Glenway Animal Hospital’s Expert Staff

Michele Mescher, RVT, is the Hospital Administrator at Glenway Animal Hospital, and has been a staff member since July 1996.  She attended the University of Cincinnati where she received her Bachelors degree in Biology and her Associates degree in Veterinary Technology.  She completed her degree in Business Management and an MBA in Business Administration from Tiffin University.  She lives with her husband Dave and their son Noah and daughter Katherine, as well as: two cats Rerun and Charlie; two dogs named Phineas and Athena; two turtles; and two fish.  Her favorite part of the job is helping the patients and clients, and being able to work with a variety of animals.  Michele has lived in Cincinnati her entire life, and outside of work, she enjoys scrapbooking, creating homemade cards, baking, various outdoor activities, and mostly spending time with her family.  

Erin Crisp Fitzthum, RVT, has been working at Glenway Animal Hospital since February 2006.  She attended Miami University where she received her Bachelors degree in Zoology in May 2005.  She graduated from the Veterinary Technology Program at Raymond Walters College in the summer of 2010.  Erin is currently exploring her interest in animal behavior and considering pursuing a specialty.  She currently lives with her husband Lee and their two cats, Abe and Elenore.  Her favorite part of the job is spending the day playing with cats, small fluffy dogs, and the occasional ferret.  She also enjoys the fact that it’s “never boring” and that there’s always something new to learn and see.  Outside of work she enjoys reading, baseball, watching sports and going to the movies.  Erin was born in New England and loves the Red Sox and Patriots.  

Diane Zdelar-Bush, RVT, has been with Glenway Animal Hospital since June 2007. She says she’s working towards retirement, and although she’s considering more training in a specialty, for now she likes “basic care of critters.” She has a golden retrievers, Marvin, who undoubtedly agree with her reading recommendations of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Walking Circles Before Lying Down.  

Bio coming soon!

Stephanie Heiman is a Veterinary Assistant and has been working at Glenway Animal Hospital since August of 2009.  She took classes to become a Veterinary Technician and enjoys learning more about cats and dogs, although she loves all animals.  Stephanie has two chocolate labs named Bayley and Loey.  Bayley lives with her parents, but is really the whole family’s dog.    Stephanie and her husband, Jeff, are having so much fun with her.  She has three children that keep her busy too. She loves working at Glenway Animal Hospital because of the people, the environment, and the fact that she learns something new each day and everyone is so helpful. 

Emily was born and raised in the country, cultivating a love of all animals from early on. A 4-H kid who grew up raising and showing rabbits, as well as helping out on farms and working in the family apple orchard and bee apiary. Graduating from Chatfield College at 17 years old with a Liberal Arts Degree, she went on to move to Cincinnati with her husband in 2017,where they currently reside in the West Side with their three rescue cats and a rambunctious little dog named Scrappy. When she isn’t working as a Veterinary Assistant and CCR at Glenway Animal Hospital, you can find her helping out a a local salon, creating art, gardening, playing video games or spending quality time on the couch with her husband and furbabies. Emily plans on staying at Glenway Animal Hospital and possibly pursuing a career as a Vet Tech in the future. Her favorite things about working in veterinary medicine are triage care, helping out with surgeries and hospice/euthanasia care. Helping not only animals, but also their owner, is why she loves her job.  

Alysia Bauer has been working at Glenway Animal Hospital since June of 2013 as a Client Care Representative and a Veterinary Assistant. She is currently attending Northern Kentucky University in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication Design. Alysia has a cat, Pepper Pants, and a dog, Bentley. In addition to working with a great group of people and getting to spend time with a variety of animals, she loves working at Glenway Animal Hospital because there is something new to be learned each day. Outside of work, Alysia enjoys art projects, outdoor activities, and listening to music. 

Becky Hafertepen has been with Glenway Animal Hospital since August of 2006, and works the front desk as a Customer Care Representative.  She was raised on the West Side of Cincinnati and is a ’75 graduate of Oak Hills High School.  She lives with her husband Bob, two dogs (Rosie and Taz), two cats (Tails and Willow), and 5 gold fish.  She also has two sons: Matt who lives in Kansas and Nick who is an MP with the Marines.  Becky enjoys meeting people and their pets, and thinks Glenway Animal Hospital “has the best vets and staff in town, which makes it a pleasure to come to work.”  Her future plans include spending time with her grand daughter Emily. 

While only being employed at Glenway Animal Hospital since February 2012 as a Customer Care Representative, Colleen Steinmetz has over 36 years working in the veterinary profession.  She lives with her husband Mark of 30 years and George, their Jack Russell Terrier who was rescued from a shelter.  She has a daughter Megan and son-in-law Ben, along with a hound mix grandpuppy named Cozmo.  She enjoys reading, working in the garden and keeping up with George.  He loves chasing the lizards that have invaded the Westside. 

Hope has been married two years to her loving husband Phillip Nowak. They adore their dog Spudd and all other animals. Hope has been a magnet for all creatures since she was a child, often finding them seeking her out in the wild and others’ homes. Hope adopted Spudd in 2017 and never looked back. Spudd is so loved and is Hope and Phill’s baby. Hope is an artist/painter and does art shows on the side.  My heart lies with animal care, and I couldn’t be happier seeing and loving on your pets every day. 

Hi I am Molly Hamilton. I graduated from Roger Bacon in 2021. I plan to attend UC Blue Ash and study psychology. I currently have a dog named Maggie. I love working at Glenway Animal Hospital because of the staff and the environment. Outside of work, I like to watch movies, go to baseball games, and play volleyball. 

