Our Staff

Kristin Reed

Hospital Manager

Kristin is Birch Island's fear-free certified Hospital Manager. She is instrumental in keeping our practice running efficiently while sharing her kindness & humor with both staff and clients. Born and raised in Boston, MA, Kristin moved to Jacksonville in 2004 which is when she found her passion for helping animals as well as their owners. Since then, she has been in the veterinary field in various capacities. Kristin combines her managerial, administrative, customer service and animal care skills together to provide exceptional service to our clients & patients while overseeing daily hospital functions. In addition to her important role as office manager, Kristin has a full family life including a wonderful husband and five beautiful children, two of which are twins! Of course, her family wouldn't be complete without Karma and Cash, the Pitbulls. With what little free time she has, a couple of Kristin's favorite activities are going to the zoo & swimming.

Leslie Thieme

Veterinary Technician

Leslie is a Florida native, having been born here in Jacksonville. She spent some time in Pennsylvania, before moving back here in 2000. Having a strong interest in science, Leslie graduated from Keiser University as a Radiologic Technologist as well as Sanford Brown where she became a certified veterinary technician. She has now worked with animals for over 15 years including five as a vet tech. Leslie has a large family of animals including Lycan, a Boxer mix and Minion, a teacup Chihuahua along with two cats, Asia and Thriller, as well as two ferrets. Rounding off the pack is Rowdy, a quarter horse Leslie takes great pride in. When not with animals, Leslie can be found combing the beach or thrift stores and is a big fan of Halloween. We happily welcomed this knowledgeable & dedicated fear-free certified animal aficionado to our team in 2019!

Whitney Thompson

Veterinary Technician

Joining us from Chicago, Whitney’s passion for animals led her to enter the pet healthcare field as a veterinary technician. Having worked in both general practice and specialty arenas, Whitney brings a wealth of experience to our team. She traveled from Illinois to Florida with her two adventurous kitties and all three are enjoying the warmer weather. Reading, hiking, live music and oceanside leisure are Whitney’s activities of choice and she is hoping to someday return to school for Marine and Coastal Biology. Her enthusiasm and capacity for kindness are a perfect Birch Island fit!

Leila Burton

Veterinary Technician

Leila is originally from Wisconsin and moved to Jacksonville in 2014. Having developed her excellent customer service skills in the food & service industry, Leila now enjoys using them in an environment she truly loves. Growing up, she was always surrounded by animals. Dogs & cats were part of her family and she also got to help with pigs, horses, cows & chickens on various small farms. Leila now has a dog named Archer and considers the patients at Birch Island her extended family. When time allows, Leila is busy renovating her house or enjoying creative crafts like painting, making jewelry, gardening and DIY projects. A fan of scientific oddities and interesting stories, she also likes true-crime podcasts. Leila is just as appreciative to be part of the Birch Island team as we are to have her!