We are extremely proud of our dedicated team. We hire only the best and most experienced employees to become a part of our team here at Azores Veterinary Practice. Our team is filled with highly dedicated animal lovers who are well trained at their jobs. They will do anything possible for their patients and the owners who love them.
Learning and education are very important here at Azores Veterinary Practice. We strive to have a state-of-the-art hospital with a staff trained in the latest medical advances. Our patients deserve the very best veterinary care.
Basically, our team is full of animal lovers. They make it a goal to treat each patient like their own. They give each patient plenty of love and attention. They are prepared to discuss preventative medicine so that every animal can stay as healthy as possible. They will also do everything that they can to make a sick animal feel better as soon as possible.
If you would like to speak to someone on our team, don’t hesitate to contact us today at (209) 245-7477.
Marissa Soares – Practice Manager
Marissa was born and raised here in Turlock, CA, where she grew up on her family’s dairy. She loved to drive the golf cart around the dairy and help feed the calves. As she got older, Marissa joined 4H and then FFA showing dairy cattle competitively throughout the state of California.
In 2021, Marissa joined the Azores Vet team as the Practice Manager. She is responsible for overseeing day to day operations and ensuring the core values of Azores Veterinary Practice are delivered to our clients.
Melinda Orvis – Laboratory Technician
Melinda Togliatti Orvis manages our milk laboratory. Melinda has worked in the US and International dairy industry for 28 years. She has exported animal genetics worldwide with Landmark/Alta Genetics and managed the Dairy lab for Repro Results prior to joining the Azores Veterinary Practice team.
Melinda grew up in Hughson on the family peach and almond ranch, attended MJC and Fresno State and has a degree in Agribusiness. She lives in Oakdale with her husband Tom where they raised their two grown children, Francesca and Dominic. Francesca is a Speech Language Pathologist in Washington while Dominic is a US Army Airborne Officer currently serving in northern Italy and married to Raven.
Jaqueline Perez – Veterinary Clinic Assistant
Jaqueline Perez was born and raised in Turlock, CA, where she attended Turlock High School. During her time there, she was an active member of the FFA program, serving as FFA Secretary and competing on the vine pruning and dairy products judging teams. She also showcased her agricultural passion by exhibiting market swine, dairy cows, and poultry at the county fair.
Recently, Jackie earned her Associates Degree in Dairy Science and a certificate in Animal Artificial Insemination. She is currently responsible for managing the Azores herd animals, assisting in the clinic, and supporting the milk lab operations.
Morgan Bettencourt
My name is Morgan Bettencourt and I was raised in Newman, California. I developed a strong passion for agriculture through raising swine, poultry, and beef cattle in 4-H and FFA. I was involved in livestock judging throughout high school, then joined the MJC livestock judging team and the dairy science judging team for a short period of time. Throughout MJC, my primary focus and passion has been in the dairy industry as well as the cattle industry. I earned my degrees in Animal Science and Dairy Science from Modesto Junior College, along with my Artificial Insemination certificate. With both hands-on experience and an educational foundation, I hope to continue learning and growing within the agricultural industry.