Meet The Staff
Dr. Grace Kemp
Owner / Veterinarian
Dr. Grace Kemp
Dr. Grace Kemp primarily grew up near a small town in southern Ohio’s Highland County. However, Dr. Kemp also lived in Maine and Oklahoma until her family moved back to Ohio when she was 8 years old. It was in Oklahoma where Dr. Kemp met her first pet, a beloved gerbil named Ariel.
Dr. Kemp has had a fascination and love for animals for as long as she can remember and she knew she wanted to be a vet at a young age. Taking steps to achieve her goal, she participated in many animal projects through 4-H including sheep, rabbits, cats, pocket pets, and veterinary medicine. She attended Southern State Community College as a high school senior, and graduated Valedictorian from Whiteoak High School in 2001. She attended The Ohio State University (OSU), graduating with a Bachelors of Agriculture with a major in Animal Sciences. During undergrad she enjoyed working as a research assistant in the OSU dairy cattle nutrition laboratory. Dr. Kemp’s adventurous nature took her to Australia for study abroad, where the studies focused on animal welfare and production. She also took a class in college that allowed her to go skydiving once. Dr. Kemp also attended veterinary school at OSU and graduated in 2009.
Her first position as a veterinarian was in mixed animal practice where she worked for about 3½ years. She enjoyed working on cats, dogs, cows, horses, sheep, goats, alpacas, and the occasional pig, but decided to focus on the small animal aspect of medicine. As such, she and her husband moved to the Cambridge area where she has held a position practicing exclusively small animal medicine for the last 3½ years. After several years in practice, she decided that she would like to have a place to call her own, and together with her husband, started Goodworks Veterinary Hospital in September 2016.
Dr. Kemp, her husband Joel, and their daughter Clara, currently live outside of Cumberland, but plan to move to the St. Clairsville area soon. They have two pets, a beagle named Fern, and a cat named Steel. Dr. Kemp also claims the office cat Scruffy. In her free time, Dr. Kemp enjoys spending time with her family, especially having cookouts and campfires. As a veterinarian, her goal is to provide the most thorough and compassionate care possible to all of her patients.
Joel Kemp
Owner
Joel Kemp
Joel grew up on a small farm near Belmont where he and his dad raised dairy replacement heifers, some feeder calves, and other livestock. Joel also grew up in the veterinary world. His dad, Dr. Harold Kemp, is a local veterinarian. Joel graduated from Union Local High School in 2001. After high school, he attended and graduated from The Ohio State University (OSU).
Joel was educated as an animal scientist with an emphasis on dairy and life sciences. During college, he worked in a variety of agricultural and veterinary related positions including the OSU dairy nutrition lab, The OSU Veterinary Hospital (in the large animal section), a progressive small animal hospital, and The OSU Waterman Dairy Farm. During some of that time, Joel lived on the OSU Waterman Dairy Farm and served as a student manager. Before starting his current career, he served as an Intern with the veterinary department at Select Sires, which handled the veterinary care for hundreds of breeding bulls.
After college, Joel worked for and with several government agencies in areas related to regulatory veterinary medicine and animal health. As such, he had the opportunity to work with and learn from veterinarians and agricultural leaders throughout the state on a routine basis. As the demands of the veterinary practice grew, he decided to leave public service and focus on the veterinary practice and family.
Joel enjoys outdoor activities, especially the shooting sports. He is a certified firearms instructor and occasionally teaches classes. He also enjoys doing gunsmith work and most any type of handyman or mechanic project. Most of all, Joel likes spending time with his wife, and when possible, family and a great group of good friends.
Joel and Grace have a beagle named Fern who was adopted through a veterinary clinic and a cat named Steel who wandered onto a family member’s property.
Dr. Danielle Carson
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Danielle Carson
Dr. Carson grew up in northeast Ohio outside Youngstown, Ohio, but has lived in the area on and off since 2006. She first graduated from Ohio University with an environmental health science degree and worked as an environmental specialist at a FirstEnergy coal-fired power plant in Shadyside, Ohio. While working there, she started volunteering at the Belmont County Dog Shelter and several local veterinary clinics, realized her love for animals and that veterinary medicine was something she wanted to pursue. She then went back to school at The Ohio State University where she received a B.S. in Animal Science, a minor in Life Sciences, and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and returned to the Ohio Valley to practice large and small animal medicine. Dr. Carson has worked locally for the last 5 years, but now practices mostly small animal medicine. While she mostly practices small animal medicine, she still has a hand in the large animal world and has her own beef cattle farm. Dr. Carson also has a small “herd” of dogs and cats (4 of each) and plans to expand her farm to include goats, horses, and chickens one day. Dr. Carson’s 2-legged family includes her husband, Anthony, and daughters, Ayda Jane and Kit Maree. In her spare time, she loves to be outdoors hiking, camping, riding ATVs, having campfires and listening to good music.
In her career, Dr. Carson enjoys bettering animal and human lives through veterinary medicine and understands how our pets become parts of our families. In practicing her goal is to protect that human-animal bond and she realizes that when you are treating a patient you are also helping their owner. She is very compassionate, enjoys rescue work and has helped to rehabilitate and rehome several animals throughout her 13 years working in different roles in the veterinary field. Her own rescue animals include her dogs; Mojo, Izzy, Dodge, and Red and her 4 black cats; Sammy, Zoe, Blackie, and King.
