Karen is originally from Smithtown on Long Island. She serves as
the Team Commander . She has been performing veterinary medicine
since 1993. Karen’s pets include horses Joshua, Tarp and Walt; and
dogs Mona, Jackson, Wednesday and Yarah; and cats Tina and Tutti Fruiti.
Karen and her husband Dave
live in a log cabin in Bluemont, Virginia. She attended Wilson
College and Ross University and graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine. Karen’s hobbies include horseback riding, hiking with
the dogs and gardening. One thing the team would be surprised to
hear is that she considers herself an introvert
Walt Kaplan comes to us from the people side of NDMS where he was a member of NC-1 and NMRT-East in Winston-Salem, NC. He currently resides in Stafford, VA and serves as the Deputy Team Commander for NVRT-2. Walt has a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and an undergraduate degree from Guilford College. He currently works for Touchstone in Washington D.C. supporting a multitude of State & Local clients (Including Virginia) focusing on improving communications and interoperability among first responders. Walt was a Paramedic for many years and has a strong background in HAZMAT & WMD. Walt has a son and a daughter along with three dogs Hugo, Maggie and Katrina (can you guess where that name came from?).
Rhonda is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she resides today. She serves as Administrative Officer for NVRT-2. Rhonda’s pets include dogs Chunky, Annie and Buddy as well as her cat Schmeow. Rhonda works full time in a safety department for a transportation carrier managing their workers compensation program. She specializes in injury prevention. Rhonda has worked in veterinary medicine since 1998 starting out in emergency medicine. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Public Policy & Management in 1989 and The Median School of Allied Health Careers in 1998. Her hobbies include pet sitting, cross stitch, camping, hiking and travel to national parks in the US. Rhonda is most proud of being accepted on the NVRT-2 team. The team would be most surprised to hear that she still works part time for a small animal clinic, pet sits and NVRT would technically be her fourth job. However, Rhonda does not consider her veterinary positions as work but is a passion!
Audrey is originally from Richfield, Ohio where she currently resides. She serves as Acting Administration Officers for NVRT-2. Audrey graduated for Columbus State Community College with an AS degree in Veterinary Technology. She currently works for Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) in the Veterinary Technology Program for 21 years as a lab technician. Prior to CCC, she worked in a private small animal practice. Audrey’s pets include cats Libby and Petri and horses Judd and Sully. She misses her much-loved dog Stasiu who passed away from Lymphoma. Audrey is married to Dale has a son Nick, daughter Becky and stepson Kyle.
Christine is originally from Freiburg, Germany. She serves as a Logistics Officer. She has been performing veterinary medicine 1989 and has been a licensed veterinary technician since 1992. Christine is married to David. Christine’s pets include horses Angelica and Fat Bob the Singing Plumber; German Shepherd Max, cats Paco, Spunky and Clementine. Christine specializes in small animals and equine healthcare (but NO reptiles!). She attended high school in Germany and received her Veterinary Technician Degree at Northern Virginia Community College. Christine’s hobbies include horseback riding, snow skiing, and swimming. She is most proud of the re-organization of the NVRT-2 cache.
Jim was raised in Rockville Centre, New York and currently resides in Southwest Ranches, Florida with his wife, Lori Meacham, DVM, and their menagerie. The menagerie consists of three children, Katie, Mike, and Clare and in addition four horses, seven dogs, ten cats, and one parrot. He did not want to bore you with all the four-legged family members’ names. Jim earned his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Miami and Florida International University. His many hobbies include kayaking, white water rafting, hiking, motorcycle touring, and analyzing the stock market. He recently joined NVRT-2, but has many years as a fire fighter and extensive emergency and safety training. He is proud of anything in life he has done that made someone else’s life a little better.
Bob is originally from Northwest, Indiana. He serves as Safety Officer for NVRT-2. Bob’s specialty is safety and security and went to the Indiana University of Business and Communications as well as the Ivy Tech Fire Science School. Bob’s pets include cats Smokey, Lucky and a rescued stray that does not have a name yet. He has a daughter Jennifer and son Steven. Bob’s hobbies include glass etching and emergency work. He even went to New Mexico for classes in glass etching! Bob is most proud of his membership to NVRT-2 especially since he is not involved in the veterinary industry.
Denise was born in Tacoma Park, Maryland and now resides in Laurel, Maryland. She has been in veterinary medicine for 23 years. Denise obtained her BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland & Baltimore County. Her current occupation is Practice Manager for Olney Sandy Springs Veterinary Hospital. Her pets are Keeshond Casanova, Chihuahua/Jack Russell stray from Mississippi named Grady and 2 cats- Chelsea and Kelly. Denise is proud of the fact that she can drink beer with no hands. (You’ll have to see it to believe it!) Her hobbies are needlepoint, puzzles, bowling and fly ball with her dog Casanova. The team would be most surprised to learn that she considers herself a “home body” but in the same breath recalls her Jello wrestling days in college! (It was green and red jello and, yes she did have her clothes on!)
Kathleen is originally from Louisville, Kentucky but currently resides in Floyd, Virginia. She serves as the Communications Officer for NVRT-2. She had been in veterinary medicine for 20 years and specialized in equine care and rescue. Kathleen’s animal companion and office disorganizer is her long time cat "Scout". Her beloved horse Majestic passed away but lived 26 years. Kathleen has both a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Engineering degrees from University of Louisville and a DVM from Auburn University. Her hobbies and interests are TNTC! (Too numerous to count) Kathleen participates in general and large animal rescue but was a proud member of TRACER, Technical Rope & Cave Emergency Response. This elite group specializes in swift water rescue, cave rescues and “high angle” rescues such as on high ledges. It is no surprise that she passed all the individual tests within one day! Her other hobbies include disaster and emergency preparedness, videography and communications. It probably comes at no surprise to know that Kathleen is an avid ham radio operator (call sign WK4AB).