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 opened this surgical 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.

Dr. Azusena Martinez was born and raised in Dalton, Georgia. She received her B.S. in Animal Science from Berry College in 2018. After graduating from UGA College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022, she pursued her interests in working in shelter medicine and animal welfare. Shortly after, she pivoted to pursue her passion in feline medicine but still sets aside time for animal rescue and welfare work through organizations like Spay Neuter Vets.

When she’s not occupied spaying/neutering, she’s catering to her two cats at home, Tofu and Meech. She is passionate about long-term pain management and quality of life for our geriatric kitties and the people who love them. 

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

She is honored to hold this Practice 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 pets 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 both our Spanish and English speaking clients with any questions or concerns.

Before starting his career with Spay Neuter Vets, Hunter earned a degree in Business from Georgia Gwinnett College and has over a decade of experience in quality control, on-site training and retail management. Hunter made the transition into veterinary medicine after spending eight years volunteering for his local humane society. He feels fortunate to have turned that passion into his career. He loves building relationships with clients, caring for their pets, and educating their families on how to best care for them. Whether he's comforting a nervous patient or celebrating a happy, healthy visit, his goal is to make every experience a positive one. When he's not at the clinic, you can usually find him exploring hiking trails, attending concerts, spending time at church events, or relaxing with his own animals. He feels incredibly lucky to do work that makes a difference every day and looks forward to meeting you and your pets!

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 him a valuable addition to the team.

With skills in various aspects of digital marketing, content creation, and strategic communication, Yoas now applies 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 creating 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.

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 her 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.

Karagan originally has a background in microbiology and obtained her masters degree in biology. She has always had a love for animals and has decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She has her goal set to attend Veterinary school in the near future. Her favorite things about working at Spay Neuter Vets are caring for all of the animals as well as sharing that common love for animals with her coworkers. 

Alyssa recently moved to the area from Tennessee at the beginning of 2026. Before joining Spay Neuter Vets, she worked in veterinary urgent care, where she gained valuable experience caring for pets when they needed it most.

She is excited to be part of the Spay Neuter Vets team and support the mission of providing high quality & affordable services for people and their pets. Veterinary medicine is more than just a career for Alyssa—it’s her passion, and she feels fortunate to do what she loves every day. Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring nature, and making the most of every opportunity to be outside.

Originally from Korea, Soojoung brings 15 years of veterinary clinic experience to Spay Neuter Vets. After moving to the United States, she continued supporting animal welfare by volunteering and working with local animal shelters. She also studied Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida to further her knowledge and provide the best possible care for animals in need.

Soojoung has a special passion for community cats and continues to care for several neighborhood colonies in her spare time. At home, her four rescued cats are her greatest source of happiness. She is excited to use her experience to help every patient feel safe and comfortable and is readily available to assist both our Korean and English speaking clients.

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 our surgery center to aid in our mission to provide high quality, affordable spay/neuter services to the community. 

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

Working with animals has always been a natural fit for JJ, and she loves that veterinary medicine gives her the opportunity to learn something new every day. She enjoys caring for patients, building confidence in her clinical skills, and getting to know every animal that comes through the clinic. JJ also has a soft spot for feline patients and appreciates the patience and trust it takes to help nervous cats feel more comfortable during their visit. One of her favorite parts of the job is knowing that even the smallest moments can make a meaningful difference. She is always looking for opportunities to expand her knowledge, continue developing her skills, and grow alongside her team. JJ is currently working toward becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician and is excited to continue building a career centered around compassionate and affordable patient care.

Outside of work, JJ enjoys spending time with her Australian Shepherd, Zero, and bottle feeding foster kittens. Caring for her foster kittens has given her an even greater appreciation for patience, teamwork, and the small victories that come with helping animals heal and thrive