Valerie is a Southern California native who was born and raised in East County, San Diego.
Valerie grew up riding horses and surrounded by animals. She graduated from Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in the Pre-Vet Program. She spent her
summers in college working at local veterinary clinics in San Diego. She spent her sophomore
summer making her connection with ECLAP riding with Dr. Greg Smith, the Veterinarian and
Founder. She also spent her weekends in college handling yearlings at auctions and working at
an Arabian Ranch, Varian Arabians, in Arroyo Grande, CA. Following her graduation, she spent
some time working for the California Thoroughbred Trainers in Del Mar, California and then
Class Racing Stables in Arcadia, California. She joined ECLAP in December 2002. Valerie
worked her way up through nearly every position within the hospital. Over the years, she
transitioned to working behind the scenes managing our growing practice and team. In August
2024, Valerie paired her clinical experience with her background in veterinary medicine and
administration and took the Certified Veterinary Management Certification, joining an elite group
of Veterinary Practice Managers Nationally. Valerie is very proud to be one of only several
hundred people in the country to hold this designation. Valerie lives in El Cajon with her
husband, their son and two daughters. Also part of the family are their two dogs, a Jack Russell
Rascal named “Dottie” and a Lab Mix named “Garland”, not to be left out the two guinea pigs
“Daniel and Daisy”. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, mountain biking, hanging at the beach
and the mountains, and enjoying time with her family and friends.
Education
California Polytechnic University, Cal Poly – Bachelor of Science in Animal Science