Our Team

The 2009 PhilaPets Team Outing.

Trust is everything

Meet our team

Deirdre Frey	Zeth Weissman	Katherine Veri
Megan O'Mara	Carolyn Michel	Angie Simononis
Dan Stein	Cindy Miller	Mary Beth Boland
Augustin Kendall	Vanessa Jarymovych	T. K. Ritchie
Megan Haines	Miriam Fernandez	Jennica Tucker
Melissa Abt	Harry Finnimore	Amy Melvin
Amandah Povilitus	Dan Rosen	Emily Meredith
Julie Malone	Scott Monaghan	Wendy Lenhart
Meg Kennelly	Jennifer Cohen	Lija Geller
Natalia Serejko	Sarah Zimmer	Nasia Shlasinger
Kathleen Mullaney	Tara Miller	Alison Chetty
Woody Fentress

	Deirdre Frey, VMD President Owner Veterinarian Deirdre graduated from Cornell University's Engineering School in 1999. After being a Web developer and consultant with Sapient in Boston for a few years, she left her job to finally pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. In preparation, she worked as a veterinary technician at South Bay Veterinary Group in Boston. In August of 2003, she moved to Philadelphia and worked part-time at the VCA Cat Hospital while starting PhilaPets.com and applying to veterinary school. Deirdre has been around animals her whole life, growing up with dogs and cats and hamsters and birds and gerbils and fish and frogs and various other creatures. She's been involved in programs such as Phinney's Friends. She also has spent time at the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society doing spay and neuter work. Deirdre had two life dreams since she was a child: to have her own business and to work with animals. PhilaPets married the two. Helping to create and build PhilaPets has truly been one of the most rewarding, challenging, and exciting ventures she has ever been a part of in her entire life. The pets, pet parents, and pet care specialists she has gotten to know over the years have all been absolutely wonderful. She continues to instill in the company the mission to serve pets, pet parents, the team, and the community with excellence and integrity. After four intense but incredible years, Deirdre graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2008. Along side her advising and mentorship role at PhilaPets, she is also working as a veterinarian and is loving it! Deirdre is very lucky to share her home with her lovely and mischievous kitties Coda and Joey and dog Ginger Rose.
	Zeth Weissman Web Developer Owner Zeth Weissman has been working as an independent contractor building database driven, dynamic Web sites for the last 10 years. He is a graduate of Drexel University, earning his BS in Computer Science in 1998. One of his online accomplishment is the development and maintenance of the My PhilaPets.com- Online Scheduling System, a place for clients to schedule services for their pets and a tool to coordinate and communicate scheduling and client information. Zeth is a gadget geek. Huge fan of his TiVo Series 3, HD, and a proud iPhone 3G carrier!
	Katherine Veri General Manager Ever since Katherine graduated from Penn State University she has traveled all around the US. Having lived in California for 5 years she traveled up and down the coast visiting the diverse environments within the state. This led Katherine to frequently use a pet care services for her two beloved Pugs, Tiger and Baxter. Katherine has experienced both the good and the bad when it comes to professional pet care providers and is confident that she knows very well from personal experience what a client expects and what a protective pet parent needs. Katherine traveled back to Pennsylvania to seek an opportunity within the pet care industry. Currently, she has applied and accepted a volunteer position with PAWS and has aspirations to help with other local animal welfare organizations. She is very proud to be apart of PhilaPets and will do her best to help coordinate the PhilaPets.com Team to care for your animal.
	Megan O'Mara Pet Care Specialist Service Coordinator Megan was born in Denver, Colorado but relocated to York, Pa at a very young age. Megan has been around animals her whole life, growing up with dogs, cats, birds and reptiles. She moved to Philadelphia in 2004 to attend the University of the Arts, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. Although she very much enjoyed city life, she missed her pets immensely and knew a career in Pet Care was the only way to fill that void. She is in the process of adopting a new pup to add to the family. Megan spends her extra time pursuing her painting career and hanging with Mojo (the adorable little guy on the left).
	Carolyn Michel Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Carolyn Michel has been with PhilaPets since May 2004. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician and graduate of Harcum College's Veterinary Technology program in Bryn Mawr. Currently, Carolyn is a nurse at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, working with cat and dog patients, as well as the occasional ferret. Prior to this, she received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of New Mexico, and worked for several years in the area of child care assistance for low-income families. Carolyn lives in the Art Museum area of the city with her three cats, Nubie, Cleo and Charlie.
