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Meet Our Staff Team Family

Dr. Jessica Walters, owner of River Run Veterinary Hospital, is a native of Schuylkill County, PA. She grew up in Auburn, PA where she took care of many types of the family pets from cats, dogs, fish, hamsters, and rabbits, to a guinea pig, chickens, and horses.

 

Dr. Walters first attended Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA where she received her Associates of Equine Science Degree. She then began her journey as a United States Coast Guard spouse and was first stationed with her husband in Chincoteague, VA. This is where Dr. Walters began pursing a career in the animal health field as a veterinary assistant.

 

When her family was transferred to Miami with the military, she continued to pursue a career in veterinary medicine while attending Broward County Community College to work towards her B.S. in Biology. One more military move, and Dr. Walters graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

 

After undergrad, Dr. Walters headed to the island of St. Kitts, in the central Caribbean, where she completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her clinical year at Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine, AL.

 

She has been working locally since, and is excited to be back in her “backyard” and practicing what she loves!
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Our Team

Veterinary Assistant

Veterinary Technician

  • Sophia Bowers
  • Karen Sippel

Receptionists

  • Karen Sippel
  • Cathy Stone
  • Roxie Shook

Support Staff

  • Kathy Lishman, Bookkeeper

Sophia Bowers

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Sophia graduated in August 2025, with a degree in Veterinary Technology from Lehigh Carbon Community College.

 

She is passionate about providing compassionate, high-quality care to both animals and their owners, and strives to make every visit as comfortable and positive as possible.

 

At home, she enjoys spending time with her three pets, Henry and Pootie, her cats, and Ceasar, her dog, who always keeps life fun and reminds her why she loves working in veterinary medicine.

Sophia

Karen Sippel

Veterinary Technician & Receptionist

Karen resides in the Schuylkill Haven area with her dog Jubilee, and her cats and pet cockatoo. She has been working in the Veterinary field for 32 years. She enjoys helping pet parents grow and learn with their fur babies. When she’s not working, she enjoys walking and hiking with Jubilee.
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Cathy Stone

Receptionist

Cathleen is a high school science teacher who recently began working part time at River Run Veterinary Hospital. She enjoys meeting new people and their pets while working at the front desk.
 
She finds it interesting to combine her background in science and love of animals.
Cathleen lives in Minersville with her husband, two children, three dogs, cockatiels, guinea pig, rabbit, and ducks.
 
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her pets and gardening.
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Roxie Shook

Receptionist

Roxie is a North Carolina native where she graduated from high school. She then moved to Knoxville Tennessee, where she received an Associate’s degree in Business and Accounting from the University of Tennessee. After college, she pursued a career in the banking and hospitality industries. Roxie moved to Pottsville Pennsylvania in 2012.

She has always been an empathetic animal lover and recently decided to switch career paths to working in the veterinary field. She has been enjoying learning new things here at River Run Veterinary Hospital. Roxie shares her life with her husband, 2 kids, a grandson, and 5 cats. She enjoys gardening and traveling in her free time.
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