Registered Veterinary Technician
Jed
Jed has been a registered veterinary technician at Goodworks since our opening day in September 2016. Jed grew up on a small farm in Port Washington, Ohio. He attended Indian Valley High School and during his senior year was named “Best Brave” for his academic and extracurricular achievements. After high school, Jed worked in manufacturing for several years before attending Kent State University. He graduated in 2014 with a degree in applied science for veterinary technology and obtained his license as a registered veterinary technician. During his time at Kent State, he also worked at the Tuscarawas County Humane Society Cat Shelter. As a technician, Jed is especially interested in parasitology and preventive medicine, but his favorite part of working as a veterinary technician is meeting all the unique animals and people. Jed and his wife, Brandi reside in Newcomerstown with their two dogs, Marley and Oreo, and three cats, Tabby, Gemma Teller, and Chubby Wubby. Outside of work, Jed enjoys spending time with family, playing cards, fishing, grilling, and playing video games. He also enjoys watching football and professional wrestling.
Registered Veterinary Technician
Dorothy
Dorothy grew up in Belmont, where her family has a small farm raising sheep and cattle. She was very active in 4-H showing sheep and cattle at the county fair, and later joined FFA earning her state degree. She graduated from Union Local High School in 2012. Dorothy then attended The Ohio State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences as well as Columbus State’s Veterinary Technology program in 2017. Dorothy completed a student externship at Goodworks during school and began her career as a veterinary technician here right after graduation. Dorothy’s favorite part about being a veterinary technician is getting to work directly with the patients and getting to know them. She is especially interested in wellness care and anesthesia. When not working at Goodworks, Dorothy manages her family farm. She currently lives in Bethesda, Ohio with her husband, two cats, Arabella and Minkus, and a Border Collie named Bandit. She and her husband also own three Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, Buford, Sybil, and Aegon.
Veterinary Assistant
Teresa
Teresa has been a veterinary assistant at Goodworks since our opening day in September 2016. She graduated from Meadowbrook High School in Byesville, Ohio. In 2001, she completed a dog grooming course at Diamond Cut Dog Grooming School in Medina, Ohio and was certified as a professional dog groomer. Teresa has extensive experience in veterinary medicine, working in this field since 2008. While Teresa is well versed in multiple aspects of veterinary medicine, her favorite part of her job is interacting with any pet that has a special fondness for humans. Teresa currently resides in Buffalo, Ohio with her cat Callie, rats Copper, Todd, and Squeaks, and her Standard Poodles, Aiden and Sophie. In her free time Teresa enjoys spending time with her Poodles, baking, and making crafts such as wax melts and paint poured coasters and tumblers.
Veterinary Assistant / Receptionist
Chloe
Chloe graduated from Union Local High School in 2021 and has also completed classes at Hondros College becoming a licensed real estate agent. She started working at Goodworks as a veterinary assistant in 2021. Her favorite part of being a veterinary assistant is seeing critical patients receive the treatment they need to make full recoveries, going on to live healthy and happy lives. Chloe currently lives in Saint Clairsville with her husband Jared. She has no pets but plans to adopt one soon. Her favorite dog breeds are the Golden Retriever and German Shepherd. Outside of work Chloe enjoys being outdoors, baking, playing sports, and spending time with her friends and family.
Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist
Erica
Erica joined Goodworks in May of 2023 as a veterinary assistant. She earned an associate’s degree in animal sciences with a specialization in beef cattle from OSU-ATI in 2021. Erica’s favorite part of veterinary medicine is seeing a wide variety of complicated cases that go on to make full recoveries. Erica currently lives in Jacobsburg, Ohio with her husband. She has a Corgi named River, an Australian Shepherd named Odin, and two horses named Dare and Wyatt. She and her husband also own August and Simmental cattle, and they are working toward expanding their herd. Outside of Goodworks, Erica enjoys working on the farm and traveling around the country to cattle shows and sales.
Veterinary Assistant
Kensington
Kensington started working at Goodworks in July 2024 as a veterinary assistant. She grew up in Dover, Ohio for most of her childhood but later moved to Freeport, Ohio where she lives on a small hobby farm with horses, cows, pigs, and goats. She graduated from Buckeye High School in 2024 and played an active role in her school’s FFA. Since she was young, Kensington has had a passion for caring for animals, enjoying tasks such as bottle-feeding rescued barn kittens and tending to her fair goats. She finds joy and fulfillment in nurturing and supporting animals. In her free time, Kensington enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends. Alongside her other farm animals, Kensington has an Australian Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix named Rose.
Veterinary Assistant
Megan
Megan started working at Goodworks in August 2024 as a veterinary assistant. She grew up in Woodsfield, Ohio and graduated from Monroe Central High School in 2015. She then studied at Belmont College and Kent State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in zoology in 2021. She worked at VCA Green Animal Hospital for 6 years, starting as a boarding assistant then moving into a veterinary assistant position. What Megan loves most about her job is working with owners to help their pets receive the medical care they need. Megan currently resides in Saint Clairsville, Ohio with her boyfriend and her Border Collie/Heeler mix named Oakley. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, fishing, riding horses, spending time with her boyfriend, and playing with Oakley.