Meet Our Team in Zion

The team at Gray Animal Hospital is here for all your pet’s needs. Call (224) 304-0668 or use the online form to book an appointment for your pet!

Tonya Gray

DVM, Owner

Dr. Tonya Gray received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1998. Her areas of interest include dentistry, having completed extensive training from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and emergency surgery. She holds professional memberships with the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA).

Dr. Gray chose her career path for the love of science and pets. She knew veterinary medicine was the right fit since high school and enjoys nurturing close, longtime bonds with families as they care for pets. Her most rewarding experience in her career is opening Zion’s first animal hospital and offering residents affordable veterinary care that’s also state-of-the-art.

Dr. Gray married her husband Rick the same year she started veterinary school. Raising their three sons, Ricky, Derrick, and Benjamin, is her greatest life accomplishment. When she’s not busy helping pets and their families, she’s cooking for hers, watching her sons play sports, weight training, or running – she recently ran her first half-marathon.

Linda Lewiston

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Lewiston earned her DVM from Iowa State University in 2009. She then completed a small animal rotating internship at Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Northbrook, IL. She is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Training Academy and is a certified training partner. Prior to becoming a veterinarian, she worked as a high school science teacher, a junior high/high school guidance counselor, and an emergency medical technician for a hospital-based ambulance service. She got into veterinary medicine because she had a cat that started having seizures. The veterinarian that took care of her encouraged Dr. Lewiston to become a veterinarian, and so she did! In her current role, she enjoys working with animals and giving them the best quality of life possible. She believes that in order to work with animals, you must work with the owners, and that can be extremely rewarding!

At home, Dr. Lewiston has two Boxers and four Golden Retrievers. She and a friend breed Golden Retrievers and many of the puppies have become service dogs. One is even a drug sniffing dog with a police department! She enjoys doing conformation, obedience, and agility with her dogs and has earned obedience titles and good citizen titles for many of them! She also works with many rescues to help dogs who have behavioral issues become better suited for adoption. In addition to her dogs, she has multiple cats that are all rescues who needed a place to call home! In her spare time, she enjoys curling up with a good book and cat on her lap.

Kay Sramek

Relief Veterinarian

Dr. Sramek graduated with her DVM from Mississippi State University in 1990. Thanks to the wonderful reputation of Dr. Gray and her team, Dr. Sramek couldn’t see herself working anywhere else. The veterinary profession continues to evolve and make life better for pets and their owners, and Dr. Sramek is grateful to be a part of that here at Gray Animal Hospital.
At home, Dr. Sramek has two sons, and her family is virtually surrounded by animals–they have dogs, cats, horses, and cows. When she has the free time, Dr. Sramek loves to travel, but she also enjoys training her Labrador.

Cindy

Practice Manager

Cindy is excited to be at Gray Animal Hospital and she looks forward to working with our team and our patients. What she finds most rewarding about her position is being able to work with so many great people and helping in any way she can—she’s a people person, and she loves helping others. Cindy married her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they now have three grown children and three grandchildren. She’s extremely proud of them, and could not ask for a better reward in life. Cindy and her husband also have two pets; a Yellow Lab named Phoebe and a male Butterfly Betta named Fin. She loves spending time with her family, along with doing needlework, babysitting her grandkids and watching the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

Brenda

Veterinary Technician

Brenda has always wanted to work in the animal care industry since she was young. She is certified as a veterinary assistant and is currently enrolled in a course to become a certified veterinary technician. Her favorite part about her job is having the opportunity to help animals that are sick.

Brenda and her husband have three pets including Lobo, a German Shepherd, Tinkerbell, a Maltepoo, and Miso, a Holland Lop bunny. In her spare time, she enjoys painting (using acrylic, watercolor, and oils), going to concerts, and watching action movies.

Heather

Veterinary Technician

Heather earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UW Parkside. Since she was a child, she has always loved animals and caring for them. She especially loves the bond between humans and animals, and how much joy they can bring to our lives! The most rewarding part of her career is being able to provide compassionate care to the animals she sees.

Heather is married to her husband, Dustin, the best dog-dad ever! They have an energetic Boxer named Mia who they just love and adore! In her spare time, Heather enjoys pottery, baking, working out, and spending time with family. Oh, and eating chocolate! She and Dustin also love movies and her favorites are comedies, and the movie, Jaws. She also loves to watch Shark Week!

Maria

Veterinary Technician

Maria received her DVM from the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas in 1987. She chose to become a veterinarian because of her father. She grew up on a ranch and helped her father care for the animals, and that’s how her love for them grew! In her current role, she loves helping with surgeries and seeing pets improve while in her care.

Maria and her husband, Francisco, have two children, Grecia who is studying for her master’s degree, and Francisco who is finishing his undergraduate degree. They have a dog, Milo, an Australian Shepherd, Pancholin, a cockatiel, and many fish! In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music and reading. One of her greatest accomplishments in life has been coming to a new country and having her children understand and be a part of two cultures.

Angie

Veterinary Technician

Every since she was a little girl, Angie has dreamed of having a job where she could help animals. As someone who was always fascinated with the medical aspect of animal care, it seemed fitting for her to seek a career in the veterinary industry! She received her certificate as a veterinary assistant from the College of Lake County to further her career in veterinary medicine. Now, she gets to work with animals every day, and finds that the most rewarding part of her job is helping animals day-in and day-out.