	Angie Simononis Pet Care Specialist Weekend Manager Some of Angie's earliest memories of family pet's include an earth worm bound in band aids, saving gold fish from the local fair, and a dog named Stinky. She rode horses through Junior High School and eventually owned a former race horse that she could not control at all, but loved dearly. She went on to graduate from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she focused on natural history and environmental education. She has had several years of experience working as an environmental educator, and with that has come some exciting opportunities to work with animals of all kinds and the people who are fascinated by them. Angie owns 2 Russian Tortoises and an 8 year-old gold fish, and up until recently, cared for her late family dog, Benjamin Brown Tree. She misses him immensely. When not walking dogs or looking in on kitties, she volunteers in the Live Animal Center at the Academy of Natural Sciences here in Philadelphia. There she is learning to handle and care for birds, mammals and reptiles from all over the world.
	Dan Stein Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Dan has been working exclusively in the animal care field for the past 8 years. He attended UMASS Amherst and studied Pre-Veterinary medicine. He's worked as a veterinary technician in a variety of clinical settings including: non-profit humane society hospital, a board certified internal medicine practice and a private clinic focusing on exotics. He has devoted an immense amount of time to studying the topics of canine behavior and has worked extensively with hard-to-handle dogs in a shelter environment. Dan is the editor-in-chief and lead writer for the Web site DogGuide.net. He also sits on the Board of Directors for City Kitties. Dan has a crew of pets including Lucian (a Dogue De Bordeaux) and Reef (an American Pit Bull Terrier) as well as 3 rescued cats.
	Cindy Miller Pet Care Specialist Cindy Miller has been pet-sitting for over 10 years. After receiving a BA in Fine Art (painting) from Rutgers University, she went on to join the corporate world working in a Center City ad agency. While working during the day, she also attended school at night for certification in Graphic Design. After years of that rat-race, she began working in non-profits: Calcutta Hospice, Thrift for AIDS, and finally as an accredited counselor in a halfway house. She left there to start her own pet-sitting business in 1997 and has now brought her talents and experience to PhilaPets. Cindy is also certified in Pet First-Aid. She lives in West Philly, sharing space with assorted family members and her cat: Judah (long-haired tuxedo).
	Mary Beth Boland Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Mary Beth Boland has been with PhilaPets since January 2006. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician and earned her associates degree in veterinary technology from Harcum College. Mary Beth works full time as an emergency nurse at a large veterinary referral hospital outside of the city but still finds time to visit with her PhilaPets clients. In her little free, Mary Beth loves to ride her bike, garden, read nerdy children's fantasy novels, and watch bad TV (Cheaters and Maury!). She has a full house at home with two Boston Terriers (Ellie and Lelo), four cats (Andy, E-mail, Lucy, and Pickles), three box turtles, a mandarin rat snake, a colony of millipedes, and a few tarantulas. Though she loves all animals, Mary Beth is particularly fond of grouchy old cats. She looks forward to meeting your dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, birds, (pet) bugs, and houseplants.
	Augustin Kendall Pet Care Specialist Augustin has been in Philadelphia for 3 years, and working with PhilaPets most of that time. He grew up with a couple dogs and has had many cats over the years, but currently lives alone, though foster kittens regularly find their way into his kitchen. Augustin is also a proofreader and editor, and does occasional theater work.
	Vanessa Jarymovych Pet Care Specialist Vanessa received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Virginia Tech University in 1997. After a few years working in the corporate world and a mix of restaurants, she decided to follow her dream of working with animals and received a certificate in Professional Pet Grooming from Maryland School of Dog Grooming. Vanessa has been a professional dog groomer for over 7 years and has worked in several grooming shops in the Philadelphia area. After over 3 years of grooming full-time she decided to start grooming from her home in the evenings to provide a more stress-free grooming experience for her clients. Right now, Vanessa, has a full-time job at the UPENN Veterinary Hospital as grants coordinator for the Department of Clinical Studies. Although she loves grooming she has cut back considerably to spend more time pursuing other interests and spending more time with family and friends. Vanessa's other animal related jobs include: kennel assistant, horse stable manager, dog obedience apprentice and volunteer with People Pet Partnership. She lives in Center City with her husband, Doberman Stanley, and 2 cats, Stella and Pan Ihor. Vanessa enjoy walks in the park, reading, drawing, cooking and eating exotic foods!
