Meet The Staff

Dr. Jeff Longenbaugh has practiced at Maplecrest Animal Hospital since 1988. After graduating from Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980, he worked in north and central Indiana before "returning home" to Elkhart County.

Practicing small animal medicine at Maplecrest has brought great professional satisfaction to Dr. Jeff. The steady growth of the practice has allowed continued improvements in staff, facility, and equipment, enabling everyone at Maplecrest to be proud of their work.

Dr. Longenbaugh lives in the Dunlap area with his wife, Chris, and their son, Grant. Time away from Maplecrest during the last several years has been spent following Grant's band and art activities at Concord High School, church activities and taking pictures. This fall Grant has begun studies at the University of Michigan. Occasionally, Dr. Jeff finds time to do some bird watching and canoeing!

Dr. Alexandra Coon started working at Maplecrest Animal Hospital in April 2001, and has enjoyed meeting the clients and their pets. Dr. Coon was born in Indiana, and moved to Mentor, Ohio when she was eleven years old. She fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian when she graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in June of 2000.

Dr. Coon married Dr. Ron Clise in September 2000 and worked briefly in Indianapolis before relocating to Elkhart County. On her off time, she enjoys reading, gardening, cross stitching and cooking. Taking care of the "herd" of guinea pigs also takes up a fair amount of time. Their names are Chloe, Oedipus, Grendel, Eli, and Emmitt. Dr. Coon and Dr. Clise also enjoy spending time with daughter, Acadia, who was born on February 11, 2004.

Dr. Hamlin is a 2005 graduate of Michigan State University. She is originally from South Haven, MI and re-located to Goshen to join the family at Maplecrest in July of 2005. Dr. Hamlin grew up on a farm and has always been surrounded by animals. She has been working toward her veterinary degree since her first job as a kennel girl at the local clinic. She loves her profession and is very excited about joining the community. Time away from the clinic is spent with her dog Ralph. She also enjoys running, hiking, and horseback riding.

My name is Kim and I have worked at Maplecrest since 1991. I am a receptionist, but you may see me working just about anywhere in the hospital. My pets include a Basset/Lab mix named Buster, who was featured in the Vet Tech Magazine. I also have 3 cats, an orange tabby named Squint, a black and white short hair named Ziggy and a fat white short hair named Boo.

My name is Renee and I have worked at Maplecrest since 1992 as a Veterinary Assistant. Assisting with surgeries and doing dentistry's are just a few of the tasks that I do. I have two dogs, Woody, a Tree Walker and Hunter, a medium mixed dog who loves to chew furniture. I also have a Quaker Parrot named Louie.

Hello, my name is Amy. I have been working at Maplecrest Animal Hospital since 1994. I started working here in high school as a kennel attendant. When I graduated, I took the full-time position as a receptionist. I have two cats. Their names are Moses and Raistlin. I have an Associates Degree in Business Management from Davenport College.

My name is Deb and I've been working in Veterinary Medicine for 12 years and since 1996 at Maplecrest. I started out cleaning kennels and now I am a Veterinary Assistant. I have two cats, Ryobi and Sabrina, and a very active dog, Dora. I now work part-time, teach obedience classes and spend the rest of the time raising my two sons and daughter.

Some of you might remember me from kennels or yard work. I started at Maplecrest my freshman year of high school and worked here during high school and my first and third year of college. While working here I became interested in the field of veterinary medicine. I attended Purdue University where I earned a B.S. degree in Animal Science and an A.S. in Veterinary Technology. I have been a full time employee since December 2001 and loving every minute of it. In my spare time, I take care of 2 cats, 1 dog, and my full size pig. My hobbies would be golfing every waking minute, tennis, volleyball, biking and being outdoors. Right now most of my time is spent with my husband Ben Illingworth.

My name is Deanna and I started working at Maplecrest in June of 2005. I am married and have two sons, one daughter and a grandson. Away from work, I am active with the Booster Club for the Elkhart Cheerstars and spend most of my extra time at gymnastic and cheerleading meets with my son Ryan. I also enjoy spending time with my two dogs, Bear and Merlin.