Meet Our Team

Dr. Michael Ford is a veterinarian and the owner of Galena Veterinary Hospital with his wife Wendi.

As an Air Force brat, Dr. Ford lived in many places as a child. His extended family lived in western Kansas and so most of the Air Force stays were in the Midwest.  As he grew up in the various places, he was always interested in biology and how living things functioned, differences between species and the great variety of animals on earth.  He graduated high school in Kansas near Wichita.  He went to the University of Kansas and graduated in 1991 with a degree in Biology.  He then went on to Kansas State University, where he graduated from the veterinary program in 1996.

Soon after graduation, he moved to Reno to start his career. He started with a practice in Sparks and briefly moved to California. The people of the Truckee Meadows called him back to this relatively new hospital in the south Reno area of the Double Diamond Development. He has been with Galena Veterinary Hospital since July 2001. In December of 2003, he purchased the hospital.  His interest as a practitioner is maintenance of the health of your pet so that he/she can be an integral part of the family for many happy years.  He is also interested in the community aspect of pets.  Because of this, he is the veterinarian that provides veterinary care for Feline Rescue of Northern Nevada and has provided vaccination clinics for the homeless pet population.

Dr. Ford’s family consists of his wife, Wendi and their two children, Thomas and Taylor.  The rest of the family consists of two cats, Chewy and P.K., who were adopted after being seen at a veterinary facility where one of the Fords worked.  The last pet they have is German Short Hair dog, named Emmitt, that they raised from a puppy.  Some of his other time commitments and interests include reading, gardening, cheering for Jayhawk sports teams and being a part of his church. He is highly admired for his compassion, patience and his ability to communicate with the animals here at GVH!

Dr. Louise Graham joined Galena Veterinary Hospital as an associate veterinarian in February 2016.

Dr. Graham was born and raised in northern England. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but in high school found a new interest in psychology. She completed a degree in Behavioral Sciences, going on to pursue a diverse career in social work and teaching.

Several years later, after volunteering at the Santa Barbara Zoo, she realized that her eight-year-old self was right and that her true calling was veterinary medicine. Dr. Graham received her veterinary degree from UC Davis in 2010 as a member of the Phi Zeta honor society. Throughout vet school she volunteered with several spay/neuter feral cat programs and at a shelter in India during one of the summer breaks. After graduating, she completed a small animal internship in surgery, emergency/critical care at PetCare Veterinary Hospital in Santa Rosa.

Her next two years were spent at a busy practice on the Virginia/Tennessee border.  She then moved back to California and practiced in the greater Sacramento area before moving to Reno with her husband Rick (a Reno native) who is a Communications professor at TMCC.

In charge of their household are their 3 rescued cats, Izzy (who terrorizes everyone when she gets her nails trimmed), and 2 brothers, Indy and Mango.

Dr. Graham loves her work with animals and their human family members and she holds a deep respect for the important bond between the two.  She values being part of a profession that allows her to connect with people on a topic that is deeply close to their hearts.  She enjoys the intellectual aspects of general practice medicine and the variety that each day brings.  She loves the sense of family and quality of care provided by Galena Veterinary Hospital.

In her free time, Dr. Graham enjoys the outdoor recreational opportunities that living in Reno provides.  On many summer weekends, you can find Dr. Graham and her husband hiking and camping.  Their winter pursuits include skiing and snowshoeing.  International travel is a big part of their lives.  In addition to visiting Dr. Graham’s family in England and Switzerland, they love to explore new cultures and environments.

Dr. Emily Smith joined Galena Veterinary Hospital in October 2024 as an Associate Veterinarian.

Dr. Smith is a native Coloradoan, born and raised in Pueblo, CO. She has been hanging out in veterinary hospitals her whole life as her dad, grandfather and many great uncles and cousins are also veterinarians. She received her undergraduate degree along with a Masters in Epidemiology at Colorado State University. After working at the USDA during graduate school, she realized that office life wasn’t for her and decided to give in to her roots and attend veterinary school. She graduated from Colorado State Veterinary Teaching Hospital in 2013 and also received her certification in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture in 2013.

Dr. Smith moved to Nevada right after vet school and has been living and practicing veterinary medicine in the Reno/Carson area for over 10 years. She enjoys the diversity in veterinary medicine and loves to get to know each furry patient and their loving families. Dr. Smith has particular interest in geriatric pet care, surgery and also enjoys performing acupuncture.

Outside of work, Dr. Smith can be found playing in the great outdoors with her partner, Tyler, and their two rescue Sierra Trail dogs, Miikka and Agent Scully. She loves skiing, mountain biking, hiking and camping. She and Tyler also have 2 beloved cats, Bruce and Artie and an elderly guinea pig, Tina.

