Our Staff

Drs. Andrew & Alese opened Cottonwood Creek Veterinary Hospital in February of 2015. They began the clinic with the goal of providing top quality, affordable care to all species of the Waco area. Dr. Andrew grew up in Stephenville, Texas and graduated from Angelo State University with his Bachelor of Sciences in 2007.  He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University in 2011. He enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has specific interest in Food Animal medicine and Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Alese, a native of Lorena, attended Texas A&M University and received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science in 2004.  She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M in 2010.  Upon completion of her DVM, she relocated to San Antonio and completed a one year equine internship at Retama Equine Hospital. She enjoys working with all species but maintains a special interest in Surgery and Equine medicine.

Dr. Heather is a native of Houston, Texas.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University in 2011.  She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the island of St. Kitts, West Indies, in 2018.  She completed her clinical year of veterinary school at Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Heather’s primary interests are small animal internal medicine, preventative health and dentistry. Dr. Heather grew up owning Golden Retrievers and loves spending time with her Goldens, Milo and Scout.

Dr. Baugh grew up in West, Texas and enjoyed spending time with her uncle in his veterinary practice. This inspired her to become a veterinarian herself. She attended MCC before transferring to Texas A&M for the remainder of her undergrad and veterinary school. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, two golden retrievers and her cat. 

Dr. Cooksey grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and has always had a passion for animals. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison then moved to the small Caribbean island of Grenada to attend St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine. After completing her clinical year at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Cooksey received her DVM degree in 2015. After working closer to home for a year, she returned to Grenada and worked in the Large Animal Department of the veterinary school as a clinical Instructor for four years. Deciding to further her education within the realm of reproduction she completed a Comparative Theriogenology residency at the University of Missouri from 2020 to 2022. She enjoys reproduction in all species but primarily dogs, horses, cattle and small ruminants. Her free time is spent loving on her two daughters, Jade and Amelia, her husband, Mike, and mutt from Grenada, Nayda.

Dr. Michaela Brantley grew up in a small town in Central Oklahoma. She first showed interest in caring for animals at a very young age by taking care of her childhood pets. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from East Central University. She then attended Midwestern University and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2024. Dr. Brantley enjoys working with all species. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, reading and spending time outdoors.

Dr. Natalie Filiatrault grew up in Prosper, Texas. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science Pre Vet in 2020 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2024. In her free time she enjoys attending baseball games, baking, and spending time with her cat

Tori is from College Station, TX where she grew up playing sports and shadowing at veterinary clinics. For her undergraduate degree, she went to Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and played basketball for four years. She attended Texas A&M University for her veterinary degree. After graduating, she spent two years in mixed animal practice in rural western Kansas where discovered her love for cow/calf production and the rural lifestyle. Here in Waco, she is very excited to meet new folks, learn new aspects of medicine, and explore the area.

Karla was raised in Mesquite, TX and moved to Waco, TX for the remainder of her teenage years. She has always wanted to become a veterinarian and began my journey at Cottonwood Creek Veterinary Hospital as a veterinary technician. I received a Bachelor of Science in Poultry Science from Texas A&M University. She received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary interests are surgery and large animal medicine. In her free time, she enjoys arts and crafts, spending time outdoors and being with family. She is beyond excited to be back at Cottonwood Creek Veterinary Hospital as a veterinarian. 

Daniele has been working in veterinary medicine in various capacities since 2005. She joined the Cottonwood Creek team in 2017. She has taken on the role of our Veterinary Technician Manager. She is currently working to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She spends her free time with her significant other & step-son, running her own non-profit organization, and taking care of her dogs, cats, Russian & Sulcata tortoises, chinchillas and ball python.

Olga began her career in veterinary medicine in 2005 and after taking a break to expand her family, joined us in 2018 as a part time receptionist. She quickly grew within our company and has become our Front Office Manager. Olga spends her free time with her husband, four children, two dogs, seven horses and flock of chickens. 

Elsa is a native to Waco and joined the Cottonwood family in 2018. She became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2019. Elsa has become our Lead Surgery Technician and takes care of nearly all of our surgical patients. Elsa enjoys spending time with her son, Giovanni and dogs Ellie & Jimmy.

Richard grew up on his family farm in Hamilton and has lived his entire life in Central Texas, he came to our clinic family in 2018. He became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2019.  Richard has a special interest in equine medicine and laboratory testing. 

Ariell was born and raised in the Waco area. Her passion for animals brought her to the Cottonwood family in 2020. She’s currently taking classes to become a licensed veterinary technician and really enjoys patient care.  When away from the clinic Ariell enjoys spending time with her daughter, Khylin and their 3 dogs, 2 cats, and hedgehog.

Cheyenne was born and raised in Hamilton, Texas. She joined the Cottonwood family in 2020 and is currently working to achieve her goal of becoming a licensed veterinarian technician. She lives in Waco, Texas with her husband, two dogs, and two guinea pigs.

LeeAnn was born and raised in rural part Central Texas. She joined Cottonwood family in 2021 and enjoys working with our patients, primarily in the large animal section of the hospital. She has a deep passion for cattle and horses. In LeeAnn’s spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Australian Cattle Dogs, cattle, horses and single cat.

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Erica was born and raised in Waco. She has always had a passion for animals growing up which brought her to Cottonwood to learn and grow in veterinary medicine. She has a goal to become a licensed veterinary technician and to be able help animals of all shapes and sizes. Erica enjoys spending time with family, caring for her two cats and family dog along with road-tripping and camping when she can.