Our Team

Dr. Batista was born in Albany but lived all around the state growing up. At an early age, she found an affinity for caring for animals following her dad around while he was raising pigs and rabbits in their backyard. After high school, she attended college at the University of New Hampshire where she received a B.S. in zoology. Dr. Batista then moved to San Diego and spent time there volunteering at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. It was then that she realized helping animals medically was what she truly enjoyed.

Dr. Batista spent a few years working at a vet hospital to gain experience then attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2011. Dr. Batista enjoys all aspects of practicing medicine, from meeting new people and pets to being able to help sick pets go home healthy. While in vet school, she volunteered in Costa Rica and Panama, performing spays and neuters and providing basic vaccinations in impoverished areas. At that time she was able to work with one of her favorite animals -the sloth.

Currently, she has relocated to the Beacon area and loves keeping up with the most current innovations in veterinary medicine. Dr. Batista has an older sister who lives with her husband and children in Albany. Her parents, who are retired, live in the capital district as well. In Dr. Batista’s furry family, there is Nova, a 3-year-old poodle mix who loves to meet new people, and Edgar, a 2-year-old goofy Mastiff mix who definitely does not know his size! When not at Beacon Veterinary Associates, Dr. Batista enjoys spending time with her family and friends in the area. Although her love for travel was put on hold with a recent pandemic, this year she plans to make a trip to the Caribbean and hopefully travel abroad next year.

She is also looking forward to exploring the region with her dogs and seeing what this part of the Hudson Valley has to offer!

Alissa joined the team at Beacon Veterinary Associates as Hospital Director in August of 2021. A native to the Hudson Valley, she grew up surrounded by all kinds of animals and always knew she wanted to work with them. She brings with her 10 years’ experience managing emergency and specialty hospitals in Manhattan and Westchester. Alissa believes in building meaningful relationships with our clients and their fur babies, combined with great medicine to provide the best possible experience for our clients. She is our resident French bulldog enthusiast and often has her own Frenchie, Carmela (named after Carmela Soprano, of course!), by her side at the office.

When she is not out in our waiting room talking to clients and loving on their pets, you can find her drawing, front row at a concert, taste testing vegan baked goods, or at a flea market with her adoring husband Christian. She is a huge music and movie nerd, so feel free to test her knowledge or recommend something for her to check out next time you and your pet are in the office!

Jeanette is one of our front desk receptionists here at the Beacon Vet. She comes to us with a 20-plus-year history of working with Orthopedic Surgeons in human medicine as an Office Administrator and Medical Biller. She is a graduate of the Mandl School of Allied Health as well as being a certified Medical Biller.

After so many years in this field, she decided to make a career change because of her love for all animals great and small. As per Jeanette, “Every day is a new learning experience.” As a Veterinary receptionist, I get to greet both people and their pets all day, which I love. Each owner loves their pet dearly and relies on our guidance and support to help their baby.”

Jeanette is a mom to a son, 3 dogs, a cat, and 2 red ear slider turtles. She loves spending quality time with her “kids,” photography, traveling, amusement parks, and festivals.

Inara joined The Beacon Vet as a receptionist in December 2022.

She has an associates in Liberal Arts and humanities, as she was unsure what path to take education wise. She shifted focus in 2020 and rediscovered her passion for animals. She started her career in animal care as a pet sitter and is now a receptionist with us.

When Inara isn't at work, she is home crocheting with her cat, Calcifer -who is her world- in her lap. As you can see from the picture, he is a cutie!

Inara is thrilled to be part of a team that loves animals as much as she does. She looks forward to providing the gold standard of care to all your fur-babies.

Breanna or “Bre” is currently pursuing her veterinary technician license at SUNY Ulster. She has always been an animal lover and currently has two fur babies at home, Fin and Eris, both adorable cattle dog mixes. They love exploring the outdoors and hiking together. Bre joined the team at the Beacon Veterinary Associates in August 2021 and working with the staff, clients, and patients has confirmed her passion for veterinary care. She looks forward to becoming licensed and practicing in the community of the Hudson Valley.

Daryl is a Lead Veterinary Assistant by day, but by night, she can is often found eating appetizers or even entrees at local restaurants in Beacon. When she is at home, she is binge-watching HGTV and builds cat toys in her living room for her disabled cat, Thumper. She is a dog mom to Lola and loves her family with all her might. She graduated from the New School with two degrees--both of which she is not currently utilizing. The good news is she converted all of her energy and skills into making your visit to the Beacon Vet as pleasant as possible. Daryl is a patient favorite and has a knack for handling nervous and anxious fur babies.

Stephany is originally from Brooklyn, NY and relocated to Beacon in August 2021. She graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor degree in biology, minoring in anthropology. She started her professional career in human medicine, volunteering as an EMT in New York City.

Being a big animal lover, she decided to further her medical knowledge, branching out into animal medicine. Stephany joined the fabulous team at The Beacon Vet in June 2022 as a veterinary assistant and receptionist. In the fall, she will be attending SUNY Ulster to start her journey to becoming a licensed technician.

When Stephany is not here helping at the front desk or assisting the technicians and doctors, she loves to spend time with her husky mix Dozer who she rescued about a year ago. Stephany looks forward to getting to know the Beacon community and exploring the many restaurants and shops the Hudson valley has to offer.

Valerie graduated from the Veterinary Science Technology program at SUNY Delhi in spring 2020. Prior to her studies at Delhi, Valerie attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and has an Associate Degree in Communication Design. She received her veterinary technician license in the fall of 2020. She has been with the Beacon Veterinary Associates since May of 2021 and joined the team full time in September 2021. When not at the office treating and cuddling our patients, she enjoys creating art, enjoying the outdoors, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her cats. Valerie has a unique passion for exotics and pocket pets, having several of her own over the years. She hopes to eventually branch out and work with wildlife or zoo animals in the future.

Bio Coming Soon.

Vanessa is one of our talented veterinary technicians. She has been with The Beacon Vet since June 2021. She has two fur babies of her own. Laiani is 5 year old German shepherd mix, whom Vanessa and her husband rescued when she was just 5 months old. She was found as a stray wandering the streets of North Carolina with her brother and her father. Sarge is the baby of their family, a 2-year-old black sable purebred German Shepherd, adopted from a breeder in Virginia. When Vanessa is not working, she enjoys being outdoors. She likes sightseeing, traveling to new places, hiking, camping, kayaking, and simply enjoying the company of her loved ones. Vanessa very caring, open, and easygoing. She loves spending time and taking care of all the fur babies that come into our practice.