Our Staff

Dr. Koch, Audiologist and owner of Evolution Hearing & Tinnitus Center, received her doctoral degree in Audiology from A.T. Still University in 2012. Her Bachelors and Masters degrees were both awarded from Western Michigan University. She is a member of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), the Audiology Practice Standards Organization (APSO), the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), and the Association of Virginia Audiologists (AVA).  Dr. Koch also serves as a preceptor for Audiology doctoral students.

Dr. Koch is an adjunct faculty member at James Madison University, teaching their Audiology business course to doctoral candidates.  She helped spearhead the creation of the new Audiology-specific state association in 2025, the Association of Virginia Audiologists (AVA), and is serving as President on the Board of Directors.  She also served as Vice President for Audiology on the board of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) from 2021-2024 and is now currently on the board of the Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia (CDF).

After working with Ear Nose & Throat physicians in the Culpeper area for many years, she made the decision to open her own independent private practice in Charlottesville in 2012. She has been very active in the community, including the Chamber of Commerce and local Elder Care Professionals groups.

Dr. Koch and her husband, Drew, grew up in Michigan, spent time living in Columbia, South Carolina, and moved to Charlottesville in 2005. Dr. Koch’s husband is the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Virginia. They are both active in the community and on Grounds at UVA. Their two children, dogs, and a small flock of chickens keep them busy at home.

Dr. Koch enjoys properly fitting people with hearing loss following best practices, including the most thorough testing procedures and different verification tools, including Real Ear measurements. A person’s hearing loss is often noticed by those people around the patient on a day-to-day basis. She greatly appreciates when patients involve their spouses, family members and/or friends in the process. The whole experience is enriched tremendously when approached using a team philosophy. Dr. Koch has received the “Best Bedside Manner Award” in Audiology from OurHealth Magazine for many years, “Charlottesville’s Finest” for both local Audiologist and Hearing Aid Center, along with other awards as an Audiologist and practice owner of Evolution Hearing & Tinnitus Center.

Anthony (Tony) Thacher is the Business Director and co-owner of Evolution Hearing. He is responsible for the analytical, metrics and data side of Evolution Hearing. Tony graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics and spent his formative career years as an Armor officer in the US Army. In 2004, he moved from the US Army into pharmaceuticals, working for Johnson and Johnson in the Dental and Oral maxillofacial industry, and then transitioned into Audiology as an Associate Manager at American Hearing Aid Associates in 2009. Dr. Kristin Koch and Tony started Evolution Hearing in 2012.

When not working on the practice, Tony and his wife Melissa are busy raising their 2 children, Pierce and Carlie. His interests include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, riding motorcycles, gardening, traveling, and tinkering with old cars.

Kimberly has been with Evolution Hearing since 2019, beginning as a Patient Care Coordinator and quickly advancing to the position of Billing Manager. Kimberly has a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management and oversees all of our billing and insurance claims. She lives in the Richmond area with her husband, three daughters, and pets. Outside of work, she’s passionate about traveling and attends live music shows whenever possible.

Robert has been in the hearing healthcare industry for almost a decade and has been wearing hearing aids himself for several years. Starting out as a patient care coordinator and working his way to upper management, Robert made a career switch in early 2023, coming to work at Evolution Hearing as an Audiology Technician. Robert has enjoyed learning best practices, including performing the electroacoustic analysis (EAA) hearing aid testing. He also has a knack for troubleshooting hearing aid issues, including the Bluetooth connections with smartphones and tablets.

In spare time, he enjoys walking with his dog, Luke, and listening to music. His hobbies include collecting vintage stereo equipment from the late 60’s & 70’s.