	T. K. Ritchie Pet Care Specialist A lifelong Philadelphian, animal lover, and outdoor enthusiast, T found the perfect career with PhilaPets. After caring for the pets of Logan Square and the Art Museum Area for 3 years, she has recently returned to her hometown of East Falls. She enjoys taking her two pups for walks along the river, cheering on the Fightin' Phils, and reading up on obscure bits of trivia that help her win on "Family Game Night".
	Megan Haines Pet Care Specialist Megan graduated from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 2000 with her BS in environmental studies, and has worked at various consulting companies in southeastern Pennsylvania for the last six years. She also worked at the Brandywine Conservancy in their Environmental Management Center, creating maps for their land preservation programs. Megan grew up in rural northeastern Pennsylvania surrounded by woods, farmland, and plenty of animals. At one point her families' brood included chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, parakeets, hamsters, an iguana, and a pig named Misery. She is hoping to attend Harcum College's Veterinary Technology program and continue a career doing what she loves. She and her husband, Christopher, live in Center City, and enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, cooking, and photography. They are planning to adopt a furry friend as soon as they move into an apartment that allows pets.
	Miriam Fernandez Pet Care Specialist Weekend Manager Veterinary Technician Originally from New York, Miriam moved to Philadelphia in June of 2006 after falling in love with the city. Ever since she was a little girl she has always loved all kinds of animals and knew she wanted a career working with them. She attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick were she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science and has worked as a veterinary technician for over 2 years now. She is currently working full time at The Cat Doctor, and enjoys getting her "dog fix" through PhilaPets. She currently shares her apartment in Center City with three very spoiled cats; Sebastian, Vincent, and Duncan, and a very grumpy bunny but very cute, bunny named Milton. Staying with her parents in New York is her 15 year-old cat named Hector, whom she tries to visit as much as she can.
	Jennica Tucker Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Jennica's love for animals began at a young age. She lived in the British Virgin Islands for three years where she volunteered at the Tortola Humane Society. In 2003 she moved to Philadelphia to pursue her college career. She is graduating from Temple University in December of 2007 with a B.S. in Kinesiology. She has been working as a veterinary technician at The Cat Doctor for two and a half years and is planning on attending veterinary school in 2008. When Jennica is not at school or working she enjoys cooking, cleaning, singing, traveling, reading, and playing board games. She lives in South Philadelphia with her partner Chase, her 12 year old cat Purdy, her adopted 6 year old cat Alice, her Pomeranian Adelaide, and her newest addition Roxie.
	Melissa Abt Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Melissa is originally from Western NY. She moved to Philly in June of '06 to take up a job at VHUP as a ward nurse. She graduated from SUNY Delhi in 2000 with an associates degree in Veterinary Medicine. With that degree she sat for her boards and became a licensed Veterinary Technician and worked as a tech in a small practice up in Oswego, NY. While working, she attended SUNY Oswego for a BS in Biology. After graduating with her second degree, she moved out to Boston, MA to work at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital and was now a certified tech. With the vast knowledge that she learned there over a 4 year span, she felt she needed to venture out to a new city and chose Philly since she could continue her education through working at the vet hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. With her love of taking care of pets both ill and healthy, she thought it would be great to join up with PhilaPets and be able to work with pets that needed love and care at their own residences. She was hired on as a part-time PCS back in Feb '08 and has had the pleasure of meeting great clients and pets throughout that time and hopes to continue that path. Her own pets have all been rescued from the two places she had worked at prior. The two cats were raised from 10 day old kittens back in '01 and their names are Petrie and Ripley. Her crazy dog Sybill was saved from being euthanized after being hit by a car back in '04 and had to have major surgery to fix a broken leg. All enjoy the new city and have adjusted well.
	Harry Finnimore Pet Care Specialist Harry is a life-long Philadelphia citizen, born, raised and educated in the City of Brotherly Love. He has always been around animals as a youngster. Mostly dogs but there has been a bunny and a few hamsters along the way. But after going a while without a pet of his own, deciding to help take care of other peoples pets has been the next best thing.
