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.
Joan Lewis, Front Desk Supervisor
Joan is the “steady presence” in our practice, having worked with us for over a decade. Every morning, she has coffee ready for the patients and the entire practice. Joan welcomes everyone with a smile. As she puts it, “I like seeing people feeling better. The end results after their treatment plans are amazing!” Joan enjoys helping patients have a stress-free experience at our practice. She provides them with quick and efficient customer service, helping with varying insurance questions, explaining their benefits and assisting them with claims. Joan believes she found Neck & Back Center of Erie by divine intervention. She was seeking care from our office after unsuccessful treatment with her primary care physician. She found success from chiropractic care, and when a position opened up, she was able to fill it. Joan also enjoys gardening and living every single day to the fullest. She and her husband attend a lot of family functions and visit their son in Virginia when they’re able. Joan is the second oldest of 9 children, and her husband is the oldest of 5! They keep busy, as you can imagine!
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!
Susan McGuire, Chiropractic Assistant
Susan was looking for a change in career and life when she moved to Erie in 2021 from New Castle. Even though Susan did not have a background in health care, we were all pleasantly surprised at how fast Susan learns! She is one of the best chiropractic assistants that we have hired in over 20 years. She is quiet but don’t let that fool you, she has a great sense of humor so we all love working with her. Susan is very caring with the patients when working one on one with them helping the doctors with their treatment plans. Our patients enjoy conversation with Susan and her caring way during their time at the clinic. Susan has a son who is an EMT and a daughter who is a consultant. Her significant other is an Erie Native and he has 7 children of his own which keep them busy. Susan enjoys photography, glass collecting, hiking and walking the Erie beaches when not at work. We are all thankful for Susan’s good work ethic as part of the Neck & Back Center of Erie team!
Denise Baumann, Chiropractic Assistant
Denise Baumann is a wonderful addition to the Neck and Back Center of Erie team as she is a very nurturing person and loves taking care of the patients. She comes from a loving family and has always enjoyed caring for her family which is a good fit for working with our patients. In addition to caring for people, when Denise is not at work, she loves gardening and growing flowers and plants. She also loves taking care of her animals. Denise was pursuing a career where she could use her strengths when she applied for the chiropractic assistant position at our clinic. When she spoke to our office manager, Sonja, Denise instantly thought Sonja was amazing and knew the job was for her. Denise’s interests when not at work, also include cooking and spending time with her husband, daughters and grandchildren! The Neck and Back Center of Erie staff love Denise’s fun nature and light hearted spirit. She is dedicated to her work yet makes work fun at the same time. We are so happy she joined our team!
Mary Mook, Front Desk/ Receptionist
We’d like for you to meet our very caring front desk/receptionist, Mary Mook. She brings over 20 years of experience to the Neck and Back Center of Erie working as an ER tech at St. Vincent Hospital here in Erie where she was trained in all areas from working one on one with patients to secretarial duties. What stands out the most to everyone who meets Mary is what a genuinely compassionate person she is. She’s a good listener which is probably what our patients love the most about her along with her wonderful smile.
Mary loves working at the Neck and Back Center of Erie because of the sincere and caring atmosphere and the thing that Mary loves the most is that our patients are like family! She knew that she wanted to work at The Neck and Back Center right after her interview! She just had such a good feeling and knew she would really like it.
Mary’s passion in life is caring for people and animals. She loves people and feels that animals help aide in the health of people in so many ways! They are pure at heart and love beyond measure and often bring out the best in people. When Mary’s not at work, you can most often find her with her dogs, Anna and Clara. She takes her “girls” for many walks along with their furry friends. Mary loves being out in nature and is the oldest of 7 girls, she says, “talk about a busy house!” They grew up as a tight knit family and to this day continue to be just as close as adults. Mary is married to her best friend and she has 2 amazing step children. They are also expecting their first grandchild, a girl and she is over the moon!
We are so happy to have Mary as part of our team not only because of her 20 + years of experience but also because of the compassion she shows for everyone who she comes into contact with. Mary is also extremely dependable which is so much appreciated!
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 and Back Center of Erie team!
