat Stevie; and the youngster, Negan, a cream tabby shorthair. 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.
Mary Vedder, Client Services Specialist
Mary Vedder and BPD K-9 “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 email 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 together 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.
Amber Phillips, Department Manager, Client Services Representatives
Amber Phillips
Amber grew up in Madison, Florida, playing clarinet in her high school’s marching band, and riding horses! She graduated in 2015 from Madison County High School; two years later, she married her longtime sweetheart, Casey, and they moved to Bellevue. We were very pleased to welcome her to our front desk team in June 2019.
Amber is a fantastic organizer and also excels at finding a good bargain. In her time away from work, Amber enjoys playing with her two awesome and goofy (and also awesomely goofy) Pit Bulls, Nova and Red, and cuddling her sweet cats, Sylvester and Tootsie. Amber and Casey are also the proud new parents of baby Russell, born in September 2022!
Kim Avalos, Training Coordinator and Hospital Attendant
Kim Avalos
Born in Alliance, Nebraska, and raised on a farm in Blue Hill, Kim has lived in the Omaha metro area since 1993. She studied biology at Dana and Wayne State colleges, and spent three weeks in southern Australia studying Fairy Penguins in the wild. One of Kim’s most exciting experiences was working at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, where she raised, fed, and swam with the penguins! We welcomed her to the BAH family as a veterinary assistant in February 2005. Kim loves making personal connections with our clients and their pets, and her favorite thing to do here is starting your pet’s appointment off right: discussing the patient’s history and reason for the visit, and making sure you have everything that you need for your pet and are completely comfortable & satisfied.
Kim is also a highly recommended pet sitter, operating under the name “Cozy Critters” since 2008. In her limited free time, Kim loves relaxing at home with her husband Jose’; their dogs Aldo, ChaCha, D’Jango, Ollie, and Tramp; and their cats, Buttercup and Chunky Monkey. She also enjoys making amazing handcrafted greeting cards for friends and family!