Meet Our Team

An animal clinic is only as strong as the office manager in charge, since they set the tone in fostering a relaxed, productive atmosphere. As a veterinary assistant and office manager of Veterinary Associates of Manning, Katie has her hands full everyday. Not only does she tend to animals, she also makes sure the practice runs smoothly in an orderly manner!

Katie has worked for Dr. Struve since 2002 and has been at Veterinary Associates of Manning since 2008, making her one of the practice’s most seasoned and veteran staff members. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Studies from Iowa State University, and became certified as a veterinary assistant by the state of Iowa in 2013.

In her free time, Katie enjoys partaking in cattle work with her family.

For six years, Allison worked in an elementary school as a cook. In search of a different career, she perused online job ads and stumbled across a front desk receptionist opening at a veterinary clinic. She went in, met Dr. Rexanne Struve, got hired and has been a part of the Veterinary Associates of Manning staff ever since!

Allison absolutely loves everything about being at the animal hospital, especially interacting with everyone, from the friendly clients who walk in the door to her helpful team members.

Born and raised in Vail, Iowa as the youngest of three children, Allison is a graduate of Ar-We-Va High School. She currently resides in Arcadia with her husband, their two children and her black Labrador, Ben. Ben comes in very handy when Allison and her husband go on their yearly goose and deer-hunting trips!

Veterinary Associates of Manning has several talented veterinary assistants on its staff, and Kathleen is one of them. She’s been with the clinic since 2019 and uses her knowledge to help animals, whether it’s by performing surgery, tending to their wounds or just giving them a routine checkup!

Kathleen resides in Danbury with her husband and their 3 children. She also has several pets that keep her company.

Every animal clinic needs an animal research technician to help study and care for the wide variety of animal species in the clinic. At Veterinary Associates of Manning, that person happens to be Brandi. She has worked at the clinic for 26 years, so it’s safe to say she knows her way around the office!

Where does Brandi get her extreme love for animals from? Well she was born and raised in the veterinary environment. At the age of 3, she started accompanying her mother to the veterinary clinic. 

Before joining the staff at Veterinary Associates of Manning, Brandi was a diagnostic and research technician at Kansas State University. KSU is also where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from.

Today, Brandi resides on the family farm with her husband and their 5 daughters, along with her horses, cats, and dogs. Cattle and other large animals will always have a special place in her heart!

When Mira was a child, her dog Buster became suddenly ill and needed emergency veterinary care. She was struck by the timely and compassionate response by the doctors and technicians and decided right then and there that she would one day follow in their footsteps. As a technician at Veterinary Associates of Manning, Mira enjoys helping animals of all shapes, sizes and species live their healthiest lives.

While still in high school, Mira did some job shadowing here at Vet Associates. Upon graduation, she moved on to college, during which time she worked at various boarders, groomers and animal shelters. When she finished college, Mira knew exactly where she wanted to work. She officially joined the Veterinary Associates team in June of 2022 and hasn’t looked back since. Professionally, Mira has a special interest in exotic animals. Since they don’t come in very often, she’s always excited when she gets the opportunity to interact with them. At home, Mira has two fur babies of her own: a rescue dog named Sailor and a shelter cat named Snickers. As the newest addition to the family, Snickers hasn’t quite warmed up to Sailor just yet, but Mira is confident that one day soon they’ll become the best of friends.

When she’s not at work or spending quality time with her four-legged family, Mira can usually be found doing something outdoors, whether it’s fishing, camping or hunting. Every year she heads to northern Minnesota for a weeklong fishing trip with her family.

Luke Matthews started working for Dr. Struve in October of 2021. In May of 2022, Luke took on a different role and became our full-time kennel attendant and maintenance man. He enjoys getting to know the pets as they board with us and treats them like his own.

When Luke isn't working you can find him spending time with his fiancé Bailey and their fur babies. He also enjoys playing football for the Metro Militia.