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Meet Our Staff
TRACY MENTO - DVM
Dr. Mento has owned Forest Heights Veterinary Clinic since 2013. She attended University of California, San Diego, and received her BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Cum Laude in 2000. In 2004, she graduated from University of California, Davis, with her DVM degree. She is a member of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Outside the hospital, she volunteers for the Pixie Project and Columbia Humane Society. Dr. Mento is a pet parent to Lucy, a 16 year old tuxedo DSH cat she adopted as an orphan kitten while in vet school and Asha, a 1 year old, grey kitty adopted from Forest Heights Veterinary Clinic. Her hobbies include travel, scuba diving and backpacking.
TAMMY TOMSCHIN - DVM
Dr. Tomschin attended Oregon State University, achieving her DVM degree in 1999. She is a member of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Tomschin interest in veterinary medicine all started after her family got their first dog. She was involved in 4-H throughout middle school and high school and also showed dogs for the AKC. She enjoys taking cooking classes, going on hikes with her pups, knitting and swimming. She has two dogs, Sonja, a 13 year old Lab/Rhodesian Mix, and Sander, a 9 year old Cockapoo and a one eyed black and white kitty named Cookie.
LYN BEDSAUL- DVM
Dr. Bedsaul attended the University of Tennessee for undergrad and veterinary school. She graduated in 2000 and received the Gentle Doctor Award. In 2013, she went back to UT to complete her CCRP, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, which is similar to a physical therapist for dogs. She is a member of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Lance, the Bedsaul's silly senior cat, rules the house and half the street. Other house members include Kris, Lyn, daughters Paige and Claire, and Star, a senior terrier/heeler mix. Lance occasionally allows foster cats and kittens from local shelters and rescues. The Bedsauls love outdoor adventures including biking, skiing, camping, and paddle boarding.
MARISSA PAOLACCI - PRACTICE MANAGER
Marissa studied fine arts with an emphasis in Ceramics at the University of Washington. She started her trek working with animals in Chicago where she was a full time dog walker and veterinary technician for several years before relocating to Portland in 2014. She lives in SW Waterfront, you can find her walking the parks with her partner and their fur family. They proudly own four pets, an English Bulldog Judy, scrappy Pit Bull mix Gary, and two cats Usha and Yawn.
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HANNAH HARGENS - CVT LEAD
Hannah was born in Portland and raised in Beaverton, and has been working in veterinary medicine for 12 years. Her favorite dog breeds are French Bulldogs, Boxers and Pugs. She is the proud owner of a Bulldog/Boxer mix named Gretel, who loves to frequent coffee drive-throughs for pup cups and assorted treats. Hannah has been working as a certified veterinary technician at Forest Heights for five years, where she thrives in dental cleanings and procedures. She is an avid Lord of the Rings fan, and loves filling her time with activities like drawing, making jewelry, playing volleyball and swimming.
KENDRA SUNDT - CVT
Kendra studied Music Performance at Lawrence University Technology at Portland Community College, becoming a certified veterinary technician in 2013. She has been working at Forest Heights since March 2014. In her spare time she enjoys reading, playing video games and watching anime. She has two very entertaining cats, Quill and Nym.
CANDACE HARPOLE - CVT
Candace joined the FHVC team in the Fall of 2021. She has been a certified vet tech for 19 years, the first six living in Hawaii working with both large and small animals, then on to Oregon for the last 13 years when she added working with primates and ferrets to her skill set. Her special interests include cytology, emergency, and reproductive surgeries. In her off time you can count on her spending time with her three rescue cats and her huge Great Dane, Remy.
TAYLOR JASON - CVT
In 2021 Taylor graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's in biology and a minor in psychology. Taylor has worked in vet med for 6 years and graduated from PCC vet tech program in 2025. Taylor joined the Forest heights team at first as an intern before officially joining our team in fall of 2024. She has 3 cats named James, Audry and Kitten. You can catch Taylor reading in the park any chance she gets.
TORI DIEKMEYER - VET TECHNICIAN
Tori (aka Panda) started working at Forest Heights in 2019 as a room technician. Tori got her nickname because of her love for food, cuddles and extreme obsession with pandas. Her loves include music and games of all kinds. She lives in a zoo like most of the staff, with a calico cat Callie, domestic long hair Chloe, and two corgis, B.B.8 and Princess Rey. Panda also adds on two guinea pigs, Meatloaf and Ozzy.
KELSEY CROW - VET TECHNICIAN
Kelsey started with Forest Heights in the winter of 2022 as a hybrid receptionist and technician assistant. After months of training she now assists the doctors as a room technician. Kelsey may be newer to vet med, however she is not new to helping and loving pets, in fact, her first word was dog! In her spare time she likes to go on long walks and lounge in the sun with her two bully breeds, Bronson and Satine. Kelsey also runs her own pet and house sitting operation.
BECCA BEST- CLIENT
SERVICES LEAD
Becca became a member of our staff in September of 2022. Becca formerly worked in healthcare with dementia patients for over 30 years. Prior to Forest Heights she did take a break from healthcare and worked for a vet clinic from 2008-2011. Becca has been married to husband David for almost 23 years, they share two beautiful human children together. Becca has prior education in animal health, and she enjoys working with animals as she currently has no pets.
EMILY GROSS - CLIENT
SERVICES
Emily joined our team as a receptionist when she moved to Portland in fall of 2024. She came to us from Washington state, where she found herself at a vet clinic after several years in farming and landscaping. She still loves plants and on days off can be found either watering her house plants with her cat, Reggie, or out in the woods on hikes and bikes. Emily loves getting to meet all of the animal friends that come to Forest Heights and is excited to continue growing her cat family.
ANGELA HAAS -TECH
ASSISTANT
Angela joined the Forest Heights team shortly after graduating high school. She is the younger sister to Tori, one of our technicians here. On her days off she loves to relax with her fiancé while cuddling with her cat Chloe. Angela's top favorite hobby goes to drawing and art, but video games come in close second, her favorite being Stardew Valley.
ASHLEY CRUZ - TECH
ASSISTANT
Ashley Joined the Forest Heights team in fall off 2024. She grew up on a farm in a small town. She began her love for animals during her time spent in the FFA and barrel racing. Her favorite animal is a longhaired dachshund. She moved to the Beaverton area with her husband and 6 wonderful children 3 years ago. In her spare time, she is cheering on her husband and kids in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.