Dr. Jeffrey Leeman, Owner & 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 six children (four boys and two girls), two dogs, 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. 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 cavapoo named Benji and an orange tabby cat named Socks.
She brings over 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 is on our team!
Mandi Yager, Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Mandi Yager, aka “the Yorkie doctor,” is a Texas native who moved to Charleston in June of 2018. She received both her undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Oklahoma State University. Although she loves all animals big and small, she’s exceptionally passionate about treating miniature and toy breeds, with a special interest in dentistry and soft tissue surgery. When she’s not working, you can likely find her in an early morning spin class, walking the beach, happy hour at Shem Creek, or camping in Asheville.
We’re so pleased to have her on our team!
Rowan Bäck, Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Rowan Bäck grew up in south Florida, so it was natural that she settled somewhere with sand, surf, and sun. She was a competitive tennis player throughout her childhood and, when she was not on the court, she spent much of her time leading hikes and caring for local wildlife as a nature preserve docent. Her passion for animals extends far into her childhood—in fact, her parents have a home video of her preschool graduation where she said her dream job was a Veterinarian!
Dr. Bäck completed her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology at the University of Florida with a wildlife focus and then received her veterinary degree from the University of Tennessee. Throughout her undergraduate and veterinary programs, her extracurriculars involved parasitology and pathology research. She graduated from veterinary school with honors as an inductee of Phi Zeta.
After graduation, Dr. Bäck and her husband relocated to eastern Washington, where she began practicing small animal medicine. They moved back to the east coast to be closer to family, where she has been practicing medicine in the Charleston-area. She enjoys caring for animals of all life stages as well as building relationships with their families. Her goal is to help patients live a healthy and happy life. Dr. Bäck’s interests include ophthalmology, dermatology, feline medicine, and geriatric care. She has a niche interest in the peculiarities of greyhound-specific medicine.
Dr. Bäck and her husband have three beautiful, although furry, children—two rescued greyhounds named Juniper and Paige and an orange cat named Pimento. When she is not at the clinic, you can find her at a Pilates studio, exploring trails, or trying a new recipe in the kitchen.
Paul Clarkson, Practice Manager
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 two daughters, two dogs (Roger 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!
Diana Poole, Assistant PM/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 4 dogs named Emily, Archer, Lilo, and Zoey and 3 guinea pigs named Pumpkin, Zero, and Charlotte. 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!
Shyenne Baysinger, Lead Client Care Coordinator
Shyenne moved to Charleston in 2006 from Lakeland, FL. She has a heart for children and animals and loves being involved in their care. She started out babysitting and nannying children at a young age which led her into the field of ABA therapy where she worked as a registered behavior technique therapist for two years . Shyenne has four dogs (Kamrie, Bonnie, Tacho, and Reba) and one cat (Ember). She has recently gotten married to her husband, Thomas. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Mom, pets and loves taking camping trips to the mountains. We are fortunate to have someone with so much compassion on our client care team!
Meridith Pickett, Technician
Meridith was born and raised; she lived in Kansas, the Florida Keys and New Orleans before settling in Charleston in 2020. She is the proud owner of four dogs, Yoshi, Mack, Sushi, and Visenya. Meridith’s passion for animals brought her to Crescent Care Veterinary Clinic. She has a long history of caring for animals as she was a certified animal control officer and dog trainer at previous jobs. Meridith is currently continuing her education to become a LVT. In her spare time, she loves listening to live music with her husband, Jake and cheering on the Green Bay Packers. Meridith’s experience is a great part of our team!
Jennifer Stark, Licensed Technician
Jen 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 20 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!
Jailene Aguirre, Client Care Coordinator
Jailene was born in Atlanta, GA but has lived in Charleston for most of her life. Jailene’s love of animals and people have brought her to Crescent Care Vet, where she works as a Client Care Representative. She graduated from College of Charleston with a Bachelors in Psychology. After graduation, she worked at MUSC in their psych department before moving to East Cooper Medical Center to work in the postpartum department. Jailene has five dogs: Bo, Emmie, Ranger, Roman and Drax. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, fishing and driving her Jeep, especially to the beach! She loves photography, her favorite things to capture on camera are her dogs. Her attention to detail, friendly nature and strong work ethic makes her an important part of our reception team!
Susan VanMiddlesworth, Client Care Coordinator
Susan is a Charleston transplant, moving from Indiana in 2011. She and her husband, Ryan, have three wonderful children. Their family has two dogs, Holly and Carrie. Susan has a Bachelors of Science degree, Susan has had pets her whole life, and her love of animals is clear every day! In her free time, she enjoys hiking and traveling. Susan cares deeply about all the animals who visit Crescent Care, and works hard to make sure they get exactly what they need!
Scotlyn Thomas, Technician
Grace Fulciniti, Technician
Grace is a Lowcountry native who has been around animals her whole life. She loves seeing familiar faces here at the clinic, and meeting new people. Grace is a third generation equestrian, and a third generation vet tech as well! Grace’s many animals include 2 dogs (Harley and Ivy) and 5 horses (Skywalker, Jesse, Cooper, Dream, and Ruby). Grace enjoys spending time with her mom and grandma, horseback riding, hiking, reading, and spending time with friends.
Josh Morales, Technician
After getting out of the Navy, Josh moved from Florida to Charleston where he is now in school for a vet tech degree! Josh lives here with his Fiancée, Gabby, and their dog, Nala, and cat, Kiki. In his spare time Josh enjoys playing basketball and video games, hanging out with his pets, and going to music festivals. Josh has always wanted to work with animals and enjoys building relationships with pets and their parents while being able to help both.
Sabrina Elliott, Technician
Sabrina When she’s not working or in college for a biology degree, Sabrina enjoys reading, drawing, going to the gym, and riding horses. She has three dogs (Phoenix, Gringo, and Bruno) and 1 cat (Salem) Sabrina loves working at Crescent Care and appreciates all the experience and knowledge she is gaining as she works towards a future career as an equine vet!