Wendi is a Licensed Veterinary Technician, Hospital Coordinator and owner of Galena Veterinary Hospital.

Wendi was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa and has always had a deep love for animals. She graduated at the top of her class from Omaha College of Health Careers in March 1991. She then worked at a few small animal veterinary practices in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. She then transferred to Kansas State University in the summer of 1995 to be the day nurse for the Intensive Care Unit for the small animal side of the hospital. She was responsible for treatments and care of critically ill dogs and cats under the Board Certified doctors at K-State. She was also responsible for helping teach senior veterinary students technical skills they would carry into their careers. (You can thank her that Dr. Ford can draw blood or place an IV catheter.)

It was at K-State that she met her husband, Dr. Michael Ford and she moved to Reno in 1997. She has worked at Baring Blvd. Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Emergency Center since coming to the Truckee Meadows. In 2000, she was contacted by Truckee Meadows Community College to help write curriculum for a new Veterinary Technician Program. As the program advanced, Wendi became more involved in the program and is the former program coordinator and a former professor for the first accredited veterinary technician program in Nevada.  Under her direction, no graduating student failed the national veterinary technician boards and there are many competent technicians in Nevada to help the health of animals both small and large.

She is the mother of two wonderful children, Thomas and Taylor.  The family also consists of one dog and two rescued cats.

Felice joined Galena Veterinary Hospital as a Licensed Veterinary Technician in April 2019.

She grew up in Las Vegas, but became a Northern Nevadan in 1998.  She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2000 with a Bachelors of Animal Science degree.  After taking time off to become a stay-at-home mom, she went back to school to follow her dream of working with animals.  Felice received her Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology in 2015 and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician.  She spent the first three and a half years of her career working for a veterinary ophthalmologist.  There she gained a better understanding of eye diseases and has brought that knowledge to GVH.  You can find her drawing blood, placing IV catheters, performing X-rays, cleaning teeth and monitoring anesthesia.

She is married to her husband, Jason, and is the proud mom of twin teenage boys.  They have two cats.  A grey tabby named Stormy and an orange and white longhair named Sparky.  Her family also raises backyard chickens.

Felice is conversationally proficient in American Sign Language.  In her free time, she likes to play her flute with the ensemble at her church, diamond paint and is always on the lookout for great shopping deals.

Kim grew up in Hawthorne, Nevada and graduated from Mineral County High School in 2000.  After high school, she moved to Reno to attend college.  She enrolled at TMCC to begin working toward her Associate of Art, Fine Arts degree.  Her goal was to pursue her interest in photography.  After finishing her Associate, she transferred to UNR to continue on with her studies.  She had always loved animals and had numerous people tell her she should work in a veterinary hospital.  She knew she didn’t know much about the veterinary field, except what happened while taking her dog to the vet.  The Veterinary Technician program was started at TMCC and she started researching exactly what a veterinary technician was and did.  It sounded perfect for her, so she transferred back to TMCC to pursue another Associate degree.  She was accepted into the 2-year program and graduated in 2007.  Her class was the third class to go through the program.  She joined the team at GVH immediately after graduating the program.

As a licensed veterinary technician, Kim is responsible for many daily tasks.  You may see her taking the history of your dog or cat in the examination room, as well as performing a physical exam on them.  Behind the scenes in the treatment area, Kim performs dental cleaning, monitors and administers anesthesia, takes radiographs, provides nursing care to hospitalized patients, places IV catheters, draws blood, runs in-house blood work, performs maintenance on the in-house lab equipment, among numerous other duties.

Kim has one daughter, who was born in 2009.  They have one dog, a Miniature Pinscher, named Omar.  In her free time, she likes to go camping, ride quads, and spend time at her daughter’s activities.  She is currently on the Advisory Board for the Veterinary Technician Program at TMCC.  She has held different positions on the board since being an active student in the program.  She is currently the Small Animal Representative.  She especially enjoys the dentistry, behavior and nutrition side of the veterinary profession.

Tammi grew up in San Jose, CA and moved to Reno as a teenager. She graduated from Galena High School in 1996. Tammi enrolled at TMCC in 2002 to pursue her Associates of Applied Science degree. Tammi joined the GVH team in 2006 as a veterinary assistant. She was accepted into the Veterinary Technician program at TMCC in 2010 and graduated in 2012. Tammi became a Licensed Veterinary Technician at GVH after graduation.

As a Licensed Veterinary Technician, Tammi is responsible for multiple daily tasks. She takes the history, performs a cursory physical exam on your dog or cat in the exam room, and provides client education. In the treatment area you can find her performing in-house diagnostics, blood draws, placing IV catheters, administering medication, monitoring and providing care for hospitalized patients, assisting in surgery, performing dental cleanings, performs maintenance on the anesthetic and the autoclave machines, taking radiographs, and provides nutrition for hospitalized patients.

