Veterinarians

Shannon Witt, DVM

Dr. Witt grew up raising cattle on a farm in Kingston, Washington. She fell in love with Montana while attending Carroll College. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in both Biology and Classical Studies from Carroll. Shannon then graduated from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. GO COUGS!

Shannon is proud to call the Deer Lodge Valley home and to raise her children, dogs, horses, and cattle here. Shannon enjoys spending time with her family, horseback riding, gardening, fishing, and hiking. She is committed to carrying on the tradition of great customer service and quality patient care that has been the cornerstone of the Clark Fork Veterinary Clinic since it was established in 1961.

Betsy Price, DVM

Dr. Price is originally from Seeley Lake, MT where she grew up riding horses in 4-H, competing in rodeo and riding on trails in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Carroll College and then graduated from Washington State University with her DVM in 2016. She started at Clark Fork Veterinary Clinic in 2016 after graduation. She loves practicing in the tri-county area and getting to know her clients and patients.

Betsy, her husband and 2 kids call Avon home, where they have 3 dogs, several horses and a cattle herd. In her free time, Betsy enjoys riding her horses, moving cows, quilting, scrapbooking, being a 4-H leader and spending time with friends and family.

Samantha Thomas, DVM

Dr. Thomas is a born and raised Deer Lodge native, who graduated from PCHS in 2007. She then attended the University of Montana Western in Dillon, graduating in 2011 as the top female graduate of her class. She received her DVM degree from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2015 and started practicing full-time in Missoula as well as working part time at several other southwestern Montana practices. During this time, Dr. Thomas gained a vast knowledge in primary care, emergency/critical care, and surgery, as well as expanding her exotic animal knowledge (rodents, reptiles, etc.).

After working with us part-time for nearly 2 years, Sami joined our practice as our 3rd full-time veterinarian in May of 2017. She is so excited to be here and serving her home community! Sami’s veterinary interests include critical care, animal behavior, nutrition, and surgery. She’s experienced with and ready to care for your dogs, cats, and exotic animals such as birds, guinea pigs, and ferrets! When not at work you can find Sami working on her pool game, attempting to climb a mountain, riding her Harley, or skiing the slopes. She also spends time in Deer Lodge and surrounding communities with her family, friends, and her dog, Frank.

Chelsea Heims, DVM

Dr. Heims is from Northeast Montana (Saco) where her family owns and operates a primarily Black Angus/Simmental ranch, they also have a small herd of sheep and working horses. Chelsea grew up playing basketball and volleyball as well as showing animals in 4-H. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from Montana State University- Northern in 2017 and graduated with her DVM from the WIMU program at Washington State University as a Montana student in May 2021.

Dr. Heims has a passion for large animal work and is also a Certified Mixed Animal Veterinary Acupuncturist. She started working at Clark Fork Veterinary Clinic in June of 2021. Chelsea met her husband, Brendan, in undergrad at Northern and they were married in June of 2019, together they have a corgi named, Hallie. On days off, you are most likely to find Chelsea woodworking, gardening, kayaking, fly fishing, or simply spending time with family and friends. Both Chelsea and Brendan are very excited for the next chapter in their lives back in Montana!

Practice Manager

lauretta (2).jpg — Lauretta Kolbeck, CVA

Lauretta has been with the Clark Fork Veterinary Clinic since 2013. She is the Practice Manager as well as one of the Certified Veterinary Assistants. She grew up in Dillon Montana on and around her grandparents' ranches. She graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in Agricultural Education. Lauretta enjoys spending time with her husband, Travis and daughter, Kyla working cattle, hunting, and exploring Montana. She loves being involved in veterinary medicine and using her teaching background to help grow teams. Facilitating great people to do great things as a part of a great team is a career that she could not have predicted. Lauretta is dedicated to learning more each day and with each team to create a workplace and culture that is empowering, growth oriented, and focused on building the team and the individual for what is next.

Office Manager

Sasha Mullen, CVA

Originally from Ohio, and most recently from northeast Washington, Sasha has settled in the Deer Lodge valley with her husband and their combined family of 5 children, 4 dogs, and 3 horses. She joined the staff at CFVC November 2018, and has worked in a variety of career fields. She is excited to put her experience to work! In her free time, she enjoys cross country skiing, hiking, playing with her dogs, and riding and training her horses.