	Amy Melvin Pet Care Specialist Amy recently graduated with a Master's in Education from Temple University. Originally born in Maine, she has lived in several states along the eastern coast before relocating to Philadelphia in 1999. Growing up, dogs (and the occasional cat, hamster, or guinea pig) were always a part of the family. Barney was her childhood dog - a 150 pound black lab/shepherd mix that used to give all the neighborhood kids rides on his back (with parental supervision, of course!). Amy joined the PhilaPets team in the spring of 2008. In addition to caring for dogs and kitties, Amy enjoys teaching, biking the city, dancing tango, and making art in her Port Richmond studio. She currently resides in center city with her retired racing greyhound, Fairlea.
	Amandah Povilitus Pet Care Specialist Amandah is currently seeking a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education at Temple University. After working a number of retail and waitressing jobs, she finally realized that none of these would work for her; she had to work with animals. An animal lover since birth, Amandah has grown up with a variety of animals, volunteered at local animal sanctuaries, has done animal rescue, and has fostered countless animals while helping each one to find the perfect home. She is also vegan. She currently lives with her dog, Harriet, and hopes to add more animals to her home as soon as she find a lease that allows her to do so! When Amandah is not walking dogs, hanging out with animals, or at school, you'll probably find her at a Phillies game, on the beach, playing one of a number of sports, reading in the park, or baking cupcakes.
	Dan Rosen Pet Care Specialist Dan was born and raised in New Jersey in a home filled with birds, fish, hamsters, and dogs. He graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Anthropology which he enjoyed pursuing but has no intention of using. He has worked several jobs ranging from retail to office work but truly values the freedom to be outdoors and with animals that PhilaPets allows. Dan resides in the Graduate Hospital area with his wife, Vera, and although they don't have any pets now, they hope to add a dog to the family soon. Some of his interests include running, cooking, reading, and the outdoors.
	Emily Meredith Pet Care Specialist Emily Meredith was born into a house of 8 cats in New Haven, CT. She had many pets growing up, including dogs, fish, a guinea pig and a multitude of cats. Until recently in her adult life she lived in places that limited her pet-having to cats, hermit crabs and turtles. Upon moving to Philadelphia, however, she acquired two dogs, three cats, and a variety of small caged animals. Emily has recently become a long-distance commuter, attending graduate school in Bilingual Early Childhood Education in New York City. She find the vast differences and amazing similarities between children and animals fascinating and wants to spend her whole life working with both.
	Julie Malone Pet Care Specialist Julie Malone was Georgia born and raised for eighteen years, and is a firm believer in Southern hospitality. In the summer of 2006, she relocated to Philadelphia to attend the University of the Arts, but has since changed her plan to include a future in wildlife sciences. She has always been happily surrounded by animals: in her childhood home, through volunteering with PAWS Atlanta in high school, and recently getting to know her peers just to get closer to their pets... Julie is currently the happiest girl alive! A transfer student at Temple, working toward becoming a wildlife technician and working two "jobs"- playing with animals and making freelance arts and crafts. She spends her off time going on peach picking adventures, laughing, singing to her fat cat Lilly, watching Golden Girls, and playing with other people's pets.
	Scott Monaghan Pet Care Specialist Weekend Manager Originally from Canada, Scott and his family moved to the Detroit area just a year after he was born. Scott spent the next 27 years in Michigan. After some trials and tribulations Scott decided to quit his job, tour around the country with his best friend/band for 2 months, and then move to Philadelphia. One of the first things Scott did when he got to the city was adopt his non-human best friend, Sophia Super Commander, a year old pit mix, from PACCA. The second thing he did was begin working with PhilaPets. When Scott’s not enjoying spending time with tons of awesome animals, "working", or helping at the front desk at the Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania emergency room, you can find Scott writing tons of music (he plays guitar and drums), riding his skateboard, or playing with Sophie.
	Wendy Lenhart Pet Care Specialist Wendy works full time as a keeper at the Philadelphia Zoo and is happy to extend her love for animals outside of the zoo gates to moonlight for PhilaPets. She has worked at the Zoo for six years and currently cares for and trains the southern ground hornbills, ostriches, red kangaroos, and an elderly emu among others. She has previously worked for the San Antonio Zoo and as an intern at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. At home, she has two cats, Smokey and Sibley (named for David Sibley, the bird artist) and a ball python named Julio who was abandoned outside in the Northern Liberties. She is a part-time grad student at Villanova University and is studying song repertoire in Carolina chickadees. Wendy is a country girl at heart and hails from Reading, PA. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, snowboarding, sketching, watching dorky history documentaries and riding her bike around the city.
