Our Staff

Gaby Avalos

General Manager

Gaby has been with Cheng Plastic Surgery since 2015 – simultaneously fulfilling her duties as General Manager and Financial Adviser all in one. We love to refer to Gaby as the “heart” of the office – as her first priority first and foremost is to make sure all of her staff is happy, taken care of and supported. She is responsible for managing our amazing team and making sure the day to day operations run smooth – always being the one person our doctors, staff and patients can go to in any situation.

Although her main role in the office is our General Manager, she continues to maintain her finance duties – as her first true love with always be numbers! She has a degree in public accounting from Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESO), from where she graduated with honors. She has experience with renowned companies such as Hewlett Packard, where she got to manage accounting and payroll processes. During her work experience, she has performed audits, accounting and financial analysis, budgeting, cost control, event and schedule planning.

Gaby’s hobbies include dance, painting, running and traveling. Her true passion is her family, as she loves nothing more than to spend her free time with her two sons and husband.

Nancy Silva

Office Manager

Meet our office manager here at Cheng Plastic Surgery, Nancy! She works behind the scenes and is right hand to Gaby our general manager. Having worked for over 7 years in the cosmetic industry, she uses her expertise to do all kinds of projects at the office.

She studied at San Jose State and graduated with a Communications degree and a double minor in Spanish and Psychology. She loves to learn new things; she's currently practicing piano and taking a course on mixology. She loves trying new things and visiting new places around the world. Catch her around the office with coffee or boba in hand.

Edina Wittekind

Patient Care Coordinator / Medical Assistant Director

Edina came to Cheng Plastic Surgery in 2011 and currently serves as our Patient Care Coordinator. She also fulfills her duties as Medical Assistant Director – leading all of our medical staff to ensure our patients receive the best care possible. In the many years she’s been with the practice – she’s fulfilled almost every job title from receptionist to medical assistant and everything in between. For that reason, her vast arsenal of knowledge is able to better educate our staff and patients with any and all inquiries they may have.

Edina’s compassionate personality and love for the industry is why she loves taking care of patients and seeing how happy they are after having procedures at our center. In fact, she has her own after-care service, offering our patients at home care after surgery. She feels there is no greater feeling than guiding our patients through their surgical journey, both emotionally and physically.

Married with a daughter and adorable dog Coco, Edina was born and raised in San Jose and lives in Willow Glen. She loves spending time with her family and friends and volunteering in her community.

Teresa Trinh, RN

Director of Nursing/Aesthetic Nurse

Teresa Trinh is our Director of Nursing here at Cheng Plastic Surgery! Being a jack of all trades, Teresa has assumed many roles in our surgery center including operating room director, circulating nurse and scrub nurse. Her collaborative work with our board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists is what ensures the comfort and safety of our patients during their journey in aesthetic surgery.

In addition to her role in the surgery center, Teresa is also one of the five talented providers in our medspa. Trained personally by Dr. Jacqueline Cheng and Dr. Elbert Cheng, Teresa has the caliber to perform all the nonsurgical procedures offered in our medspa. Her love for her patients and aesthetics is what motivates her to stay up-to-date on the latest technology, techniques, and trends in the industry.

In her free time, you'll always find her spending time with her loved ones, traveling, or trying new restaurants. She also loves to indulge in alone time by hiking or relaxing with a glass (or two) of wine.

Alex Gowda, RN

Aesthetic Nurse

You can feel the midwestern hospitality come through when chatting with Nurse Alex. She has grown and advanced with the practice, joining Cheng Plastic Surgery in 2015 as an assistant to the office manager and stepping out as a RN in 2017. Aesthetic nursing feels like home to Alex, as she loves making connections with her patients and truly cares about their goals and anxieties. She strives to give her patients natural results and gives honest, experience-based feedback during consultations.

Expanding her scope, She joined Lucile Packard Stanford Children’s Hospital as an OR nurse in 2021. She finds working with children extremely rewarding and is grateful to be able to care for them.

She has traveled to over 15 countries and is always ready to explore with her family of 4 in tow, learning from and appreciating other cultures with every trip. Never known to turn down a good dessert, she also enjoys baking with her daughter.

Kevin Nguyen, NP

Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner

Kevin is our Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner. He started his healthcare career as a Respiratory Therapist at a Level II trauma center before transitioning into the nursing field. His nursing background includes caring for patients on Hospice and working in Medical Weight Management. He furthered his education and training by graduating with a Master of Science in Nursing from Samuel Merritt University and is an AANP board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Having practiced Aesthetic Medicine since 2020, Kevin brings his wealth of knowledge and experience from working in Medspas and Aesthetic clinics before joining Cheng Plastic Surgery. He specializes in injectables, and his favorite treatment area is the lips due to how much it can enhance one’s appearance and bring back a youthful look! He is known to minimize any discomfort from treatments using a light hand and pain management techniques. Kevin’s philosophy in Aesthetic Medicine is to meet his clients' goals by setting realistic expectations and achievable results.

