Oakland, CA

Dr. Kimberly Carlson is the Lead Veterinarian for Project Street Vet Oakland and a board-certified veterinary surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. Her path to veterinary medicine took an unexpected turn. After seven years in stock trading in Chicago, she decided to leave finance behind and pursue what she really wanted to do: help animals. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001, followed by advanced surgical training in New York, Dallas, and at Tufts University before building her career in Northern California.

After years of caring for pets throughout the Bay Area, Dr. Kim wanted to bring her skills beyond the walls of a traditional veterinary hospital. An introduction to Project Street Vet gave her that opportunity. Today, she brings decades of clinical and surgical experience directly to pet families at the point of need while helping build greater access to veterinary care throughout Oakland.

But it's the people, not just the medicine, that keep her coming back. Street outreach has given Dr. Kim the opportunity to listen to pet parents, learn their stories, and see firsthand the extraordinary bond they share with their animals. The experience has also challenged assumptions she once held about homelessness and reinforced something at the heart of Project Street Vet's work: every person deserves to be met with compassion, not judgment. For Dr. Kim, every outreach is an opportunity to listen, learn, provide care, and help protect a bond that doesn't depend on circumstance.

Heather Witkowski, RVT, has spent nearly 20 years in veterinary medicine, but her commitment to helping animals began much earlier. After experiencing firsthand as a child what it was like to be unable to access veterinary care for a beloved pet, Heather knew she wanted to build a career helping animals when they needed it most. She graduated from the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in 2006 and later earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management and a certificate in Animals and Human Health from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work, deepening her understanding of the bond between people and their pets.

Long before Project Street Vet officially arrived in Oakland, Heather was already meeting pet families in her community through street outreach. After discovering Project Street Vet and connecting with the organization three years ago, she became a driving force behind bringing a team to the Bay Area. Her persistence, community relationships, and belief that veterinary care should be within reach helped turn that vision into Project Street Vet Oakland.

For Heather, street veterinary medicine starts with trust. She approaches every pet family with empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to listen, recognizing that every person and every pet has a story. Her work has reinforced a principle that guides every outreach: lead with compassion for the person, and you create an opportunity to care for the animal they love.