At home, she and her spouse have a son, Nicco, as well as a Chihuahua, Sugar, and a freshwater tank filled with 3 fish and shrimp. In her spare time, Angelica enjoys drawing, going to forest preserves with her dog and son, and cooking—particularly her favorite dish, fettucine alfredo!

Danaya, C.V.T.

Veterinary Technician

Danaya graduated from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s in agricultural science, with a concentration in veterinary technology. She is a first-generation college graduate in her family. Danaya has dreamed of being a veterinarian since kindergarten, but she decided to become a tech first so she could gain hands-on experience. She is currently expecting a daughter (due January 2023), and she currently has 3 pets at home: Ragnar, a teacup Pomeranian, and T’Challa and G’bemi, both domestic shorthair cats. Danaya’s favorite aspect of being a technician is having the opportunity to save lives. When she isn’t working, she prefers to spend her free time traveling, drawing, painting, reading, and doing graphic design.

Ariana

Veterinary Assistant

Ariana has been around animals her whole life. On mission trips, she would often have dogs following her around, and that made her realize she was meant to help those who can’t speak for themselves. Ariana took the CLC assistant program before taking on the vet assistant role here at Gray Animal Hospital. As part of our team, she loves learning something new every day and being an advocate for animals and their owners. At home, Ariana has 3 dogs: Shelly the Maltese, Coco the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Trixie, a Pom-Chi. When she isn’t working, Ariana enjoys singing with her worship group, taking photos, and spending time with her friends and family.

Ashley

Veterinary Assistant

Ashley always loved animals and would do anything she could to help them, even at a very young age. She has an associate degree in applied veterinary sciences and enjoys using her knowledge and experience to help patients get better and educate owners on how to better understand their pets. She and her husband share their home with Gidget, a Dachshund, and they enjoy spending time outdoors together. Ashley also loves watching movies, going fishing, playing board games, and just spending quality time with her family.

Chad

Veterinary Assistant

Chad started out working at a small-town animal clinic while he was in high school, and this made him realize he truly enjoyed pet care. He also spent some time working at a dog daycare center, but he missed the medical side of things. So he joined the Gray Animal Hospital team and has been learning and growing ever since! He loves seeing sick or injured animals come back happy and healthy.

In his free time, Chad loves doing art projects, aquascaping freshwater tanks, and taking naps.

Bridgette

Veterinary Assistant

When she was a kid, Bridgette had a Holland Lop rabbit that inspired her to pursue a career in the veterinary field. She absolutely loved caring for her rabbit, and she also had gerbils, dwarf hamsters, birds, hermit crabs, and turtles while growing up! In 2021, Bridgette earned her veterinary assistant certificate from College of Lake County. The most rewarding part of her job is getting to take care of animals and help them feel better. Outside of the practice, Bridgette loves gardening, baking (homemade brownies are one of her favorites), drawing, and playing video games.

Monica

Veterinary Assistant

Monica decided on a career in veterinary medicine due to the passion she has for animals. She believes that her greatest life accomplishment so far has been to professionally work for the care of animals.

At home, Monica lives with her family, Alex, Alex Jr., and Kassandra, as well as their pets, Diesel, a German Shepherd, and Guillermo, a green checkered bird. When she has time, Monica enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and exercising.

Kim

Receptionist

Kim grew up with many pets, and in a family that also loved pets. She always loved going along to all their veterinary appointments! Kim has been a receptionist for 30 years, and cannot imagine doing anything else. She loves her career, her coworker family, and all the wonderful people and pets she’s had the pleasure of meeting over the years. She treasures the relationships and friendships she has built during this time, and enjoys helping educate people to help their pets live their best lives.

Kim’s four-legged best friend is Helmi, a Rottweiler, with whom she enjoys taking walks and sitting on the sofa with her boyfriend, watching a movie with a fire crackling in the fireplace. Her other hobbies include bicycling, reading, doing yard work, and walking her dog.

Francisco

Receptionist

Being in a position to help pets in need is one of Francisco’s favorite things about his job. He has 2 four-legged family members of his own, an Australian Shepherd named Milo and a cockatiel called Pancholin.

Outside of work, Francisco’s hobbies include going to the gym, painting canvases, and thrifting. Some of his other favorite things include Disney’s Hercules and Colombian empanadas.

Yvonne

Receptionist

Yvonne joined our practice out of her love for animals, and is grateful to have the opportunity to work with the caring individuals here at Gray Animal Hospital. She has 3 dogs of her own at home; 2 English Pointers, Rosebud and Navarre, and a Treeing Walker Coonhound named Sunny D. In her spare time, Yvonne trains dogs (she has proudly certified 2 search and rescue dogs so far), and she regularly participates in dog shows.

Chris

Receptionist

Chris has always had pets and she previously worked for an animal shelter in Kenosha, so working in a veterinary office was an easy choice for her. Getting to know all of our clients and patients is very rewarding, and she looks forward to meeting you and your pets! Chris has 3 children, 3 grandchildren, and 4 cats (Babies, Milo, Littles and Roni) and 2 rabbits (Cookie and Oreo). Outside of work, Chris enjoys sitting by the lake, reading, and spending time with her family. She’s also a big Green Bay Packers fan!

Amarr

Kennel Attendant

Amarr’s decision to work in veterinary medicine stems from his love of animals. He also genuinely likes the people he works with each day here at Gray Animal Hospital. While he doesn’t have any pets of his own, Amarr does get to care for a wide range of dogs and cats, so he can’t complain. When he isn’t working, he enjoys reading, watching football, and listening to music. Amarr also loves food and has a great sense of humor.