Our Team

Dr. Neil Powell

Neil graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. He has practiced in South Lake Tahoe for most of his career. He left Tahoe briefly due to emergency work in southern California, but decided that big city life was not for him, and returned to Tahoe, where he prefers small town relationships with his clients.

In his free time, Dr. Powell mostly enjoys spending time training and racing in triathlons as well as trail running and mountain biking. In 2015, he gained the title “IronMan”. He also enjoys skiing in the winter, and spending time at the beach with his wife April, daughter Kylie, and son Dylan.

Neil has two dogs: Silas, a German Shorthaired Pointer, and Linus, a Chihuahua, as well as their cat, James Tiberius Kirk(J.T.).

In addition to general medicine and surgery, Dr. Powell has special interests in the fields of reconstructive and orthopedic surgery, ultrasound, and internal medicine. He appreciates and values the strong bonds created between pets and their families.

Dr. Ellen Sears

Dr. Sears is originally from Charleston, WV. Growing up in the mountain state she developed a love for the great outdoors and all aspects of nature. Ellen’s interest in science and nature sparked her desire to become a veterinarian at a young age. She is excited to have moved to Tahoe for the mountain town lifestyle and to contribute to the local community. 

Ellen attended West Virginia University for undergraduate studies with a major in Animal and Nutritional Sciences, participating in service dog training, started the Pre-Veterinary Club, and graduated with honors. She then attended Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN for veterinary school. Since then she has worked as an Emergency Veterinarian in Charlotte, NC and a General Practitioner in Martinsburg, WV and Raleigh, NC. Now at BLACC, Dr. Sears looks forward to building strong relationships with her patients and their owners to help them live happier and healthier lives. 

Dr. Sears’ special interests include diagnostic imaging, dentistry and animal behavior. She lives in South Lake with her soon-to-be husband, Brett, and rescue hound dog, Lincoln. Together they enjoy all summer and winter outdoor activities, yoga, cooking and live music.

April Powell – Office Manager/Assistant

April was born and raised in Naples, Florida, but has lived in South Lake Tahoe since 2001. In that time, she has worked as a veterinary assistant, medical assistant, and bookkeeper. She moved to South Lake Tahoe to enjoy the great outdoors and snow. April met her husband Neil Powell shortly after moving to Tahoe.

In addition to work, April tries to keep up with activities of their two children, including dance, fishing, skiing, and triathlons. It’s a full-time job keeping up with her family, but she wouldn’t change it for the world.

Hannah Johnson-Licensed Veterinary Technician

Hannah has been a technician at BLACC since 2017. She graduated at Oregon State with a degree in Animal Science, and her Tech degree from the College of Southern Nevada. While she enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, she particularly enjoys surgery and dentistry. She enjoys snowboarding, paddleboarding, going to the beach, hiking with her dog Raegan.

Stephanie Hrbacek – Receptionist

Rachel Haro – Assistant

Rachel grew up in Tracy, CA through high school, when she realized she wanted to do something with animals for her career. She spent her extracurricular classes in the Agriculuture program and FFA, and she knew she wanted to be involved in the veterinary field. After high school, Rachel went straight into the Veterinary Technology program at Carrington College in Stockton, CA. Graduating with an A.S. degree in Veterinary Technological science.

In  2015, Rachel started work at the Stockton Animal Shelter and with the San Francisco SPCA, working in shelter medicine, high volume spay and neuter, emergency and critical care, in addition to briefly working at a private practice and emergency medicine. Rachel ended her time with the San Francisco SPCA and the Stockton animal shelter to expand her career and move to South Lake Tahoe.

Rachel enjoys spending time with her Cattle dog mix, Kiara, and Beagle mix, Sam, including hiking and going to the beach. Rachel’s other pets include Siamese mix named Craig, a Ball Python named Boophi, and a Leopard Gecko named Nutella. In Rachel’s free time, she enjoys any activities involving the beach or ocean, live music, art, and traveling.

Karla Marroquin – Receptionist/Assistant

Karla has lived in Tahoe for over 15 years. She worked as a sales coordinator prior to joining our team, and as much as she loved it, she decided she wanted to start a more fulfilling career, as she has always had a passion and love for animals. She knew BLACC would be the perfect fit.

In her free time, Karla likes to go to the beach, go on hikes, and bike rides with her family as well as keeping up with both of her daughters’ activities which include dance, soccer, and gymnastics. She also loves to spend time playing and cuddling with her two furry babies, Prince and Luna.

Peter Gonzalez- Assistant

Peter grew up in Los Angeles and moved to South Lake Tahoe in December 2020. Peter started working in the veterinary field in 2019 in the Sacramento area. In his free time Peter likes to read, watch movies, hike, and spend time with his dog and fiancé.

Hailee Jesness – Assistant

Hailee graduated from South Tahoe High school in 2013 and moved to Mendocino county for  five years where she studied Animal health and Science and Santa Rosa Community College. She moved back home to her family in Tahoe, and enjoys spending time with my family/friends and her dog. She enjoys reading, as well as doing anything animal-related. She is currently in her final semester of technician school.

Kirstyn Shopshire – Receptionist

Kirstyn was born and raised in Monterey, CA. She worked in the hotel/casino industry for  6 years prior to Blue Lake, but her true passion has always been with animals. A career in the field of veterinary medicine seemed like the only logical choice. She grew up surrounded by animals of all kinds- such as horses, cats, dogs, rabbits, and snakes.
During her free time, Kirstyn enjoys adventuring in the mountains of the Tahoe basin with her best friend Domino (dog), and fiance Brian. Beach days are the family favorite, with kayaking and hours of fetch with Domino. When they are not participating in outdoor activities or basking in the Tahoe sun, they are cuddled on the couch binge-watching their favorite shows with the two cats.
She is very excited to be a part of the Blue Lake Animal Care Center family and getting to know each and every one of their amazing clients, and cannot wait to see what the future holds!