Meet Our Team
Sonja Bayle, Office Manager
Sonja works tirelessly to keep the entire practice on track and running smoothly-We are very lucky to have her as a member of our team! Sonja loves the ability to help others in any way that she can. She enjoys learning new things, setting goals, and achieving those goals-which have helped her over the course of her 30+ year career in the medical field. Sonja enjoys being a part of a practice that’s full of team players, and especially likes working with doctors who practice nonsurgical approaches with natural care remedies. Sonja is always eager to offer wonderful suggestions and ideas to help the practice grow. “I love working with our compassionate doctors who care about their patients and employees. The atmosphere is professional but fun!” – Sonja Outside of the practice, she enjoy spending time outdoors. Boating, gardening, camping, traveling and floating in the pool are just a few ways she is able to enjoy this. She also enjoys a good book and watching her children play sports. She’s is happily married and a mother of four boys, as well as two Yorkie fur babies. Some of her best days are spent with her family making lifelong memories.
Makaylee Mennini, Chiropractic Therapy Assistant
Makaylee Mennini is our caring chiropractic therapy assistant. All of our patients love her gentle nature and her kind smile. She joined the Neck and Back Center as she is interested in learning and growing in the health care industry. Her favorite thing about working at our chiropractic clinic is greeting each and every patient and assisting with their therapies. What we all love at the Neck and Back Center about Makaylee is that she is always in a good mood and of course her smile and she is always willing to help no matter what the task might be. Makaylee is passionate about setting goals and achieving those goals. Both of her parents were a good examples teaching Makaylee to work hard for what you want. When she is not at work, Makaylee enjoys gardening and planting plants and being a mom to her cat!
Cristal Underwood, Accounting
Cristal’s smile and calm peaceful presence are what draw you to her. She is so light hearted and fun to work with! Cristal handles all of the accounting aspects and needs for the Neck and Back Center of Erie and does it with precision.
What Cristal likes about working at the Neck and Back Center of Erie is the people that she works with, her schedule flexibility and all of the happy faces that she sees on a daily basis. She says that she chose to work here because she loved the calm environment and the fact that not only were her co-workers super friendly but that they treated each other like family.
Cristal is from Erie, born and raised, she has one sister and her dad has been an antique dealer for over 50 years, her mom was a photographer. She also has a grown daughter, Meg, who works in pediatric healthcare and is also a volunteer firefighter. Additionally, she has 3 extra sons and a daughter through her blended marriage, as well as 3 grandbabies. She and her husband have known each other for over 17 years and have been married for 7 years. When she is not here at the Neck and Back Center of Erie, you will find her writing! Cristal and her husband have written 2 young adult, mystery and fiction books that promote anti-bullying and they stress that being different is better than being ordinary. They are also working on a 3rd book in the series. She is also writing a children’s picture book. Cristal is also a fan of live theatre through the local playhouse. She also loves her 2 golden retrievers. Lastly, a couple of fun facts about Cristal, she has a passion for silly socks, flavored coffee and filling her house with plants!
We can’t say enough about how much we love having Cristal on board with our Neck & Back Center of Erie team!
Michele Clark, Insurance Specialist
When you visit our practice, you may not see Michele, but rest assured, she’s a valuable part of our team! Michele works remotely from her home in Texas and began working with us in 2013. When she started, she was living in Erie, but moved a couple of years ago. She provides such a wonderful service to patients that we just couldn’t lose her! When Michele interviewed with us, she felt so comfortable and immediately knew it would be an amazing fit. “I’ve enjoyed working for Dr. Bannister and Dr. Coursen, both of whom are such kind and caring chiropractors. They are both passionate about helping their patients and the entire community live drug-free, pain-free lives with chiropractic care!” Michele is passionate about keeping her family away from pharmaceuticals, and working in the chiropractic field helps her maintain the best and most recent information on natural healthcare. Michele is deeply fascinated with crystals and stones, and she loves to research natural remedies for “anything and everything!” Outside of the practice, Michele enjoys spending time with her family, going to the Peninsula, grabbing wings at the local Fiddle Inn, riding her bicycle, paddle boarding and spending as much time outdoors as possible. She has three adult children-Craig, Emily and Amelia. She also has three ‘fur kids’-toy Poodles who are more spoiled than any of her actual children were! Though Michele enjoys visiting Erie a few times a year, she makes sure to stay away when it snows!
Kaitlyn Dubynskiy, Massage Therapist
Kaitylyn Dubynskiy is our gifted massage therapist here at the Neck and Back Center of Erie. Her patients praise her natural sense of touch, knowing where their tight or sore areas are and ability to know the right pressure to use on their aching muscles. Kaitlyn is a licensed massage therapist trained in numerous massage techniques. She received her massage degree from Great Lakes Institute of Technology. She is extremely passionate about holistic health, especially the relationship between the mind, brain and body. Kaitlyn liked that the Neck and Back Center of Erie was a small business and had a good feeling when she first toured our office. She was very excited when she committed to joining the team and we were excited to have Kaitlyn on board!
When Kaitlyn is not at work, she is very involved with her church youth and spends a lot of time at youth events or traveling on the weekends. She loves having game nights and picnics at the beach here in Erie. Kaitlyn is a first generation American and grew up with a strong Ukrainian background. She has 2 sisters and currently lives with her parents, younger sister and a few pets.
Sara Mitchell, Front Desk Receptionist
Sara is our always positive hard working front desk person. She joined our team in 2025 and we couldn’t be more pleased. What we all notice about Sara is that she welcomes any new tasks and treats all of our patients in such a caring way. Sara enjoys working at the Neck and Back Center of Erie because of the flexibility in the schedule that allows for a balance between work and her personal life. She particularly likes working here because she likes the interactions with people including both patients and staff members. At Sara’s first interview, she felt a warm, calm and positive energy within the office and that was the moment she knew that she wanted to join our Neck and Back Center team.Sara is passionate about personal growth. She always tries to put her best foot forward everyday and she tries to learn new things every single day to continue that growth. When not at work, Sara can be found doting over her family. She also loves reading a good book, baking and crocheting. Sara has 2 boys and 3 girls who are mostly all late teens and early 20’s. She’s also been blessed with 3 amazing granddaughters. She also shares a large part of her heart with her other half, Jamaica.
