Meet The Team Caring For Your Pets
Our team combines expertise, passion, and a genuine love for animals to deliver exceptional care to every patient.
Medical Director
Dr. Jennifer Tonkin grew up in the hills of West Virginia. She graduated from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, and moved to Blacksburg, VA, to attend veterinary school at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
After moving back to West Virginia and working at a small animal and exotics hospital for one year, she decided to move closer to the beach and ended up in New Bern, North Carolina.
She now lives in New Bern at her “mini farm,” which includes four cats, two dogs, two ducks, two red-eared sliders, and one chinchilla.
Dr. Tonkin’s professional interests include soft tissue surgery, dentistry, and feline medicine and surgery. She also enjoys seeing a wide variety of patients that range from dogs and cats to rabbits, chinchillas, ferrets, and reptiles/amphibians to pot-bellied pigs and pygmy goats.
Her personal interests include gardening, reading, kayaking, going to the beach, and spending time with her family.
DVM
Dr. Jade Williams was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology (IT) from Florida State University (go Noles!) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Williams enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, but her primary interests reside in soft tissue surgery and preventative care. Outside of work, Dr. Williams enjoys spending time in and around the water, running, and traveling.
She lives in the area with her husband, two dogs (Mako and Mahi), cat (Ollie) and Sulcata tortoise (Carl).
DVM
Dr. Kelsey Tyler was raised in central Connecticut and attended the University of Connecticut for her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science. She then relocated to Raleigh to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State University, in addition to falling in love with the state of North Carolina!
After graduation, she moved to Charlotte to complete a postgraduate program focused on emergency medicine. She now lives in Emerald Isle and is excited to join the SAHETC team!
Her veterinary interests include diagnostic imaging, critical care, and soft tissue surgery. Outside of work, she enjoys music, travel, and spending time at the beach with her dog Indi.
DVM
Dr Sarah Dunnigan grew up in eastern North Carolina, calling New Bern home. She attended North Carolina State University where she received her undergraduate in Animal Science prior to attending NC State’s Veterinary School where she graduated in 2016. She spent her first 7 years practicing as a mixed animal veterinarian in the Appalachian Mountains where she cared for all animals big and small. She, her husband, and their daughter moved back to eastern NC last year in order to be close to family and they now reside on a small farm in Beaufort.
Dr. Dunnigan’s professional interests include internal medicine, mixed animal medicine, diagnostic imaging, and hospice care. Her goal is to enhance the human animal bond through prioritizing patient care and client communication. After being in general practice for the majority of her career, she felt called to ER in order to be there for people when they needed her most.
Dr. Dunnigan’s personal interests include spending time with family, fishing, gardening, volunteering, and working on the never-ending list of farm projects. She looks forward to being a part of the team here and providing her patients with the best care possible.
Practice Manager
Erica graduated from Mercy University in 2016 with her B.S. in Natural Science with a concentration in Veterinary Technology. Her veterinary passions include emergency/ critical care, trauma and exotics. She has vast experience working in general practice, emergency, intensive care, internal medicine, a safari and wildlife rehabilitation. In her free time, which is sparse because she has a toddler, she helps run a paranormal investigation company!