Dr. Jeffrey Leeman, Owner and Veterinarian
Dr. Jeffrey Leeman was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. He is the oldest of four boys and grew up surrounded by family pets, drawn to science and animals at an early age. His mother still tells stories of how he cared for and tended to animals as a young boy. Dr. Leeman pursued his passion and moved to the high country of North Carolina to attend Lees McRae College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medical Studies. During his time in the Blue Ridge mountains, Dr. Leeman was very active in wildlife rehabilitation and parasitic studies at both Lees McRae and the Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute. After completing undergraduate school Dr. Leeman married his high school sweetheart, Alison, and together they moved to St. Kitts to further his education at the high tech and immersive Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon completion of his pre-doctoral studies he relocated once again to Auburn University for his final year of clinical training.
After graduating veterinary school in 2011, Dr. Leeman accepted a position as an associate veterinarian in Charleston. Since then he has been a practicing veterinarian in West Ashley and James Island. Both he and his wife immediately fell in love with the low country and decided to make it their permanent home for raising their family.
He is passionate about all aspects of veterinary medicine but he truly loves the special bond between pets and their owners. In general practice medicine, he finds extra satisfaction in proactively keeping pets healthy, laceration repair, end of life management and, of course puppies. Dr. Leeman and his wife are the parents of five children (four boys and one girl), one dog, one cat, several turtles, and dozens of fish. In his free time, he is likely at home spending time with his family. He enjoys backpacking, kayaking, nature walks with the kids, and anything involving the outdoors and biology.
Dr. Cady Patchen, Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Patchen was raised locally in Summerville, SC. She is an undergrad alum of CofC, Class of 2013. Dr. Patchen attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 2020 after earning her degree and vet medicine license. Dr. Patchen also spent a clinical year at Auburn and after that, spent some time doing an externship here at Crescent Care. Her love for veterinary medicine stems from a passion for education. She has always wanted to help pet owners learn about their pets and to be just as involved in their medical care as she is! She works hard to make sure her clients have every possible bit of information they can for their pet’s health while maintaining care that is best for the patient. Her goal is to provide client education while advocating for animal health.
Dr. Patchen has two dogs (Bailey and Charley) and two cats (Ace and Hei-Hei). She is excited to be back at Crescent Care as an Associate Veterinarian. We are so happy to welcome Dr. Patchen to our Crescent Care Team!
Dr. Rebeca Lawrence, Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Rebeca Lawrence was born and raised on the island of Nantucket, coastal living is all too familiar to her. She grew up as a competitive swimmer and summer lifeguard, and spent a great deal of her free time enjoying the beach. In addition to all things ocean-related, animals have always held a special place in her heart. Her parents tolerated a wide variety of pets including fish, turtles, hamsters, rabbits, a parakeet, and a dog. She fondly remembers playing veterinarian as a child, bandaging her stuffed animal’s legs. She has always had a desire to learn as much as possible about animals, including how to best take care of them, which led her directly to a career of veterinary medicine.
Dr. Lawrence earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science at the University of Vermont, then completed veterinary school at Tufts University and graduated in 2009. Following graduation, she decided to pursue additional training in emergency and internal medicine with a one-year internship located in Virginia Beach. She then relocated back to Massachusetts to be closer to family, where she worked as a small animal general practitioner for many years.
A longing for warmer weather and beautiful beaches has brought her to the Charleston area. Dr. Lawrence has been blessed with two beautiful children named Mason and Ella. They look forward to exploring Charleston together and sharing the coastal lifestyle that Dr. Lawrence experienced as a child. Aside from a love of the beach, her other passions include do-it-yourself projects, discovering unique flea market finds, and fitness training. In addition to Mason and Ella, her family also includes a hound mix named Cisco and an orange tabby cat named Socks.
She brings 11 years of experience in general practice and looks forward to partnering with you on taking the best possible care of your furry family members! CCVC feels honored and blessed that Dr. Lawrence has chosen to join our team!
Paul Clarkson, Practice Manager and Lead Technician
Paul is Charleston native. He attended Porter Gaud and then went on to earn degrees in Bio-Chemistry and Animal Veterinary Science at Clemson University. Paul has worked in the veterinary field for many years working 3 years previously with Dr. Leeman before starting at Crescent Care. He and his wife Sylvia married back in 2015 and are happy to be back home in the low country after living in Knoxville, Tennessee for the past several years. They have a daughter, two dogs (Lady and Knox), and a cat named Billie Jean. In his spare time, Paul enjoys cooking, fishing, reading, and brewing beer. Our patients and team are lucky and better off to have such an experienced, gentle, and compassionate tech to help with their overall care!
