Meet Our Team

Gayle Roberts, DVM

Dr. Gayle Roberts graduated from Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights. She attended UC Davis for 8 years, earning her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science in 1976 and her DVM in 1980. Dr. Roberts has practiced in Orange County ever since. She loves working with all animals, and even served as park veterinarian at Lion Country Safari. She was staff doctor at Crown Valley Animal Hospital when she gained national notoriety for her care and work with the pelicans that were maimed off of Dana Point in 1982 and 1983. Dr. Roberts received the Lorne Greene New Wilderness Award for this work. She then worked in the referral surgical practice that did the beak prostheses on the pelicans for just over a year. She purchased Northwood Animal Hospital in 1986. Dr. Roberts especially enjoys surgery, dentistry and working with exotic animals.

Dr. Roberts lives in Lake Forest with her husband, Jim. They have two children, Dustin, 27, and Diana,22. The whole family shares her love for animals which includes their own large animal family; Blackjack, an Australian Shepherd; Wink, their cat; and Dark Crystal, a cockatiel. In her limited spare time, Dr. Roberts enjoys running and tae kwon do.

Ora Fife, DVM

Dr. Ora Fife graduated from Farmerville High School in Farmerville, LA. She studied Business Administration at Louisiana Tech University and earned her DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University in 1981. She practiced in Louisiana for 5 years, then moved with her family to California. She joined Northwood Animal Hospital in 1990. Dr. Fife's special interest is surgery.

She has one son, Will, who is a computer programmer and security specialist. Her "fur children" include her domestic shorthair cat Fiana, and Riches Chance and Notorious, both Dutch Warmblood Horses. Dr. Fife spends her spare time riding and working toward her next karate belt.

Jennifer Pursley, DVM

Dr. Jennifer Pursley grew up in Orange County and graduated from Saddleback High School. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences from UCI and her DVM from UC Davis in 1997. She also completed an externship in exotic pet medicine with Dr. Doug Mader. Dr. Pursley joined the Northwood Animal Hospital team shortly after her graduation. Dr. Pursley especially enjoys working with ferrets, rabbits, birds and all types of exotic pets.

Dr. Pursley lives with her husband, Greg, and their many "children" which include: Strider, an Australian shepherd mix; Jet and Yogi,schipperkes;and Anise, their cat. In her spare time, she enjoys scrapbooking and other crafts.

Liz Wagner, Practice Manager

Liz recently joined our team in April of 2011. Check back soon for her full bio!

Rayell Brokaw , Client Care Coordinator

Rayell joined the Northwood Animal Hospital team in January of this year! Check back soon for her full bio!

Cindy Lehmann, RVT

Cindy was born in Youngstown, Ohio and moved to the Orange County area in 1988.  She received her RVT license in December of 2009, and has worked at Northwood Animal Hospital for 14 years.  She is passionate about assisting clients and their pets in maintaining optimal healthcare, and loves the positive working environment Northwood has to offer, which consists of a team that resembles the closeness of a family. 

Cindy's personal family include her fiancé, Howard, who works as a horseshoer, her son Eric, 26, who lives in Aliso Viejo, and Kelly, 23, who just moved to Ft. Worth, Texas with her husband Todd.  Cindy also has a large animal family, all of which are very dear to her heart!  Tanner, a teacup Chihuahua is 3 1/2 years old, and comes to work with Cindy every day.  Cindy references him as the best dog ever!  Cindy also has two cats, Meredith, a Himalayan mix, and Georgia, a white and gray short hair.  Both of her cats were acquired as kittens at Northwood from an employee who was fostering them.

In her spare time, Cindy enjoys horseback riding, bike riding, and going to off road races several times throughout the year.  Northwood Animal Hospital is thankful to have Cindy as a part of our team, and appreciates her dedication to clients and their pets for the past 14 years!

Kristy Chyun, RVT

Kristy has been a member of our team since 2002. Please check back for her full bio! 

 Joni Leonhardt, Receptionist

Joni was born in Pittsburg, CA and moved to the Orange County area shortly after.  She has worked at Northwood Animal Hospital as a receptionist for 3 ½ years and states that she’ll work here for thirty more years if possible!  Joni loves working at Northwood because she loves her fellow co-workers and just as importantly, cherishes every client that comes through the door as well as their animals, big and small.  She states that her favorite aspect of her job is being able to witness happy pets going home to their families!

Joni has been married to her husband Jerry, who works as an electrical engineer, for twenty-four years.  They have two sons, David, 21, who is currently in college and also works as a personal trainer, and Kenny, 16, who is a junior in high school and plays soccer and volleyball.

Joni also has an extensive animal family!  This includes, T-Bone , a 17 year old black and white Domestic Short Hair, Sherman and Crunch, which are both orange kitties, Muffin, who Joni references as her “precious little girl” dog, Katie, a female Shepherd, and Tug, her “big baby boy” dog.  Needless to say, Joni loves animals and acknowledges their importance as family members.

In her spare time, Joni enjoys spending time with her animals, hiking, going to the beach, bike-riding, and gardening.   Northwood Animal Hospital is thankful to Joni for her genuine commitment to clients and their animal family members for the past 3 ½ years!  Here’s to 30 more!  

