Meet Our Team

Beyond first-rate pet care, we make our clinic comfortable, kid-friendly, and calm, so your pet can relax in the waiting room and look forward to meeting our Coal City veterinarian.

Learn more about our amazing team below!

Dr. Chris Shirkey, DVM

Dr. Chris Shirkey, DVM

Owner / Veterinarian

Dr. Shirkey has been at Shirkey Vet Clinic since the doors opened in 2007. He graduated from North Central College in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in biology; graduated in 1999 from Northern Illinois University with a Master of Science; and graduated from the University of Illinois in 2003, completing the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program. Dr. Shirkey has always had an interest in biology and animals. He considers himself to be a “bio nerd.” His favorite part of the job is seeing his patients and giving them the proper care they need to be healthy and happy throughout their lives. He enjoys woodworking in his spare time, which he isn’t very good at, and collecting fossils. Dr. Shirkey’s love for animals doesn’t stay at the clinic. He has three yellow labs (Decker, Moose, and Gopher), a Jack Russel Terrier (Olive), a husky mix (Harlan), and two cats (Minion and Nimbus) at home.

Kelsey Czemske

Kelsey Czemske

Practice Manager

Kelsey started at Shirkey Vet Clinic in 2012. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and recently got licensed as a real estate broker. She has always loved animals and started volunteering at a local humane society at an early age. Her favorite part of the job is educating pet owners on vaccines / preventative care and assisting the doctor with diagnostics to help diagnose and treat sick pets. She trains competition dogs in obedience, dock diving, agility, and nose work in her spare time, earning multiple state and national titles. Kelsey and her fiance, Nathan, have four dogs; a Labrador (Dozer), a Border Collie (Coast), a German Shepherd (Bodhi), and a mixed breed (Vader). They also have a cat, Meka, and a pineapple conure, Te(quila).

Darian Ward

Darian Ward

Veterinary Technician

Darian started at Shirkey’s in June of 2023. She has been in the field since January 2021. She is currently enrolled in the JJC vet tech program and will be graduating next spring. She will sitting for her licensing exam in April 2024. She started out in ER medicine working at an emergency veterinary care center in Highland, Indiana. She worked there for 6 months before switching to a small animal practice. Her favorite part of the job is helping those who don’t have a voice and building relationships with clients and their pets. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking at different state parks and doing freelance nature photography. She has 3 cats and 2 dogs that are each their own character. Roo, Ghost, and Fisher are big babies. Jersey and Piper are her two spunky pups. 
McKenzie Grosso

McKenzie Grosso

Veterinary Technician

McKenzie joined the team in September of 2023. She was an EMT for three years before starting the vet tech program through Penn Foster. She has always felt a deeper connection with helping creatures that can’t speak. She grew up participating in 4H and helped birth and raise animals. Her favorite part of the job is the crew and all the creatures she meets. In her spare time, she enjoys archery, fishing, and designing tattoos. She likes spending time with her fiancé, Jacob. They have two cats, Link and Gimli. She also has two dogs, Diesel and Torino. (R.I.P. Diana).

Kayley Kohler

Kayley Kohler

Veterinary Assistant

Kayley started by shadowing here at the clinic and officially started working at Shirkey’s in March of 2023. She has always wanted to be a vet and started her journey in this field by attending WILCO’s career center during her junior and senior year of high school; in their vet assisting program. Her favorite part of the job is getting to work with the animals. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the barn and riding horses as well as spending time with friends and family. Kayley and her parents, Missy and Jeremy, share their home with one spoiled lab, Odin. 
Vada C

Vada C

Vet Tech/Customer Service

Vada started at Shirkey’s as a shadower and officially joined the team in June of 2023. She has been in the field for about a year and is working on completing her Veterinary Technicians Assistant Certification. Once she earns that she will be going into the Vet Tech Program at JJC. As a child, she would play pretend as a vet with her first dog; her love for animals never went away. She loves helping make the vet clinic a pleasant place for all animals and making exams fun. In her spare time, she likes gardening, hanging out with her friends, taking her dogs on walks through town, and taking her little brother to the park. She also enjoys going to the movies with her boyfriend, especially the drive-in. Vada has been dating her boyfriend, Kaleb, since highschool; they have 2 dogs, Meeko (Husky) and Rara (Rottweiler). And 2 cats (Mickey and Neil).
Audrey R.

Audrey R.

Vet Tech

Audrey became a valued member of our team in November 2023, bringing over three years of experience in the animal industry. While K9 CPE certified, veterinary medicine is a fresh and exciting venture for her. Audrey’s journey began in the boarding and daycare sector, but her passion for animals led her to seek a more meaningful role.

Her favorite part of the job is seeing and making relationships with the animals and learning all sorts of new skills. Outside of work, Audrey enjoys quality time with her family and fur babies, indulging in park activities, walks, and hikes. She shares her home with her husband, Michael, and two kids, Charlie and Rynn, as well as her two dogs, Beckett and Elvis, and two cats, Kit and Antonio.

Rachel

Rachel

Vet Tech

Rachel started at Shirkey’s in November of 2024. She graduated from University of Wisconsin- River Falls in 2024 majoring in Animal Science with a Pre-Vet emphasis. She has worked at another hospital in the past as a kennel technician and has worked her way up to a vet tech. Her favorite part of the job is being able to see animals get better with the treatments we do. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, golfing, painting, and riding four wheelers.

Jackie H

Jackie H

Customer Service

Jackie started at Shirkey’s in July of 2023. This is her first job in the veterinary industry! She saw our ad on indeed, applied, and the rest is history! Her favorite part of the job is getting to see everyone’s beautiful pets. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading, and spending time with her family (especially her baby and cats). She shares her home with her husband, Brian. Rae- her daughter. And 3 cats: Raja, Luther, & Khan.
Kylie

Kylie

Customer Service

Kylie joined our team in October 2023, bringing with her 13 years of experience in customer service and an associate’s degree in business administration. While she is new to the veterinary industry, Kylie’s longstanding interest in working with animals led her to take a leap into this new and fulfilling career, and she has been enjoying it ever since.

Her favorite aspect of the job is connecting with pets and their owners, providing assistance tailored to their needs. In her free time, Kylie indulges in her love for boating, traveling, and camping alongside her husband, Sky, and their two dogs, Geo and Millie.

Kacie

Kacie

Customer Service

Kacie started in July of 2024. She was a student at GAVC and got to choose where she wanted to do her clinical rotation. She chose an animal clinic in Morris and fell in love with the idea of being a vet tech. She has multiple years of experience doing various roles in vet med. Her favorite part of the job is spending time with her awesome and ever-so-entertaining co-workers and of course seeing all the different cats and dogs come in. In her spare time, she likes to read horror/murder mystery and romantasy novels. She often goes out line dancing and sings karaoke with her friends. She also likes going for walks with her dogs. She shares her home with Nova, an australian shepherd/catahoula mix, that she adopted from the JJC Vet Tech Program. Story, a very entertaining husky. And Maple, whom she has had since she was 4 weeks old.