Our Careteam

Like her colleagues, Desiree grew up with a goal of working with animals in some capacity. She got her wish when she landed a job as a kennel technician right here at Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital in 2005. And while life may have taken her on a few detours along the way, she always knew she’d find her way back to animal care. Back at Coit, Dez is once again living her lifelong dream and loving every second!

Dez started school at the same time she joined Coit Hedgcoxe, where she learned a lot and gained valuable skills. In 2008, Dez took some time off to focus on her schooling and spent some time in the corporate world before following her heart and rejoining the clinic in 2019. Professionally, she enjoys learning about surgery and working with all the different personalities of our kennel guests.

Outside of work, Dez has three stepchildren and two grandchildren. Her fur family initially consisted of three dogs: Baby, Oz, and Ashram, who Dr. Michalk took care of from the time they were puppies until they crossed Rainbow Bridge. Oz was Dez’s snuggle buddy, Ashram loved finding Dez under the covers and Baby was just that: Dez’s baby. Now she has Sammy, who follows her everywhere.

In her spare time, Dez enjoys reading, watching movies, going to concerts, traveling, and attending fan conventions. One of her best memories was meeting one of her favorite bands, 30 Seconds to Mars, and one of her favorite actors, Kiefer Sutherland.

Kathy took care of every stray cat in her Richardson, Texas neighborhood while growing up—she can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to better the lives of all the animals she possibly could. Kathy has been involved in the veterinary world for more than two decades, and she’s proud to now serve as Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital’s Practice Manager!

Kathy began her veterinary journey right here in Plano when she signed on at a local hospital as a receptionist. She also worked for a clinic in Austin for a time. In total, Kathy spent 12 years in the animal-care world as a Veterinary Technician and Practice Manager, including several years at a fast-paced 24-hour emergency clinic. In 2006, she entered the world of human medicine, becoming a nurse and even obtaining her Master’s degree in nursing education—Kathy still works in the trauma ward at the local hospital!

When Dr. Michalk had the opportunity to purchase Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital, she asked Kathy to partner with her to help manage it. Kathy gladly accepted, and she’s been a member of the family since March of 2016. Medically, she has particular interests in disease pathophysiology, veterinary research, and dog behavior. Most of all, she loves being a part of a team whose mission is maximizing pets’ quality of life so that they can spend as many joyous years with their families as possible.

Kathy’s interests outside of animal care including reading, running, performing research—she’s the Research Coordinator at the local trauma center, and even sits on an institutional review board for human research here in Collin County!—and spending time with her daughter, who will soon head off to college and plans on studying veterinary medicine herself.

For Chad, few things are more rewarding than helping to prolong the quality of life for a pet in need. Changing how animals feel through the power of medicine is the ultimate reward for him! Chad serves as the Assistant Manager and Lead Veterinary Technician here at Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital.

Chad moved to this area from Oklahoma in late 2000, working as an apprentice electrician for a time before joining the Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital family to serve as a technology specialist. It wasn’t long before he decided to transition into hands-on animal care—that’s when Chad became a Veterinary Technician, and he’s been tending to pets’ needs here at the clinic ever since!

Chad is an avid outdoorsman and loves backpacking, hunting, fishing, and camping. He’s backpacked through Western Europe, trekked the Andes Mountains in Peru, and toured over 1,700 miles by car through Ireland! At home, he and his wife share their lives with their two young children as well as a pair of dogs: Murray, a Labrador Retriever who often goes duck hunting with Chad; and an adorable Yorkie named Charlie.

Seselly’s family constantly owned pets while she was growing up, and she’s always felt an intrinsic connection with animals. She was very young when her interest in veterinary medicine first began. Seselly’s journey has come full circle—she’s thrilled to serve the area’s pets as a member of the Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital team!

Seselly is from a small town just south of Dallas and first began her career in animal care as a Kennel Attendant. The exciting cases she was able to help with quickly led her to a realization: she wanted to help animals in an even more hands-on way! That’s when Seselly decided to go to school to study veterinary technology—now, she’s a Veterinary Technician.

One of Seselly’s favorite parts of her job is helping to train pets; she’s always excited about the unique challenges that training efforts present. She also loves to witness firsthand the interactions between pet owners and their loving companions.

When she’s not at work, Seselly can be found hiking, driving her Jeep off-road, or playing soccer—she’s been playing for more than 14 years and has even won multiple championships! Seselly has two pets at home: a loveable Border Collie and a playful Golden Retriever.

Eric has been a caretaker all his life—he spent eight years in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, working in the field of human healthcare. When the opportunity arose for him to combine his medical skills with his love for pets, he didn’t hesitate!

Eric was born and raised in Guam, providing him with a lifelong love of the water that served him well during his Navy career. After his time serving his country, Eric delved into the world of veterinary care—that’s when he joined the team here at Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Technician. He’s especially fond of ear, nose, and throat medicine, and also loves to perform X-ray scans and analyze the results.

Away from work, Eric is an avid paintball fan, and placed in the top three during one of the biggest tournaments for the Asia/Pacific paintball league. He’s even had the opportunity to coach children from military families who have shown an interest in the sport. Eric shares his home with one pet: Maple Bacon, a fast-learning miniature Bull Terrier.

Like most veterinary professionals, Diana has adored the company of pets ever since she can remember. After more than 15 years as a stay-at-home mother and school volunteer, she decided to reenter the workforce—when she was told about an opening here at Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital, she jumped at the opportunity!

Diana joined the Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital family in April of 2017, and has been serving the area’s pet owners as a front-desk receptionist ever since. Her favorite part of every shift is getting to meet new clients as well as their adorable pets!

Diana, her husband, and their two sons have one pet at home: a Havenese dog who hates the sound of a harmonica; all Diana has to do is say the word “harmonica” and he will stop whatever he’s doing! When she isn’t tending to her duties here at the clinic or spending quality time with family, Diana likes traveling and was able to travel quite frequently before starting a family—her favorite city that she’s visited so far is Venice, Italy.

Avery was only a young girl when she made up her mind that she would one day work with animals. Her dream hasn’t wavered since. Now, Avery is proud to serve as a Kennel Technician here at the clinic while completing internship hours to obtain her level-one Veterinary Assistant’s Certification!

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Avery moved to this area with her family before she was even a year old—she’s lived here ever since. She joined the Coit Hedgcoxe Animal Hospital team in April of 2017 after noticing the hospital’s “help wanted” sign. Avery is completing her hours as an intern for her Vet Practicum class, and hopes to continue her veterinary education in the future. Ultimately, she would like to become a veterinarian herself!

When she has time between work and school, Avery loves horseback riding and even helps teach Boy Scouts so that they can earn their horsemanship merit badges. She has one pet at home: Pie, a rabbit who won Reserve Champion honors in the Collin County junior livestock show.