Rigoberto Torres, Kennel Supervisor

Rigoberto Torres, also known around the hospital as “Rigo", has worked for Northwood Animal Hospital for 15 years as the kennel supervisor!  Rigo is reputable for his beautifully done body shaves and terrific toe-nail trims!  Rigo loves working at Northwood Animal Hospital because of how close the staff is with one another, just like a family!  Specifically, he loves working with the animals, who are always at such ease when in his gentle and trustworthy care. 

In his spare time, Rigo enjoys baseball, working on his house, and spending time with his family.  Rigo’s family includes his wife, Teresa, two daughters, Paulina and Fatima, son Rigoberto, Jr., or “Berto” for short, and their Pomeranian, Owen!

Northwood Animal Hospital is so thankful for Rigo’s dedication to our clients and patients, as well as his willingness to go above and beyond for the past 15 years!  

Shannon Manier, Receptionist

Shannon joined the Northwood Animal Hospital team in October of 2011. Check back soon for her full bio! 

Oscar Hernandez, Kennel Attendant

Oscar joined our team in November 2011. Check back soon for his full bio!

Tracy Larson, Kennel Attendant

Tracy was born in Orange County, and has lived here ever since.  She has worked at Northwood Animal Hospital for three years and states that she loves how friendly her coworkers are, and how everyone is always so willing to pitch in to help one another! 

Tracy currently lives with her parents and their large animal family, which consist of two dogs, Parker – a black Lab, and Eliie, a Chihuahua;  two cats, Cleo – a domestic short hair and Gracie – a Siamese, two fire-belly toads, saltwater fish, and two horses, Nick and Koadie, who are both Thoroughbreds.  

In her spare time, Tracy enjoys riding her horses and taking care of her saltwater reef tank!

Northwood Animal Hospital is thankful to Tracy for providing our clients and patients with such genuine love and care.  Thanks for your continued dedication over the past three years Tracy!  

Lisa Peters, Veterinary Assistant

Lisa was born and raised in Orange, CA and attended college at Cal Poly Pomona where she received her B.A in Animal Health.  Shortly after finishing school, she returned to the Orange County area.  She has worked at Northwood Animal Hospital for four and a half years as a veterinary assistant and loves her Northwood family!  Lisa loves how wonderful it is to be surrounded by a group of people who share the same compassion for people and their pets.  She also specifically notes how “Phatty”, one of the hospital cats, always finds a way to brighten her day!

Lisa has been married to her husband Jordan for just over a year, who works for a software development company.  Their family also includes “Diesel”, a five year old Staffordshire Terrier who loves to lay in the sun and go for car rides!

In her spare time, Lisa enjoys going to the beach, hiking, cooking, fixing up her house, and spending time with her family.

Northwood Animal Hospital is truly thankful to have Lisa on the Northwood team!  Her genuine love and compassion for clients and their patients, as well as her commitment to her fellow team members is truly appreciated!  She is always finding ways to go above and beyond to contribute to those around her.  Thanks for your hard work Lisa, we appreciate all that you do!  

Samantha Schraith, Receptionist/Technician Assistant

Samantha was born in Mission Viejo, but later relocated to Northern California with her family and remained there until high school.  She returned to the Orange County area to attend UC Irvine, and received her B.A in Biology this past Spring.

Sam has worked at Northwood Animal Hospital as both a receptionist and a kennel attendant for a little over a year, and states that she loves working at Northwood because the staff is so caring and supportive, and has taken on the role as her “Southern California” family.

Sam’s parents live in Northern California with their family dog, a Boston Terrier named Cooper, who she misses very much!  However, Sam remains showered in love by her two cats Dash, and Dean, whom she adopted two years ago.  Dash and Dean are beautiful cats, and are full of personality and love which brings them a lot of attention from others!

In her spare time, Sam enjoys reading and catching new movies at the theater.  She has also recently applied to vet school, and we’re all so confident that she’ll thrive as a veterinarian one day!

Northwood Animal hospital is so thankful for Samantha!  Her ability to work in various roles within the hospital with such a positive attitude is truly appreciated.  Furthermore, her love for animals and wonderful personality are just a few of the reasons why we’re so happy to have her on our team! 

Saori Abe, Veterinary Assistant 

Saori was born in Japan, and moved to California with her family thirteen years ago, because her dad was transferred to the United States for work.  Although they love living in the United States, they of course miss their extended family members, who are still living back in Japan.  

Saori began working at Northwood Animal Hospital in 2007 as a kennel attendant, and since then, has moved into the position of a veterinary assistant.   Saori states that she loves working here because of the fun, kind, and caring doctors and staff, as well as the warm atmosphere! 

Saori currently lives with her Mom, Dad, and brother in Woodbridge, Irvine, and she also has a sister who lives in Santa Barbara and attends U.C.S.B.  They also share a wonderful animal family, who they love dearly, which consists of their 7 year old Cocker Spaniel/Cavalier King Charles mix -“Churro”, a 3 year old Maltese/Poodle mix-“Kirby”, and a 2 year old Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix-“Ricky”!

In her free time, Saori enjoys going to the movies, especially the $2 theatre in Irvine.  She also enjoys hiking with her dogs, and trying new restaurants with friends.  Specifically, she loves different ethnic foods such as Indian, Thai, etc.  She is almost finished with her schooling at Cal State University of Long Beach, and is also planning on taking classes for a Vet Tech certification program - where we know she'll absolutely thrive!

Northwood Animal Hospital is so grateful to have Saori as a part of our team.  Everyday she brings a positive attitude, and an incredible work ethic, which is very much appreciated by her fellow staff members.