	Meg Kennelly Pet Care Specialist Meg Kennelly was born and raised in Annapolis, MD a quaint historic town. Anyone, that is familiar with Annapolis, knows it for many things: crabs, sail boating, the naval academy and the chesapeake bay retriever! Meg is no stranger to to any of those either! From the day she was brought home from the hospital and formally "introduced" to her two retrievers till the embarking of a college journey, each day was lovingly shared with the best friends a girl could have. After, attending school at High Point University, in North Carolina for Acting, Meg made the move to Philadelphia in 2005 to experience the city life and get a degree in Merchandising and Design. Upon graduating and working for a year, she realized that no amount of money or public opinion could ever replace happiness. The decision was easy: do what you love everyday! When Meg isn't caring for pets, you can find her crafting like crazy, collecting bouncy balls and knitting!
	Jennifer Cohen Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Jenn Cohen has been a full-time veterinarian technician in the emergency services ward of VHUP for the past five years. She is also one of the founders of Animal Resource Center, a non-profit organization that operates spay/neuter programs in Philadelphia. She currently shares her home with five dogs and four cats, all of whom are rescues!
	Lija Geller Pet Care Specialist Profile Coming Soon!
	Natalia Serejko Pet Care Specialist Natalia was born in Poland and moved to the U.S. at nine years old. She grew up on the sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore and moved to Philadelphia in the fall of '09. She is currently attending Rutgers University for her M.A. in English and is hoping to pursue a Doctorial Degree soon after. Natalia has always had a love of dogs and therefore a few months upon moving she obtained her baby boy Otis, a Doberman/Australian Sheep Dog mix. When Natalia is not working she enjoys reading, writing, walking her dog, and surfing.
	Sarah Zimmer Pet Care Specialist As an only child, Sarah's siblings are all dogs. She was raised to love them as people, and view them as such. Sarah is now the proud pet parent to Ladybug & Seven, two loving, rescued Bully girls. Seven, 11 years old, is now retired at my parents’ house in the country, while my lovely Ladybug loves the dog parks and city streets of Philadelphia. Sarah's experience as a volunteer with the PSPCA has provided her the opportunity to learn more about dog behavior and how to correct challenging behaviors. Sarah has advanced in the level of dogs that she is authorized to handle at the shelter, now helping to rehabilitate all dogs with the exception of bite cases. Sarah continues to learn from the on-staff behaviorist at the Animal Care and Control Team shelter (ACCT). Sarah is a practicing media artist in Philadelphia and has completed her Masters of Fine Art at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Animals are a major theme in her work, which continues to grow and evolve, incorporating interactive technology and physical computing. Sarah usually carries a camera with her on walks to capture those amazing moments with her clients.
	Nasia Shlasinger Pet Care Specialist Profile Coming Soon!
	Kathleen Mullaney Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Kathleen Mullaney is a resident of South Philly and a Certified Veterinary Nurse. She works at University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital as the Ophthalmology nurse for the past two years. Eyes are her specialty, along with old feisty cats, Chihuahuas, diabetic patients, renal issues, cardiology, and of course nice cats and dogs too! She is a graduate of Harcum College, and has two other associate degrees, one of which in graphic design, her former career. Presently she is pursing a Bachelors degree part- time from Penn. She shares her home with her husband Matt, four cats; Prudence, Maggie, Indie, and Cash, plus a chihuahua, Pixie, and a mini min-pin named Cricket. Recently she lost the love of her life, Penny Jane the Chihuahua to heart disease, but she and Johnny, her first cat, are her daily inspiration to care for animals in need. All pets are rescued and named after musicians or songs. In her spare time she enjoys music, art, dining out, yoga, and the beach.
	Tara Miller Pet Care Specialist Veterinary Technician Profile Coming Soon!
	Alison Chetty Pet Care Specialist Profile Coming Soon!
	Woody Fentress Pet Care Specialist Profile Coming Soon!