In addition, Kevin’s approach is to help you achieve a natural and refreshed appearance without looking “overdone”. His friendly, empathetic and calm demeanor while maintaining professionalism will alleviate your concerns to create a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Kevin is native to the Bay Area and enjoys spending time with his family/friends, trying new restaurants and is working on traveling more internationally to experience different foods and cultures.

Ashley Schaller, RN

Operating Room Nurse/Aesthetic Nurse

Meet our operating room nurse and new resident to the Bay Area, Ashley! She grew up in the Chicagoland area and was raised by two strong nurses, which led her to want to become one herself. She obtained her BSN and moved here this past summer. When she arrived, she worked for another medical aesthetic practice where she learned all things lasers: laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, IPL, Clear and Brilliant, etc. However, she always wanted to explore the world of surgery and decided to apply for an OR job which is how she became a part of the Cheng team!

She loves being able to help people become more confident in their own skin, which is why the aesthetic industry has always been of interest to her.

In her free time, you’ll find her exploring her new city and the surrounding areas. She is a foodie, so she’s always trying new foods or cooking new recipes every weekend! She also loves taking advantage of the California sunshine, so she tries to go on a hike every week.

Kennedy Clampitt

Esthetician

Having grown up in the beauty industry, Kennedy has had a passion for aesthetics and skincare her entire life. At a young age, her mother stressed the importance of skincare and instilled lifelong practices that result in her youthful glow.

Having initially joined Cheng Plastic Surgery in 2011, Kennedy left the office on another career adventure in 2018. A few years into her adventure, she realized her passion was in the skincare industry. All of us here at Cheng Plastic Surgery were thrilled to have Kennedy rejoin our team of professionals this year. Her warm smile, professional demeanor, and knowledge of skincare practices are a welcome addition to our team.

Out of the office, Kennedy is a dedicated fur mama to her cat, Jemma, along with adorable feral felines in her neighborhood. Her love for cooking and making jewelry nearly equals her passion for skincare and on the weekends, there’s a good chance you can find her relaxing in Napa, enjoying some Rosé.

Maddie Jasso

Esthetician

Growing up, Maddie always knew she wanted to have a career in the skincare and beauty industry. You will always find her trying the newest skincare and esthetics products. Her love for her patients and her result driven treatments truly gives you a one-of-a-kind experience.

Around the office, Maddie doubles as our Redwood City medspa manager and esthetician so we are lucky enough to have her at both locations!

Out of the office, Maddie is a committed mom to her 2 dogs and 3 cats; on the weekends, she’s most likely catching a workout class, spending time with her family and friends, or traveling the world.

Savannah Zarate

Front Desk Coordinator/Esthetician

Savannah Zarate (Front Desk Coordinator and Esthetician) has been in the customer service industry for twelve years and has developed a true passion for helping others. She helps with coordinating our front office as well as patient care.

Her specialized skill set allows her to have an in-depth look at patients' skin and help them choose the right products for better results. Savannah also helps take care of patients in need of lymphatic massage post procedure to help relieve pain and provide better comfort with quicker results. Savannah has been a part of the Cheng Plastic Surgery family for two years. She is a mother of two, loves adventure/beauty/architecture, and trying new things!

Celeste Venegas

Lead Medical Assistant

Celeste is our lead medical assistant. She is Dr. Jackie's right-hand woman assisting with her patient's treatments and procedures.

As lead medical assistant, Celeste is a key part of making sure all our patients have the best experience here at the office. Before Aesthetics, Celeste has spent 5 years in Dermatology. She is passionate about helping patients look and feel their best. Her reward at the end of the day is seeing patients happy with their results.

Celeste loves to spend time with her husband and two daughters. Outside of work, she loves to travel, watch her daughter play softball, and meet up with her "bookies" for their book club.

Lindsay Miller

Medical Assistant

Lindsay is one of our medical assistants here at Cheng Plastic Surgery and has always enjoyed making people feel their absolute best.

Her 25 years of customer service have made her a warm and comforting presence to our office and patients.

Raised in Santa Cruz, Lindsay Miller is the sunshine of Cheng Plastics. She lives with her two daughters, Skylar and Ava, adoring husband Ashley, and her dog Stella. She loves the outdoors and home improvement projects.

Corinna Laskin

Marketing Specialist

Corinna Laskin has been with Cheng Plastic Surgery for over a year. She is part of the marketing team that helps build our online presence and helps to create genuine connections both in-person, and through a screen. Corinna loves to combine the creativity of content creation with the logistics of analyzing numbers.

In her free time, she teaches barre classes, performs in musicals, and loves to treat her friends to baked goods.