Meet Our Staff
Dr. Jerry S. Den Herder — Jerry is a 1972 Graduate of Iowa State University. He spent the first 11 years in a corporate veterinary practice prior to opening the doors to Den Herder Veterinary Hospital in 1983 and moved it to its current location in 1985. He is married to his wife Ronda (Vanderloo) and has 4 daughters and 3 grandchildren. He considers veterinary medicine one of his hobbies and passions and spends the rest of his time with his family, running, boating, and in bible study. Jerry currently has two poodle puppies. He is enjoying the challenge of housebreaking them at home and has had 5 other pets in the past 37 years of practice. He has helped his previous pets through cases of Addison’s disease (a hormonal imbalance) and several bouts of pancreatitis. Going through these issues with his own pets has increased his empathy for clients who may have health concerns for their pets.
Dr. Lori Cherney — Lori is a 1991 graduate of Iowa State University. She joined the Den Herder Veterinary Hospital team in 1994. Lori’s specialties in the hospital are many but she specifically enjoys surgery, pain management, and exotic animal medicine. Lori also donates a large amount of her time to the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project. Lori married her high school sweetheart Ken and they have three children, Hannah, Bryce, and Ty. Lori loves to garden and read in her spare time. She currently has 3 three dogs (all adopted from the local humane society), 3 birds, and 2 Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
Dr. Tom Taylor — Tom is a 2004 graduate of Iowa State University. He first came to Den Herder Veterinary Hospital as a kennel staff employee and veterinary assistant from 1998-2000 and rejoined the team after graduation from veterinary school. Special interests in the hospital include ultrasound and surgery, including orthopedics. Tom is married to his wife Mandy and has three little boys at home to keep him busy while away from the hospital. Tom spends any free time he might have with his family and Vizsla hunting, fishing, camping, or running. Tom can appreciate the hard work it takes to care for high energy dogs.
Tracey — Tracey graduated from Iowa State University with a B.A. in Biology in 1992. She then began work at the hospital while pursuing her degree as a Certified Veterinary Technician graduating from Kirkwood Community College in 1994. Tracey is now back working full-time at the hospital as the Practice Manager. She assists the doctors and staff with outpatients, laboratory testing, and radiology. She specializes in behavior training and positive reinforcement. Tracey and Joe have two children, Sam and Ben, two dogs, two guinea pigs, and one very old white dove. Sadly, Tracey’s family recently lost their beloved Liberty, a 15 year old lab-border collie cross, to cancer.
Deb - Deb joined the Den Herder team in 2008 with the task of starting the grooming department and has done a phenomenal job. Deb has served the Cedar Valley pet community in various roles for 15 years. She has experience as a veterinary assistant, Humane Society director and medical technician, and groomer for 10 years. When not grooming, Deb lives with her 11 year old grandson, Cole. Deb has a passion for French bulldogs and she is owned and trained by Spot and Sully (2 Frenchies). Deb enjoys creatures of all types and has an African Grey and a Sun Conure at home.
Tracy — Tracy is a 2004 graduate of the Kirkwood Community College Certified Veterinary Technician program and has been with Den Herder Veterinary Hospital since graduation. Tracy enjoys and excels in pet dentistry at the hospital. She also spends much of her time assisting in surgery. Tracy and her husband Matt, have a little girl, Isabelle, born in April of 2010. They also have a cat, Cosmo. Cosmo has had a history of heart disease that is being managed well with daily medication. Tracy spends her free time reading and spending time with family and friends.
Jeana — Jeana is a 2006 graduate of the Community College of Southern Nevada veterinary technician program. She joined the Den Herder team in August of 2006. She spends her days at the hospital assisting in surgery, monitoring anesthetized patients, doing teeth cleans, and assisting Dr. Cherney with exotic and wildlife animals. Outside of work, Jeana enjoys being outdoors, fishing, playing sports, and being active with her husband, Mark. Mark and Jeana are the proud parents of Blake, born in June, 2009. Jeana has 2 cats, Midget and Bella, and 3 dogs, Scrubs, Keno, and Yankee. She has a group of healthy pets with special concern for Yankee, a heartworm infection survivor.
Charity - Charity began working at Den Herder Veterinary Hospital in 2006. She started as a kennel staff member and soon after became a veterinary assistant. In 2011, she graduated from Kirkwood Community College’s veterinary technician program and is now a Certified Veterinary Technician in Iowa. After graduation, she moved to Kalispell, Montana to be close to family and began her career as a technician. In February of 2012, Charity returned to Iowa and to our team. When not at work, Charity enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs. Chloe is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix. Joy is a mixed breed of 8 different breeds with a DNA test to prove it! Even though her “girls” are on the smaller side, Charity has a soft spot for big dogs as well. She recently lost her two yellow labs, Maddison and Holly, due to old age.
Keely - Keely began working at Den Herder Veterinary Hospital in 2006 in the front office. Keely loves to greet people and has deep sense of commitment to helping clients and patients as they enter or leave the hospital. Keely is married to Tim and they spend as much time as they can fishing or riding their Harley. Keely and Tim have a soft spot in their hearts for the late “Queen of the Household” Ruby, who passed away March 22, 2010. Ruby was a beautiful black lab and is missed every day. In September of 2011, they were blessed to receive Boise. Boise was in training to be a service dog, but did not pass the “final exam.” She is a super addition to their family and is the new “Queen.”
Sandy - Sandy was a wonderful client for 29 years before joining our team in the fall of 2010. She is married to Dan and they are enjoying their first grandson, Logan, from their daughter Kaley and son-in-law Mike. Sandy spent 33 years in retail management and loves working with people. She also loves pets, so the transition to Den Herder Veterinary Hospital was a fun move for Sandy. She spends her free time with her family, cooking/baking, or taking trips to the ocean whenever she can. Her four dogs Lexi, Lacey, Murphy (all Old English sheepdogs), and beagle Wilbur, keep her and Dan very busy.
Jackie - After spending years as a client, Jackie joined the Den Herder Veterinary Hospital team in 2012 as a member of the front office staff. She came to the Cedar Valley to attend the University of Northern Iowa and remained after graduating. She worked for several years at the Cedar Bend Humane Society and enjoyed helping the homeless animals of the area. It was at the Humane Society where she met her first dog, Speckles, a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd mix and many of her pets, not to mention the mascot of the shelter at the time, Steve the iguana. Jackie shares her home with her boyfriend Jamie, two cats, Oona and Claudia and a dashing duo of Chihuahuas, Roxy and Griffin. Roxy and Jackie train and compete in agility through AKC.
Kirsten - Kirsten has been with Den Herder Veterinary Hospital since 2004. She manages the hospital’s inventory needs, bookkeeping/payroll, billing, computer issues, social media and online communications. Kirsten and her husband Emerson have three little boys: Emerson, J.D., and John. They are down to one elderly cat, Thumper, who was owned by the late Tasha Lang. Thumper has kidney failure, but with fluid therapy is doing well. In her free time she adjuncts night classes for UNI.
Kacie - Kacie started at Den Herder Veterinary Hospital in 2008 in the kennel staff and also spends time assisting the doctors with outpatients and lab work. She graduated from Hawkeye Community College in 2004 with a degree in photography, and spends much of her free time taking beautiful photos and has recently started taking photos for weddings, children, and pets. Kacie took many of the pictures for our websites. She and her husband Mike own and operate a power-washing service “Siding Cleaning Specialists” that keeps them very busy. They have one son, Beau, born in September 2011. They own two wonderful pets, Chloe the cat, and Tucker, a boxer. In the little free time they have, they enjoy traveling, spending time with family, and fishing.