Tammi is happily married to her husband, Jason, who loves to work on classic cars and is a jack of all trades. They have one son, Christopher. They also have a daughter, Mercedes, who is in college at ASU. Their family also consists of a Chihuahua, Rat, who loves to sun bake and practice her sleeping skills; a Japanese Chin, Cornelius, who loves to watch football and is a master lap warmer; another Japanese Chin, Benedict, who is a foodie and loves to play 23 hours a day; and a fat cat, Belly, who lives on the windowsill and loves belly rubs. Tammi loves reading, camping, fishing, and arts/crafts as well as spending time with her family.

Coming Soon!

Marci grew up on a ranch in Bieber, California and graduated from Big Valley High School in 1992. After high school, she attended Lassen Community College to study business administration. She played volleyball and basketball for the Lassen Cougars and graduated with her Associate degree in 1994.

Marci got married in 1995 to her high school sweetheart, Mike. She started working in mining that same year operating large machinery and specializing in drilling. They moved to Nevada in 1998 where Marci continued to work in the mining industry as a driller and then in the customer service field. She has been working in customer service industry for the last 17 years in the Reno/Sparks area.

Marci was introduced to the Galena Veterinary family by longtime friend and client of Galena Vet, Peggy Rew. With her customer service background and love for animals, she thought Galena Vet would be a great fit. She is one of the friendly faces you will see upon entering the hospital. She has worked as a Client Care Specialist with us since April of 2017.

Marci and Mike started a family in 2003 having a daughter, and then a son in 2006.

Marci has a yellow lab, Rhylee, and three cats, Storm, Eba and Tig.  They help her tremendously while she works in her garden. Most of the time, the plants and vegetables don’t stand a chance.  Marci spends her extra time with Mike and their kids, hunting, fishing, bowling or enjoying time with their extended family.

Jenn grew up in Fallon, NV and graduated from Churchill County High School in 2003. She previously worked in retail, banking and the transportation industry. She was a client here at Galena Vet long before joining the team. Her love of animals comes from being raised on a small farm as a kid.

Jenn got married to her husband, Russ, in 2010 and they have two sons born in 2011 and 2013. Their family also consists of a Mastador, Rocky, and a Pomeranian, Hurley.

She spends her free time volunteering for youth sports. She is currently serving on the boards for the Washoe Little League, Sierra Wrestling Association and Mustang Wrestling Club. She enjoys watching her sons play multiple sports and being in the bleachers to cheer them on.

Mia grew up in Sparks, Nevada, graduating from the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in 2020 and is currently attending UNR. Although she started school with the intent of graduating with a Veterinary Science degree, she has decided to pursue a Nursing degree as well. Mia grew up surrounded by animals. Her family always had dogs growing up and she started taking horseback riding lessons when she was six years old. She fell in love with the sport and started showing competitively when she was ten. At the age of 16, her parents surprised her with a horse of her own. He carried her to many regional titles in western trail, ranch riding, and horsemanship. Although it has been a few years since she has shown competitively, she still rides as often as she can. Working with horses inspired her to want to work in veterinary medicine initially and help animals as much as she could.

Mia joined our team in September 2021. As a veterinary assistant, she can be found answering the phones, assisting the doctors and nurses as well as helping clean/organize the hospital.

Mia grew up with a younger sister, who actually inspired her to get her nursing degree after an accident in the Summer of 2023 that ended up being a 3-month hospital stay. During her visits, she saw the kindness and compassion the nurses had. She noted how they impacted her sister and her family and wants to have the same impact on others. Her mother works as a flight attendant, which has given Mia her love of travel and new places. Her father works as a high school health teacher as well as an athletic trainer. When she is not working, you can find her reading, traveling, riding horses, skiing and hanging out with her friends and family.

Grace grew up in a small town in Northern California before moving to Reno to attend the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently majoring in Veterinary Science. She grew up surrounded by animals and knew from a young age that she wanted to work with them.

Grace joined GVH as a veterinary assistant in September 2022 when the Ford’s decided to give her a chance at developing her skills and gaining experience in the veterinary field. She performs many different daily tasks such as cleaning the hospital, answering phones and helping the technicians and doctors when needed.

She grew up with an older sister, younger brother and loving parents who have always fostered her love for animals. She spent her childhood with dogs, cats, rats, chickens, fish and lizards. She currently lives with a pet rat named Fred and one of her childhood cats, Frankie. In her free time, she can often be found reading, writing, drawing, or just spending time with her pets.

Coming Soon!