Meet the Squad

Dr. Phan grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and began volunteering at her local animal shelter at just 13, where she discovered her passion for veterinary medicine and community service. After completing veterinary school in Tennessee, she returned to the Hampton Roads area, where she had previously attended Old Dominion University. She has since worked as a high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgeon and shelter veterinarian. Seeing the need for affordable, accessible veterinary care for local families and rescue organizations, she founded Snip Squad to help fill that gap. Outside of work, she enjoys cruising, spending time with her husband and son, and caring for their menagerie of animals.

Dr. McHugh has worked in the veterinary field for 25 years, including several years in the nonprofit sector. She earned her degree in Animal Bioscience from Penn State University in 1993 and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. Throughout her career, she has been licensed to practice in five different states. In her free time, she enjoys visiting family in Pennsylvania and spending time with her two daughters.

Nora has 10 years of experience in animal care, including wildlife rehabilitation, zookeeping, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter, and shelter medicine. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife Biology with a concentration in Wildlife Rehabilitation from Lees-McRae College in 2018 and became a licensed veterinary technician in 2024 after attending TCC. She’s a cat lady to the max and especially loves handsome, big-headed male cats. When she’s not at work, she enjoys hanging out with her cats, reading horror fiction, and playing cozy video games.

Ally has spent the past eight years in nonprofit animal welfare and veterinary medicine and is passionate about preventive care, client education, and spay/neuter. She has a soft spot for spicy Chihuahuas, tortoiseshell cats, and is rarely seen without an Alani in hand.
Outside of work, Ally enjoys writing, gaming, spending time with friends and family, and cuddling her spicy Chihuahua and two cats.

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Katie grew up in Yuma, Arizona, and brings both skill and great energy to the team. She has a lifelong obsession with giraffes and an unforgettable experience assisting with a vasectomy on a wild impala in Africa during a study abroad program. Her favorite dessert is cheesecake, and her college pet was an axolotl named Tiny—ask her anything about axolotls, she’s happy to nerd out. Outside of work, Katie loves playing tennis and is always up for staying active. She is currently in school to become a licensed veterinary technician!

After four years in nonprofit animal welfare, Abby found her home at Snip Squad. She has a knack for winning over spicy cats and is passionate about working breed dogs, enrichment, and helping every animal thrive.
Outside the clinic, Abby enjoys hiking and paddle boarding with her water-loving Wheaten Terrier and keeping up with the antics of her two very opinionated cats.

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Maxine has been in the nonprofit world for almost 20 years! She took a brief break to try out the human world, but shortly made her way back to veterinary medicine. She has never met a cat she doesn’t love and you can often hear her saying “hisses get kisses!” Her super power is wrangling angry chihuahuas because she has several abandoned angry ones herself. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time at the beach with her dog Jamaica.

A big foodie at heart, Jess is always either cooking a new recipe or checking out a new restaurant. Before joining Snip Squad, she worked in finance and held several receptionist roles, where she developed strong skills in organization, client communication, and multitasking.