Our Team

Dr. Milinda Lommer grew up in western New York and southern New England. She graduated from Indiana University in 1991, with a B.S. in Biology, and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1995, she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with Phi Zeta honors from U.C. Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine.

In 1996, having completed a private-practice internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Lommer returned to U.C. Davis, where she became the first veterinarian to complete the three-year residency program in Dentistry & Oral Surgery. She received the 1999 Peter Emily Outstanding Candidate Award from the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC), and became a Diplomate of the AVDC in 2000, earning the title Board-Certified Veterinary Dentist^TM.

That same year, she opened Aggie Animal Dental Service, operating in affiliation with two general veterinary hospitals in San Francisco and Marin County. The practice became Aggie Animal Dental Center with the opening of our Mill Valley facility in 2013. Dr. Lommer is a member of the Editorial Board of the Veterinary Dentistry and Oromaxillofacial Surgery section of the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. In addition, she serves as a volunteer Associate Clinical Professor at U.C. Davis, assisting with training residents in the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service and participating in clinical research projects.

Although Dr. Lommer graduated from UC Davis, home of the Aggies, the practice is actually named after her first cat, who joined the family when Milinda was 9 years old. Aggie was a devoted companion for over 19 years.

Board-Certified Anesthesiologist^TM Dr. Alex Hawley earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Colorado State University in 2005. Following a year-long internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Kansas State University, he completed a three-year residency in anesthesiology at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and has been on staff at The Sams Clinic since 2009. 

Since Aggie Animal Dental Center was opened adjacent to The Sams Clinic in 2013, we have enjoyed a collaborative relationship which has benefitted our patients.

Dr. Tanner May grew up outside of St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri for his undergraduate studies and then for veterinary school, graduating with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2019.

After graduation, Dr. May practiced at a small animal general practice with locations in Columbia and Linn Creek, Missouri. He joined the Aggie Animal Dental Center team in January 2022 as a resident pursuing specialization in dentistry and oral surgery.  

Dr. Mercedes De Paolo grew up in Wyoming and attended Middlebury College in Vermont for her undergraduate studies. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University in 2016 and subsequently completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. DePaolo was selected for a three-year residency program in dentistry and oral surgery at UC Davis (where she worked with Dr. Lommer), completed the program in 2020, and is a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College. Dr. DePaolo will be seeing patients as part of the Aggie team during the summer of 2023.

A California native, Renee attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, graduating in 2016 with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, and returned to California in 2018. After working at the San Francisco Zoo, Renee joined the staff of Aggie Animal Dental Center in January 2019 as a Client Service Representative. She became a Veterinary Assistant in January 2023 and will be attending classes to qualify to become a Registered Veterinary Technician.

With extensive experience in customer service (and having been a receptionist in a medical office for humans!), Wendy is cheerful, professional, and loves to cuddle our patients. She is fluent in both English and Spanish. Wendy has been part of the team at Aggie Animal Dental Center since February 2019. 

Ophelie grew up in a small farming town in rural France, where she loved being around animals of all kinds. After receiving diplomas in Animal Husbandry and Animal Care from Lycée Charles Baltet in Troyes, France, Ophelie worked as a kennel attendant at a dog breeding and training facility and volunteered with rabbits, horses, sheep and cattle in France before relocating to California in 2009. While working as a handler at Camp K9 in Corte Madera, she completed the veterinary technician course of study at Santa Rosa Junior College and began working as a veterinary technician at a small animal hospital in San Rafael in 2017. She became a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2019 and joined the team at AADC in July 2020.

Maria earned an Associate of Science degree from Heald College in Concord, CA in 2008 and has worked in customer service for over 15 years. Her love of animals led her to begin working as a CSR in the veterinary field in 2017. She joined the Aggie team in January 2023. She excels at helping clients both on the phone and in person.

A life-long animal lover, Emilie followed her passion into the veterinary field as a receptionist at a small animal hospital after earning a Bachelor's degree in Communications in 2019. Her calming way with cats and her desire to learn more about the medical side of things led to a quick promotion to technician assistant, and from there she decided to pursue further education to become a veterinary technician. She joined the Aggie team in June 2023 and will begin taking classes in veterinary technology at Santa Rosa Junior College in the fall.