Ann Ascher, DVM
Education: Auburn University-1983
Dr. Ascher considers herself lucky to have been able to follow her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in Biology & obtained her DVM from Auburn University. She enjoys being surrounded here at Clover Hill with a staff that loves people & animals and a culture of kindness & compassion. Dr. Ascher enjoys surgery, challenging cases, dentistry, and is USDA accredited. In her spare time, she cares for two aging kitties, three dogs, and four horses. She also enjoys gardening and ballroom dancing with her husband, Bill.
Christy Artuso, VMD
Education: University of Pennsylvania-1998
Dr. Artuso graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BS in natural sciences and earned her veterinary degree from University of Pennsylvania. She practiced for 3 years in Basking Ridge before joining Clover Hill Animal Hospital in 2001. Dr. Artuso is fear-free certified and accredited by the USDA to provide health certificates for international travel. Her focus in practice is on preventive care, wellness, and internal medicine. Dr. Artuso and her husband Brian have four active children who keep them very busy. When she isn’t spending time with her family or watching them play sports, you can find her reading, gardening, practicing yoga, or paddleboarding. She also enjoys watching college and professional sports while snuggling with one or more of her four cats: “Z”, Celia, Jackson “the trouble maker”, or Raelyn.
Elizabeth Pope, DVM
Education: Oklahoma State University
Dr. Elizabeth Pope grew up in NJ with the dream of pursuing a career caring for animals. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences where she met her husband, Nick, a fellow veterinarian. After graduation, they returned to the garden state and they reside in Hunterdon County with their beautiful baby boy, Benjamin, two spoiled dogs, Eloise and Brody, and a small herd of cows, goats, and chickens. Dr. Pope treats small animals and has a personal interest in internal medicine, rescue work, preventative care, and oncology.
Nicholas Pope, DVM
Education: Oklahoma State University
Dr. Nicholas Pope grew up on a farm in Oklahoma knowing he wanted to be a veterinarian from day 1. Dr. Pope’s grandmother was the office manager of a multidoctor clinic in his hometown, inspiring his desire for owning and operating veterinary hospitals and beginning his lifelong involvement in the veterinary industry. He is passionate about delivering exceptional patient care, leadership development of his team members, and practice management. He loves living in beautiful Hunterdon County on a small farm with Elizabeth, Benjamin and all his animals. When not at any of the practices you can find him either fishing the Raritan, golfing, or driving around admiring his cows.
Chelsey Smentkowski, DVM
Dr. Chelsey joined the Clover Hill team in August 2023. Dr. Chelsey attended Wilson College for her BS in Biology and earned her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Chelsey is a New Jersey native who has worked the last 6 years in Central NJ. She strongly believes in the power of the human-animal bond and works to educate pet parents to provide their furry family members with the best care possible. Her special interests include veterinary dentistry and palliative care. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her significant other Michael working on their many projects and relaxing with her cats Yams, Baby, Mozzie, and Papi. She believes cats are like potato chips, you can’t just have one!
Ashley Quickel
Ashley always wanted to be a veterinarian & joined us in 2005 when she was just a teenager. She has since graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Penn State University, along with a master’s degree in Lab Animal Science from Drexel University. Although she’s obtained a job with a pharmaceutical company, she continues to work for us two days a week. When she is not working, she spends her free time on her farm caring for her horse, Mayfair, goats, Boaty and Deer, donkeys, Pedro and Harvey, and barn cat, Titty.
Courtney Rau
Courtney joined the Clover Hill family in November 2013. Born an animal lover, Courtney began as a kennel assistant in a boarding facility that was attached to an animal hospital. From that point on, she knew her ultimate goal was to become a certified veterinary technician and is in the process of achieving her degree and certification. Courtney has 4 male cats (Nirvana, Spartacus, Bentley, & Kolton), a male Pitbull Mix (Major), and a female German Shepherd Mix (Kimber).
Nicole Herbert, CVT, Practice Manager
Nicole started at the practice back in 1998. She sat and passed her VTNE and achieved her CVT (certified veterinary technician) in 2006. She volunteers in her community by participating in CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) for Hunterdon County and is a member of NJSART (NJ State Animal Response Team). She is a brown belt in an older/original style of Isshin Ryu karate from Okinawa Japan and practices locally in Branchburg. She has fostered and raised multiple pets and currently has one dog and four cats at home and one cat at Clover Hill called BooBoo.
Tracy Roksvaag
Tracy’s journey into the world of animal care started at age 8 when she received her very first dog and it has been a love affair with animals & rescue ever since! She joined the Clover Hill team in 2006 and is still with us part time. She shares her home with Jude, an indoor/outdoor kitty who brings home “presents” despite being a tripawd. And she recently foster-failed & adopted Beeker, a lab terrier mix who had seven puppies nicknamed “The Beek Squad.” Tracy’s hobbies include reading, Golden Girls trivia, and impromptu trips to Home Goods.
Emily Edelsberg
Emily joined the Clover Hill team in June 2019. She earned her degree in Biology from The George Washington University and recently applied to veterinary school with the hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming a veterinarian. In her spare time, Emily enjoys exploring nature and finding new places to walk and hike. She also loves spending time with her friends & family, and getting cuddles from her dog, Buddy, and two sweet kitties, Pip & Benny.
Bethany Munkel, CVT
Bethany is a 2015 graduate of The Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh. Her special interests at work are dentistry and feline behavior. Outside of work, she is an avid hockey fan and enjoys hiking, playing video games, and kayaking with her boyfriend. She lives with her sister and four cats – Surma, Nestlé Chunk, Tuukka, and Jazzy.
Samantha Ruley
Sam Ruley joined the Clover Hill team in December of 2019. Like most of our staff, she had a love of animals and science from a young age and went to college to study biology. After discovering her passion for veterinary work, she switched lanes to focus on developing her skills as a veterinary technician. Since then she has been working in the veterinary field for a little over two years. On her days off she can usually be found surrounded by the wagging tails of her and her family’s dogs: Butterscotch, Emie, Miley, and Winnie.
Samantha Artuso
Samantha Artuso joined the Clover Hill family in the summer of 2020. She is currently majoring in Biology and minoring in Spanish at Rutgers New Brunswick with plans to pursue veterinary school after graduation. Aside from her job at Clover Hill, Samantha loves hiking, coffee, and her four cats at home: Z, Jackson, Celia, and Raelynn.
Ellen Wexler
After many years in the corporate world and dental industry, Ellen joined the practice in 2021. She has a B.A. in Education. Her passion is working with New Jersey wildlife and is in her 25th year volunteering at Woodlands Wildlife Refuge. Her two cats, Franklin and Georgio, keep her busy at home, as well as her passion for cooking.
Jennifer Ball
Jennifer “Jenny” Ball is a student at Delaware Valley University aspiring to become a large animal veterinarian. Jenny has 3 dogs, a cat, and a lot of chickens and cows. She is so happy to have joined the Clover Hill team to be able to learn and grow as she moves forward with her goal of becoming a veterinarian.
McKenna Neas
McKenna’s love of animals started as a child on her family’s farm with their farm animals and personal pets. In McKenna’s free time she enjoys hiking with her personal dogs and training dogs. She also can be found volunteering and fostering for local rescues. Which led to her decision to switch her career lane back to working with animals. Her house is full of her own pups (Remi, Maya, Finnley, and Bailey) and kitties in addition to fosters.