Veterinary Assistants

Bailee Johnson, CVA

Bailee grew up in Washington and her and her family moved to Montana her freshman year of high school. She is very involved in the local 4-H program and the community. She is currently raising her own stock which includes: horses, sheep, cows, goats, and pigs. She enjoys going to rodeos, horse events, and showing livestock with her family in her free time. She has been at CFVC since 2017.

Jessica Danforth, CVA

Jessie has lived around Deer Lodge her whole life. Enjoying the ranch life has inspired her to pursue this medical career. She recently graduated from Pima Medical Institute as a Veterinary Assistant in April 2021. She continues her journey by working towards being a Licensed Veterinary Technician and joining the Clark Fork Veterinary Team. In her spare time, she enjoys cross stitching, outdoor activities and playing with her dog and 2 cats.

Madelyn Grieco, CVA

Madelyn grew up in Montana on her family’s Angus ranch. She has a passion for all animals, large and small. During time away from work, she can often be found doing work on the ranch, tending to the needs of livestock and the land, or snuggling with her cats and dogs. She joined CFVC in early 2022. Madelyn's long-term goal is to one day permanently join the clinic as a veterinarian.

Kiersten Thommen, CVA

Kiersten has been raised in Montana for most of her life and moved to Drummond in 2019. She enjoys all animals and every aspect of veterinary medicine. She began working at the clinic in July of 2020 to continue learning about her passions. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and pets, while pursuing her photography skills as much as possible, and being outdoors. After taking a summer to explore across Montana, Kiersten has rejoined the staff in November of 2022 and is overjoyed to be able to be back doing what she loves.

Crystal Wolff

Crystal is a fifth generation Montana resident, who grew up in western Montana living and loving all that this wonderful state has to offer; from fishing and hunting to rockhounding and wild crafting. From a young age through various family members she was instilled with a love of animals in all their forms and functions. She raises small livestock animals and enjoys learning new things about animals. This makes her excited to join a team of individuals who will help facilitate her learning and growth in a career she hopes to enjoy for years to come.

Hannah Yost

Hannah is originally from a very small town in Northern California, where she grew up riding horses, competing in rodeo, and being very active in her high school’s FFA chapter. In 2019, she moved to Montana to continue her education at Montana State University. She began working in veterinary medicine in 2021 and became very passionate for the industry.

She recently moved to the Deer Lodge Valley and is very happy to be here. She is excited to get involved in the community. When not at work, she is spending time with family and friends, outside with her critters, or riding horses. She recently joined CFVC in March of 2023!

Anna Schilling, CVA

Anna grew up in Montana. She started working on a friend's cattle ranch at a young age. She loves working with cattle and riding horses. She has a passion for all animals, large and small. She recently graduated from Ashworth College as a veterinary assistant in January 2023. In her free time, she can be found helping on the ranch, hanging out with friends, and spending time with her dog and cats. She joined CFVC in April 2023!!

Kate Hardman

Kate was born and raised in Alaska before settling in Montana with her family in 2014. Her love for the outdoors was nurtured by these wild places, and she is happy to now call Butte her home. Next to adventuring, Kate’s nature is driven by her love for animals. If she could, Kate would fill her home with any animal in need - no matter the size. She is currently momma to four dogs, a large cat, four mules, and a flock of chickens. Kate’s love for animals led her to pursue her dream career as a Veterinary Technician, and she is currently completing her coursework with Penn Foster. She looks forward to a career helping animals. During her free time, Kate enjoys the company of her husband, three daughters, fur babies, and a stack of books.

Bailey Pyle

Bailey is from the little town of Los Molinos in Northern California, where she was raised on a farm in a very big family. She participated in 4-H for 8+ years, showed and raised swine, horses, goats, chickens, and helped with anything at hand. In 2022, she moved to Montana to build her home and seek new opportunities.
Spring of 2020, she began her career in the vet field. Job shadowing for 6 months and learning as much as she could, she ended up falling in love with it. Later that year, she started working at a vet clinic. In July of 2021, she received her CVA and has had a passion for this career ever since. She loves spending time in the outdoors and takes life one step at a time. She joined CFVC in January 2024!

Veterinary Care Coordinators

Jaycee Wood, CVA, VCC

Jaycee has been with CFVC since 2012, starting as receptionist and kennel assistant. She is now one of our full time Certified Veterinary Assistants. She grew up in the Deer Lodge Valley. She enjoys volunteering her time fostering and encouraging pet adoptions. She and her two children love any outdoor activity where their dogs (Callie Jo & Benny) can tag along. They enjoy photography, camping and hiking.