While a client at Glenway since 2009, I have been working as a ccr and vet tech assistant since August 2022 and feel proud to be part of such a great team.  It is fulfilling for me to be able to help facilitate the health and well-being of our patients and there is always more to learn.  I’ve worked in customer service for over 20 years and I come to GAH with a love and respect for animals and the natural world that has led me to both veganism and native plant gardening.  I have a BFA in fine art with a concentration in sculpture and Master’s in Astrology. I am an astrologer, artist and jewelry designer and candle maker. When not at the hospital I am growing my own business. 

Kassidy graduated from Oak Hills High School in 2020 and now attends UC Blue Ash pursuing her Associates degree in Veterinary Technology. She also plans to get her Bachelors in Biology.  Growing up she has had several pets including, rabbits, ducks, a horse and a turtle. She currently has one dog who is a Miniature Pinscher named Zola. In her free time she likes to watch the Cincinnati Reds, UC basketball, go to concerts and do crafts. She is excited to be a part of Glenway Animal Hospital.  

Emily Jenkins is a Vet Assistant and CCR with Glenway Animal Hospital.  Emily grew up on the Westside.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the College of Mount St. Joseph and worked in Oak Hills Local School District until her son was born.  As a stay-at-home mom, Emily stayed busy volunteering on a citizen’s task force that worked with the Cincinnati Park Board to establish the Mount Airy Dog Park.  Eventually her passion for animals led her to the field of veterinary medicine, which she has been working in since 2004.  Emily has taken many classes in veterinary technology and is eager to continue learning new ways to provide better care for animals.  Emily enjoys spending time with her son, Tom, and her dog, Izzy.  She also enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, roller skating and working outside in her yard.  Emily likes working with everyone at Glenway Animal Hospital because she shares their philosophy of animal advocacy, community outreach and providing excellent service. 

I go to Seton High School and I am on the Cincinnati High School Boxing team. I plan to go to The Ohio State University to be either a Software Developer or a Veterinarian. I am working at Glenway Animal Hospital to help me decide my career path. My favorite thing about working at Glenway is being able to meet all types of animals and playing with cute puppies and kittens. Growing up I had dogs, birds, mice and lizards. I currently have my dog, Roxie, and a fish tank. Outside of school, work and sports, I like to build computers and go camping with my friends. 

Alex is a senior at Seton High School and is planning on studying biology and animal sciences in college to become a veterinarian. Alex loves animals especially dogs and even has a French Bulldog named Stella at home. She loves working at Glenway Animal Hospital to see everyone’s pets and to get educated on how a vet hospital works. 

Kate is a senior at Seton High School and is going to study biology at Xavier University for her undergraduate before going on to study Veterinarian Medicine. She loves all types of animals especially her Golden Doodle Nuxy and Golden Retriever Hank. She is goalie for her high school lacrosse team which she has been apart of for four years. She loves working at Glenway Animal Hospital because it allows her to meet all kinds of new pets and grow her love for veterinary medicine! 

I am a high school student at Colerain High School. I got accepted to Butler Tech Natural Science Center Vet program for my junior year and I am now in my senior year currently studying veterinary science. I plan to attend UC blue ash in their Vet Tech program and possibly continue my education at UC main campus. During high school I was involved in volleyball, finishing my volleyball career as varsity libero. Along with that I participated in partners club, playing sports and making crafts with the special education students at my school. Outside of both school and work I enjoy seeing friends, shopping, and cuddling with my fur babies! I have had 12 hamsters, 3 guinea pigs, and currently have 2 Havenese named Comet and Teddy who I love SO MUCH! Since I was 5 I have had a passion to work with animals and I am grateful that Glenway Animal Hospital has giving me a huge step towards my goals and I am excited to see where life takes me! 

I graduated from Anderson High School and am now currently going to UC blue ash for my Associates degree and to hopefully become a Registered Veterinary technician. Animals have always been my passion since I can remember!! I started working at GAH because I wanted the proper experience and really wanted to know if this was the right career path for me 🙂 Come to find out I love this job and these amazing people. My favorite part about working here at GAH is meeting all the new special fur babies and making sure their needs are taken care of and prioritized. I love to go hiking and warm weather!! 

In Memory of Scooter who was the official greeter of GAH. She came to GAH in the fall of 2003. Scooter was living on one of the Cron’s neighbor’s porches because she did not have good bathroom habits. Every time Diana and Elizabeth Cron came by walking the dog, she came running , or rather scooting out to greet us . We were smitten. When we were finally able to talk to her owner, we found that she had been bitten in the back by a dog when she was just a kitten. Despite earlier medical treatment, she had permanent damage to her spine in the area that controls bladder, bowels and hind legs.  Scooter’s owner allowed us to bring Scooter into our office for a diagnostic workup and treatment, and ultimately to stay. While her physical challenges would make it difficult for her to live in a home, she does the best when she can get plenty of time to scoot around. We decided to adopt her as our permanent mascot. Scooter is quite the lucky cat to have all her medical needs (and her whims) tended to by the dedicated staff of GAH.  Her primary jobs are to greet clients and patients by day and keep the other clinic cats in line at night. She is well loved and has found a forever home in our hospital and the hearts of our team members and clients.

In Memory of Angus has been a GAH family member since August 2008. He was extremely ill when he came in and needed aggressive treatment and a long period of hospitalization to get better. When he finally did, we found that he is a VERY cool cat, but nobody we knew was looking for a cat with quite as much energy as he has. He and Axl also became bonded rather quickly and now they are inseparable. His favorite spot to sleep is on a computer printer where he often turns it on himself so he can paw at the paper as it shoots out. He loves to help type medical records with anyone that will let him. His secret wish is to someday get Scooter’s job, as he loves to say “Hello, pet me and see what I can do…and how fast I can run…and how much trouble I can get into, but aren’t I so cute doing it, so you really can’t get mad at this sweet face, can you?” to everyone that comes in.