Jennifer Stark, Licensed Technician
Jennifer grew up in Atlanta, GA and received her BA in Literature from Georgia Southern University. After graduating from GSU, Jen decided to follow her dreams and continued her education, receiving her Associates degree in Applied Animal Science in Veterinary Technology. Since becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician, Jen has worked with large, small, and exotic animals for over 10 years. She currently lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband, three children, and five pets. When Jen is not busy taking care of fur babies at the clinic, she enjoys boating, reading, and hanging out with her family. Jen is excited to use her education and experience as a part of the Crescent Care Team!
Diana Miller, Technician
Diana grew up in Sacramento, CA and moved to the Charleston area in 2016. She is very excited to begin her career as a veterinary technician with us and to begin her journey earning her Veterinary Technician license. She and her husband are proud pet parents of 3 dogs named Sophie, Lilo, and Zoey and 3 guinea pigs named Pumpkin, Zero, and Charlotte. They are looking forward to adding a Savannah cat to their family soon! Diana was previously an ABA therapist and worked in Early Childhood Education after earning her degree from Sonoma State. Diana is definitely an animal lover, and has already been known in the clinic to be found in the back comforting pets during their visits. We are excited to have her on board!
Kelly Norden, Assistant Practice Manager / Technician
Kelly grew up on a horse farm in central Virginia and graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Business Marketing. After working as a Marketing Associate in the horse and farm insurance industry for a few years, she decided it was time for a change. Kelly moved to the low country and has embraced her love and passion for animals through pursuing a career as a veterinary assistant. Kelly has quickly picked up on the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful technician through experience at both a general practice and an emergency clinic. Kelly grew up riding horses and currently has two of her own, along with her beloved boxer mix, Reese, and Gypsy, her cat. During her free time, Kelly enjoys riding and competing her horses, taking her dog for runs on the beach, and reading novels.
Rachel Springer, Technician
Rachel was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She has lived locally here her whole life learning to love the outdoors and animals! She grew her love for animals and science at a very young age and started at a local kennel. She also has worked as a farm hand and volunteering at a horse rescue. She started her career as a Veterinary Technician in 2016 and fell in love instantly! Her favorite part of being a veterinary technician is always having something new to learn and building relationship with clients and their fur babies. While she is not working, most of her free time is spent outdoors with her dogs Sophie, a German Shepherd/Border Collie mix and with her lab Gunner. You can always find them hiking, camping, boating, and traveling any chance they get. Her hobbies also include hunting, fishing, photography, and of course, College football! ( Go Tigers! ) We are so excited to have Rachel on board!
Ellen Reed, Technician / Marketing Director
Ellen is a Rivertowne local that loves her community and the pets that live here! Ellen is a wonderful and lively member of our vet tech team! She has a back ground in marketing and customer service, and has earned a Bachelors Degree and two Masters. At Crescent Care, she is a veterinary technician and in charge of all of our social media and marketing. Ellen is originally from Brazil, and was also a team member of the 1996 Brazilian Olympic Swim Team! She moved to the United States permanently about 20 years ago after earning a full scholarship from Eastern Michigan. She lives with her family and their 2 dogs (Duchess the St. Bernard and Princess Leia the Cocker-Pooter) and their newest addition Mel the kitten. Ellen is excited to have finally found her forever job working with the Crescent Care team and the local community!
Brendan Fitzmaurice, Client Care Coordinator
Brendan is a Michigan local who graduated from CofC with a degree in Public Health. After graduating, Brendan decided to stay in Charleston with his girlfriend Kelsey and their two dogs, Korai (a German shepherd) and Layla (a shepadoodle). The two of them love to take the dogs out and explore all the fun outdoor and sports-related activities that the Charleston area has to offer. Brendan started with us as a client when we opened and his interest in and love of animals quickly became present. We are so excited to have him on our team!
Shyenne Baysinger, Client Care Coordinator
Shyenne moved to Charleston in 2006 from Lakeland, FL with her mom. She has a heart for children and animals, and loves being involved in their care. Shyenne has a background in working with children that have special needs, as well as a background in the veterinary field. Shyenne has four dogs, two cats, and two snakes. She enjoys spending time with her mom, boyfriend, and pets. We are fortunate to have someone with so much compassion on our client care team!
