Meet Our Team

Dr. Kooyman spent almost 20 years as a Controller in a Fortune 500 Company before leaving the industry to become a Veterinarian.

During her time as Controller, she had the opportunity to participate in philanthropic organizations and was always drawn to support animal welfare causes. She was actively involved with rescue organizations; fostering, transporting, and sitting on the Board of the local Humane Society. She decided to go to vet school with the intent to provide services to underserved populations and work towards the goal of reducing the euthanasia rate in our shelters.

After graduating from UGA in 2016 and working as a shelter vet for 5 years, she opens this surgery center with the goal of making spay neuter affordable and convenient for all, and hoping for the day there are no more homeless pets.

Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Ellard hails from Atlanta. She received her undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1985 and a Master’s of Science from UGA 1987. She graduated from UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 when she entered private clinical practice. After fifteen years, she answered the call to serve its local shelters. For over fifteen years now, she has worked with numerous animal welfare organizations providing both surgical and medical services including high-quality-high-volume spay-neuter and affordable veterinary care for rescues, shelters, and public clients. She is excited now to offer these same kinds of services through Spay Neuter Vets. Dr. Ellard serves on the faculty of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine with the shelter medicine program.

Dr. Ellard’s other passion is history. She speaks regularly on veterinary

medicine during the American Civil War and leads historic tours in Atlanta. She serves as Secretary of the Georgia Battlefields Association and is a past president of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table. She teaches adult Bible study at Peachtree Christian Church. She and her husband Bill live with a pampered shelter cat named Annabelle.

Sara has always had a love and deep respect for all animals. Her main career interests lie in business and management, so ever since she was old enough to work, she has been helping manage her own family’s business, gifting her 10 years of office administration experience. During this time she volunteered, fostered, and eventually worked as a shelter manager for three years at her local humane society.

She is honored to hold this Business Manager position at Spay Neuter Vets. She is happy waking up every morning knowing that with every surgery performed - countless lives will be saved.

Her current goals are to work alongside her amazing team to provide affordable yet high quality spay/neuter services to the community. Additionally, she wants to ensure all dog & cat parents feel at ease when dropping their babies off at Spay Neuter Vets, knowing that they will be treated with the utmost care.

Estela is originally from Spain where she has a background in hospitality work and education.  She started working at the local humane society in 2019 and immediately fell in love with the animals.  With a special talent for nursing and providing medical care, Estela is currently pursuing a veterinary technician degree.  She has been working with Dr. Kooyman assisting with spay neuter surgeries in a high volume capacity since 2020.   Estela lives with her partner and 2 crazy dogs she adopted from the shelter.  She is fluent in Spanish and is readily available to help our Spanish speaking clients with any questions or concerns.

Megan stumbled into her animal welfare career when she made a career change from working as a mental health counselor to working for a local humane society. Since 2018, Megan has become a jack-of-all-trades having worked in animal adoptions, shelter admissions, assisting with medical procedures, and coordinating foster volunteers. 

Megan met, and was trained by, Dr. Kooyman while they were both working at the local humane society. Megan still works at the local humane society, but works part-time at the surgery center to help our mission to provide high quality, affordable spay/neuter services to her community. 

When she isn't working, Megan can usually be found wandering her local bookstore or spending quality time with her rescued cat and dog.

Daniela is originally from Colombia, and a native Spanish speaker, she has always had a deep love for animals. Since she was a child, her biggest dream was to have a dog of her own, and she's now living that dream with my Golden Retriever, Niklaus. Her passion for animals has only grown stronger over the years.

Daniela pursued her studies in tourism, earning two technical degrees in the field, which allowed her to explore different paths. However, her heart has always been with animals. Now, working with Spay Neuter Vets, Daniela has the incredible opportunity to learn from Dr. K and the entire team about the veterinary field. This experience has been eye-opening and has deepened her passion for helping animals.

What she loves most about Spay Neuter Vets is our mission, which is to work tirelessly to remove barriers to spaying and neutering, making these essential services more accessible and affordable for everyone. It’s a cause that Daniela truly believes in and one that inspires her daily.

Daniela's goal is to provide the best customer service experience possible, ensuring that both pets and their owners feel supported, cared for, and valued every single day.

Yoas brings over a decade of digital marketing expertise to Spay Neuter Vets, combining his professional skills with a deep love for animals. While his background isn't in veterinary medicine, his passion for animal welfare and extensive marketing experience make them a valuable addition to the team.

With skills in various aspects of digital marketing, content creation, and strategic communication, Yoas now apply this wealth of knowledge to support Spay Neuter Vets' mission of providing affordable, high-quality spay and neuter services to the community.

When not crafting compelling digital campaigns, Yoas can be found experimenting with his MIDI keyboard to create some electronic music. He is excited to be part of a team that makes a tangible difference in the lives of animals and their human companions.