Meet Our Team in Decatur, GA
Who are we? And how did we come to do what we do? Meet our team of veterinarians and read their stories to learn how they came to be The Village Vets Decatur-Ponce. Don't forget to stop in soon to meet the team in person!
A team with over of combined experience:
Dr. Janine Franco
Since 2008
Dr. Franco is an Atlanta native, and after graduating from Woodward Academy, she attended University of Pennsylvania where she received her undergraduate degree. Her veterinary studies were completed at the University of Georgia and she received her DVM in 2006. Dr. Franco is also conversant in Spanish and is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
Janine and her husband, Alan, live in Decatur with their daughter, Eden, and son, Lewis, as well as their cats, Riesling and Brown Guy, and their dog, Alfie.
Dr. Kaya Bryant
Since 2020
Dr. Kaya S. Bryant was raised in Orange Park, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and a minor in both Spanish and African American studies. In May 2020, she fulfilled her childhood dream by earning her DVM from Tuskegee University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Her special interests include Fear- Free medicine, dentistry, and public health.
Dr. Bryant’s hobbies include practicing yoga, traveling the world, eating good food, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Cameron Buck
Since 2021
Dr. Buck is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended North Carolina State University for his undergraduate studies, where he gained a Bachelor's in Biology and a minor in Animal Science. He then went on to get his DVM in 2020 from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. In June 2020, shortly after graduation, he relocated to Las Vegas, NV working as small animal general practitioner for a year, before returning back to the east coast to be closer to friends and loved ones. His professional interests include soft-tissue surgery, internal medicine, and animal husbandry.
In his free time, he can often be found walking the Atlanta Beltline with his two dogs, trying new restaurants or outdoor activities, and shopping for new clothing and sneakers. He also enjoys designing planted aquariums and learning more about reptile and small mammalian medicine. Otherwise, you can find him lazily lounging with his pups, Harper and Hans, watching a movie.
Dr. Will Draper Practice Director
Since 2000
“Dr. Will” grew up in Inglewood, California. He graduated from Morningside High School in 1984, then attended Tuskegee University in Alabama (4th generation) for both undergraduate and veterinary medical studies. He received his DVM in 1991, followed by a 1-year internship at North Rockville Veterinary Hospital in Maryland. He moved to Atlanta in 1992, married veterinary school classmate Dr. Françoise Tyler in 1993, and together they founded The Village Vets in 2000. His special veterinary interests include dermatology, internal medicine, and practice management.
He has received a number of accolades including being ranked as a FIVE STAR veterinarian in the Atlanta magazine—an honor bestowed to only 7% of the veterinarians in the metro Atlanta area (which also includes his wife, Dr. Tyler). He has served on the board of the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA), and presently serves as a director on the board of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)- the first African-American to do since the organization was founded in 1933.
Dr. Will lives with his family in historic Inman Park, "Atlanta's first suburb". He's a big fan of Atlanta Braves baseball, United soccer, and Hawks basketball. In his leisure time he enjoys playing golf (with as many strokes as he can so he gets his money's worth), acrylic painting ("No patience for oils"), and considers himself a better-than-average singer and interior decorator. He is a true lover of all music- his passion is following the Dave Matthews Band, having attended over 55 shows to date.
He and his wife have four children: David, Tyler, Gabrielle, and Olivia. Four-legged kids include dogs Louie, Frank, Bella and Beauford- as well as "the boss", feline Charlemagne (Charlie).
Dr. Alissa Stephens Operations Director
Since 2011
Dr. Alissa Stephens grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. In 2008, she graduated from Rutgers University and moved to Atlanta to complete an internship at Zoo Atlanta. She began vet school in 2011 at the University of Georgia and during the summer and winter breaks, worked as a vet assistant at TVV Buckhead. Dr. Stephens joined us as a vet in 2015. She is currently completing her certification in veterinary acupuncture at the Chi Institute in Florida. Her special interests include general surgery and acupuncture.
Dr. Stephens and her husband, Chris - practice manager at TVV - live in Canton with their four rescue dogs: Stitch, a Lab mix; Virginia, a Boxer/Anatolian Shepherd mix; Madison, a Pitbull mix; and Captain Jack, a German Shepherd mix.
Dr. Françoise Tyler Practice Director
Since 2000
Françoise "Dr. Fran" Tyler is an Atlanta native and a 1984 Woodward Academy graduate. She attended University of Georgia (UGA) for undergraduate studies, and then Tuskegee University in Alabama for her DVM (received in 1991). Before moving back to Atlanta, she completed a small animal internship at UGA. She loves dermatology, internal medicine, and exotic animal medicine. She married Dr. Will Draper in 1993, and together they founded The Village Vets in 2000 with the purchase of Cedar Village Animal Clinic.
Dr. Tyler has been ranked as a FIVE STAR Veterinarian in the Atlanta magazine– which only 7% of the veterinarians in the metro Atlanta area have received (one of which is her husband, Dr. Draper). She enjoys listening to jazz, reading, walking her dogs around her Inman Park neighborhood ( dubbed "Atlanta's first suburb" near downtown Atlanta), as well as spoiling her family members, friends, team members. She loves time at the beach, and traveling anywhere her passport allows her to.
She and her husband have four children, David, Tyler, Gabrielle, and Olivia; four dogs: Max, Louie, Frank, Bella and Beauford; and one cat, Charlemagne.