Our Team

If you’re looking for skilled, compassionate and experienced veterinarians in Centennial, you should meet our team! We know that quality medical care is only one part of the equation when it comes to caring for your pet. Kindness, patience, and respect for pets and their caring owners are equally important and something we set out to accomplish every day. Get to know our team and see if Festival Animal Clinic is the right fit for you! And when you're ready to make an appointment, call us at (303) 850-9393.

Veterinarians

dr rob leenarts

Dr. Rob Leenerts

Dr. Rob Leenerts is a Colorado native and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1986. Upon graduation, he practiced in Northern California for 10 years before returning to Colorado. He has worked at practices in Broomfield, Parker and Lone Tree before having the opportunity to partner with Dr. Knapp in the purchase of Festival Animal Clinic in July, 2012. In the spring of 2009, Dr. Leenerts completed training and certification in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture at the Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He currently provides medical acupuncture for dogs and cats at our facility and enjoys the interactions he has with the pets and their human companions.

Dr. Leenerts lives south of Parker with his wife, Kay.  They have an adult daughter and son and share their home with a menagerie of pets including a Shih-tzu named Micah, a Dachshund/Chihuahua named Gabe and two cats, Mango and Delli.  Dr. Leenerts enjoys hiking, camping, biking, playing tennis and participating in the world wide treasure hunting game of geocaching. He also is a sign language interpreter and provides this service weekly at the church he attends as well as for our hearing impaired clients.

Dr. Kathleen Costello

Dr. Costello has practiced small animal medicine in the Denver Metro area since 2006. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University, after completing a B.A. in Journalism from Colorado State University and a M.S. in Education from Drake University. Prior to becoming a veterinarian, Kathleen worked as an elementary school teacher in Colorado and Nebraska. Dr. Costello enjoys many aspects of veterinary medicine, but has special interest in internal medicine, cardiology, and ophthalmology. In her free time, she spends time with her family and furry friends. Dr. Costello, her husband, Brian and their two daughters share a home with 3 dogs: Lucy and Hank, both Border Collies and Pixie, a Maltipoo, and 3 cats; Jack Jack, Foo Fighter, and Finn. In her spare time, Kathleen enjoys spending time with her family going to music concerts, ice hockey games, cello concerts and learning how to crochet. Dr. Costello also enjoys reading historical fiction and practicing yoga.

Dr. Costello
chelsea mcgivney

Dr. Chelsea McGivney

Dr. McGivney grew up in Albuquerque, NM and achieved her bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  After serving her country as an active duty Air Force officer, she decided to go back to school and graduated with a DVM from Colorado State University in 2013.  Dr. McGivney completed a small animal rotating internship at a specialty hospital in Maryland after graduation, has practiced in Maryland and Colorado, and currently enjoys working with our team at Festival Animal Clinic.  Her professional interests include a focus on preventative medicine, nutrition, and geriatric care.

In her personal time, Dr. McGivney enjoys doing CrossFit, hiking, exploring new cities when traveling, and spending time with her husband and pets.

Dr. Emilee Weiblen

Dr. Emilee Weiblen is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She completed a BA in both Biology and Spanish from Albion College prior to earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Weiblen discovered her passion for soft tissue surgery and integrative medicine while in veterinary school. Her deep love for animals and being able to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves drives her to provide the best medical care for each patient. While not originally from Colorado, she is excited to explore all that it has to offer. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, practicing yoga, exploring the Denver food scene and spending time with her two cats, Sansa and Hugo.

Dr Weiblen

Practice Manager

jessica l

Jessica L.

Jessica was born and raised in Atlanta GA.  She moved to Denver in May of 2017.  Jessica has been a Veterinary Technician since February 2002 and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  She loves caring for all of the animals that come into the clinic and her southern charm puts clients at ease right away.  She found her home away from home here at Festival Animal Clinic in 2019.  Jessica loves spending time with her husband and fur babies.  Also enjoys hiking, camping, and horseback riding.

Client Service Coordinator

Karen Lead Client Service Coordinator

Karen is a native of Colorado where she graduated from High School. She has been in the veterinary field since 1992 when she started out working in the kennels at a local emergency clinic. She has been with our team since 1998 as both a receptionist and technician.  She enjoys all aspects of her job and especially wants to make sure our clients and patients are happy and comfortable. Karen is married with two grown children and three grandsons.  Outside of work she enjoys the outdoors, hiking with her dog, horseback riding, camping and travelling.

karen

Client Service Representative

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Debbie C.

Native of Colorado, she resides in the Centennial area with her husband of over 20 years and her chi-weenie Holden. She loves every aspect of working at the clinic particularly ensuring clients and their fur babies are promptly and courteously tended to.

Technicians

Stephanie

Stephanie graduated from Bel Rae Institute where she received her degree as a certified technician in 1986.  Steph enjoys interacting with our clients as well as administering treatments and nursing her patients.  She is also very interested in dentistry and assisting our veterinarians with surgery. Steph has two grown children and 1 dog and 2 cats. Her hobbies include biking, hiking and reading.

stephanie
yuko

Yuko

Yuko was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan and moved to Cincinnati, OH with her husband in 1999.  She undertook the veterinary technology program at University of Cincinnati, earned an Associate of Applied Science degree and became a credentialed technician in 2005.  Upon graduation, her family moved to Colorado and she started work as a certified veterinary technician in the south Denver area. Yuko has two senior Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Toby and Emma plus an 18-year-old cat Yoda.  Yuko's professional interests include senior care, dentistry, and cardiology.  In her free time, Yuko enjoys practicing yoga, going hiking and skiing along with her teenage son.

Jeanne

Jeanne graduated from Bel-Rea Institute where she received her degree as a certified technician in 2000. She has been with our team since 2017 and enjoys all aspects of pet care.  When she isn’t working, Jeanne’s interests include hiking and reading.  She also loves baseball and Colorado beer.

jeanne
debbie

Debbie

Debbie grew up in Pennsylvania but moved to Nevada when she was 17.  Next, she made her way to California and while there worked with Dr. Leenerts at 2 different Veterinary practices.  Moving to California’s Central Valley she worked in a Veterinary Orthopedic Surgery Practice.  Finally, she found her way to Colorado and joined Dr. Leenert’s practice again.  It feels like coming home.  Debbie loves animals of all kinds and has had a wide assortment over the years.  Currently, she is passionate about dog rescues and gardening.

Technician Assistants

Alia

Alia grew up in Northern Colorado and moved to Denver for school.  She plans to go to school to become a Certified Veterinary Technician.  Alia loves spending time outdoors with her dogs, Sydney and Yuma.

alia
chloe

Chloe

Chloe knew from an early age that animals would be in her life.  She decided it was a natural progression to make animals her career and became a Certified Veterinary Assistant in 2020 and has loved every minute of it.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends