Staff

Dr. Alvarez graduated from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. She has professional interests in internal medicine, geriatric care, complementary therapies, nutrition, behavioral medicine, and preventative care. Dr. Alvarez enjoys family life with her husband Frank and their three children Noah, Colby, and Jada, as well as the family dogs Cleo, Bree, Lola, and Ellie, and cat Olivia. She also enjoys reading, writing, gardening, and hiking.

Gerry has chosen work with Animal Wellness after a 35 year career in education, working with children with learning disabilities. She is excited about the opportunity to work with animals as a second career. Gerry is “mom” to her two cats, Gene and Kelly. In her free time, Gerry enjoys reading, traveling, walking, and the arts.

Julia earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of New Haven. After graduating in 2005 Julia has held a variety of different roles in the workplace including positions in marketing and production as well as caring for dogs in the training program at Guiding Eyes for the Blind and assisting in their veterinary hospital. She has also worked as a dog trainer at PetSmart and in animal socialization as a volunteer with the Connecticut Humane Society. In her spare time Julia enjoys photography, traveling, and watching nature documentaries. Julia works remotely from North Carolina.

Alex comes to Animal Wellness with a degree in Hospitality Management and 10 years of front desk experience. She is eager to combine her customer service skills with her love of animals in her new position on our team. Outside of work Alex enjoys baking, going to the beach, and spending time with her family and her corgi, Faith.

Jody graduated from Rutger's University with a B.A. In English Literature and a concentration in Creative Writing. Ready for a change fueled by her love of animals, Jody joined our team, and may be recognized by many of you from her previous job at Grieb's Pharmacy as a pharmacy technician, as well as customer service liaison, and assistant store manager. As a member of a large family, she grew up surrounded by all sorts of fur babies (some not so furry), but currently is tolerated by her cat, Brigette. When not acting as an unofficial treat giver, Jody enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Monica earned her B.S from the University of Connecticut in Animal Science. She has worked with a wide variety of animals at the CT Humane Society, Wildlife in Crisis, and the Beardsley Zoo. Her innate way with animals and her previous experience with sensitive creatures makes her an asset for all the animals we treat. At home, she cares for her cat named Flava. When Monica is not with animals, she teaches Zumba and loves performing in musical theater!

Nathan studied biochemistry at Eastern Connecticut University. He has a wide range of pet experience, both as an owner and as a long time volunteer at the Stamford Nature Center. While he loves small mammals the most, Nathan loves working with animals of all sizes and species. In his spare time he enjoys running, kayaking, and generally being outdoors. Nathan shares his home with Tex, a personality-loaded, four-year-old tabby cat.

Justine comes to Animal Wellness with an associate’s degree in liberal arts from WestConn. After volunteering at a wildlife/elephant sanctuary in Thailand, Justine discovered that she wanted to work with animals. She has been a veterinary technician, a facility manager at Wildlife in Crisis, and hopes to become an animal control officer. At home she has Bear, her rabbit, and Phillip, her orange tabby. In her free time Justine likes to sing, play electric bass, cook and eat, volunteer at Wildlife in Crisis, bird watch, spend time outdoors, and cuddle up with her cat and watch true crime documentaries.

Carolyn went to college for animal science and started working in the veterinary field in 2000. She most recently worked in a 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital for 8 years, primarily as a surgical assistant. Carolyn with two pussycats Indiana and Logan, and a golden retriever named Piper. In her spare time Carolyn likes to walk the beach collecting sea glass, and hunt at flea markets for treasure.

Warner helps keep our place running smoothly. He joined us as a true animal lover at the core. He previously worked at Best Friends, and prior to that enjoyed a storied career in forestry. Warner does not currently share his home with any pets, but we hope to change that soon.

Always with her love of animals and hair, Lucia graduated from J.M. Wright Tech School as a licensed hairdresser in 2000 and quickly made the decision to become a groomer when she started working at Best Friends in Norwalk. She was able to infuse her hairdressing experience into her furry clients, and is excited to keep doing so in her new Salon inside of AWVC. Lucia is a mother of four beautiful girls Lorelai, Alyssa, Alana, & Ariana and an endearing stepson Kristian along with her 5 fur babies Wang, Sven, Raphael, Violet, & Rico. Lucia enjoys playing volleyball alongside her husband Tito and enjoys her “downtime” with her family.