Dr. Gene Maxwell has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1983. Yes, that is a really long time. He graduated the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. After a year spent practicing in southern Indiana, he returned back home to McMinnville and opened Town & Country Animal Hospital in 1984.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, playing the guitar, and falling out of kayaks in the Collins River. He writes and records music, which you can watch here: 

https://www.youtube.com/@genemaxwell-x5i

He thinks he’s funny, but he’s not.

Dr. Nicole Rigney grew up in rural Middle Tennessee. From a young age she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She received both her BS and DVM from the University of Tennessee. She joined Town & Country Animal Hospital in 2014. She has a special interest in exotic animal medicine, soft tissue surgery, and preventative medicine.

She lives in Manchester, TN with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a bearded dragon. In her spare time, she enjoys wildlife photography, hiking, and gardening.

After first starting out at TCAH as a kennel attendant in high school, Nate returned in the spring of 2020 to serve as TCAH’s Practice Manager. He graduated from Rhodes College and holds an M.A. in Economics from MTSU. In April 2025, he completed the requirements to be recognized as a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, a professional certification overseen by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. He lives in McMinnville with his wife, Emma and their cat, Lily. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar in a local garage band, reading, and games of all kinds.

Missy has been part of the staff family at Town & Country Animal Hospital since 2008. She has been a Veterinary Assistant since 1994 and loves all animals. She was born and raised in Tennessee. Between 1990-2008 she lived in Maine, Guam, Colorado, and Maryland before returning back home to Tennessee. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.

Kelley has been part of the Town & Country Animal Hospital family off and one since the summer of 1993. Her favorite part of the job is getting to know not only the animals, but all of their people as well. Kelley has one dog named Quinn, a 4-pound one-eyed teacup Chihuahua. Quinn rescued Kelley in 2019, when she came into the office as a client surrender. The bond between them is unlike any other. In her spare time, Kelley enjoys spending time with her family, going on road trips in her Jeep, and being at the lake as much as possible.

Lequita has been a registered nurse for 30 years. When she isn’t assisting with the bookkeeping and other tasks (including keeping Dr. Maxwell in line) at Town & Country, she is an RN in the Radiation Oncology Department at Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford. She loves cats, gardening, woodworking, and crafts.

Nikki was born in Sparta, TN. She has lived here in McMinnville since 2019 along with her fiancée, Alex, and her daughter Salym. They like to spend time together fishing, hiking, and swimming, as well as taking care of their 3 cats, Whisper, Willow, and Mia.

Madison grew up in Warren County and graduated from Warren County High School in 2020. She is currently working on becoming a veterinary technician and is very excited to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She has a cat named Jolene and a dog named Milo and loves to spend time with family and friends.

KeyLe has worked in veterinary care since 2022. She lives here in McMinnville on a farm where she helps raise sheep and chickens. She has been involved in showing both sheep and cattle for the last 9 years. She also has two dogs, a Great Pyrenees named Beau and a Blue Heeler named Rooster.