Our Veterinarians and Staff for Cedar Falls, Waterloo & Waverly

Steph

Steph joined our practice in April, 2017 after several years in human medicine. She is well-qualified for the job of Practice Manager with her extensive experience in a multi-doctor practice and a BS from the University of Northern Iowa, along with being a life-long dog-lover.

Steph really enjoys the office setting, being able to watch our patients come in as puppies and kittens and watching them grow. She also enjoys the relationships that are built at CVVC, both with clients and staff.

When not working, Steph enjoys spending time with family, walking her dogs, and traveling to sunny beaches.

Heidi, RVT

Heidi joined the practice in 2013. She has been in both the human and veterinary medical fields since 1994. She graduated in May 2024 with a degree in Veterinary Technology from Dallas College and subsequently passed both state and national board exams. This means that after more than 20 years in the field, she is finally a Registered Veterinary Technician! She is very proud of this accomplishment. A couple of the more interesting things she learned are that horses don't have gallbladders and that the normal cloacal temperature of a chicken is 107 degrees Fahrenheit. She is excited to continue to expand her knowledge to continue to provide the best care possible to your fur babies.

When not at work, Heidi can be found snuggling her 3 orange cats and reading anything that is not a textbook. She is an Aquarius and enjoys long walks on the beach.

Sara, RVT

Sara joined CVVC in 2015. She is a Registered Veterinary Technician that graduated from the veterinary technology program at Kirkwood Community College in 2016. Sara likes many aspects of veterinary medicine, she especially enjoys assisting in surgeries and helping your pet feel as stress free as possible while here. Sara's home always has a fresh supply of pet fur with a German Shepherd, Pitbull, and two Ragdolls. Sara lives an active lifestyle with her husband and their son. In her free time she enjoys going on family bike rides, long walks, and kayaking.

Rhiannon, RVT

Rhiannon is a graduate from the Kirkwood veterinary technician program. She started at CVVC as kennel staff, just before starting the Kirkwood program. Rhiannon also completed her veterinary technician internship at CVVC. Her favorite patients are the tiny or scaly ones, and she is always the first one in line if a pocket pet comes in the door.

Rhiannon and her dog do a lot of adventuring in the area and love the local trails.

Janie, RVT

Janie joined Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in 2023 as an intern. She recently graduated from the Kirkwood veterinary technician program, and is now a full time Registered Veterinary Technician. Janie's veterinary special interest is in avian and small mammal exotics.

At home, Janie has one cat named Tilly and two ferrets, Spook and Randy. In her free time, Janie likes to frequent music festivals, hike, and play bass guitar.

Lydia

Lydia joined CVVC in 2018 as a kennel assistant while she attended UNI to complete her Bachelors Degree in Biology. Luckily for us, she decided to stick around the Cedar Valley and join the team full time as a veterinary assistant. Lydia loves all aspects of veterinary medicine, but especially enjoys internal medicine and the variety of species we get to see!

At home, she has a kitten name Toast and two horses, Toby and Gigi. In her free time she enjoys riding and competing with her horses, traveling, and any outdoor activities.

Josh

Josh served 20 years in the United States Marine Corps. He was also a full time firefighter with Waterloo, Iowa. Due to the mental stresses of these jobs, Josh went to the VA and was retrained. Working with animals was considered to be Josh's best fit.

Josh earned an Associates Degree in animal science and veterinary assisting from Hawkeye Community College. He then interned with Cedar Valley Veterinary Center and was subsequently hired.

Josh has two dogs. Turner is a retired service dog that Josh got from Retrieving Freedom. Josh and his wife, Tiffany, also fostered dogs for RFI. They were able to adopt Gemma, one of their fosters that did not graduate. Josh and Tiffany have 4 children together and a grandson.

Carrie

Carrie joined Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in June 2018. She graduated in 2011 from Hawkeye Community College from the Animal Science Program and Veterinary Assisting. She went on to work at a veterinary clinic in which she completed her internship and continued working there until hired at CVVC.

One of her favorite things about working in the veterinary field is assisting in surgery and building relationships with patients and their humans.

She enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children during her spare time. She has 2 furry children, Lynyrd who is a Chocolate lab and Morrison, aka Morris who is a DSH cat. She loves to do anything outdoors, enjoys listening and dancing to all music and thrift shopping.

Rachel

Rachel joined the Cedar Valley Vet team in December of 2024. She earned her Associates Degree in Animal Science from Hawkeye Community College and has since been in the veterinary field for over 15 years. She enjoys working with all types of pets, but especially has a soft spot for pocket pets.

Outside of work Rachel enjoys kayaking, traveling, road trips, and flower and vegetable gardening. She and her boyfriend, Cody, have 3 dogs- 2 bloodhounds named Ellen and Merlot, and a cavalier named Marcella. Ellen and Marcella enjoy kayaking with their humans and even have a "yak" command- which means jump in the kayak. They also have a variety of other pets including a 70 pound tortoise named Elliott. 

Julie

Julie joined Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in 1998. Julie and her husband Michael have two dogs, Millie and Rudy, and a bearded dragon, Grif. All are rescue pets. Julie has always had a love of animals and she also enjoys working with and helping pet parents. Julie enjoys crafting and sewing in her free time.

Thea

Thea joined Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in 2009. In that same year, she graduated with a veterinary assistant degree from Kirkwood Community College. Thea enjoys veterinary medicine and connecting with clients and their pets.

Thea lives an active life style with her husband, Matt, and two children, Riley and Blake. They have three dogs along with a diverse variety of other animals. They enjoy spending time with their animals, hiking, camping, gardening, and sports.

Amanda

Amanda joined CVVC in November 2019. Prior to joining CVVC, she spent many years working in human services and is currently a Parent Partner.

Amanda enjoys meeting new patients and their family and seeing puppies come in for their first groom.

Amanda enjoys spending time with her 4 children and watching them participate in a variety of sports. Amanda has 2 cats Juno and Reginald Cuddles Bussington the 1st. In her free time Amanda enjoys rock and bottle hunting, flea markets, and being outside.

Alyssa

Alyssa joined Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in March 2020. She received her B.A. in Criminal Justice and Public Administration from Buena Vista University in 2011. She spent several years working in human services prior to joining the team here at CVVC. Alyssa enjoys assisting pet owners with all of their needs and watching all of our new patients grow.

Alyssa lives in Dike with her husband, Jacob, and two daughters, Wren and Ruby. When not at work, she enjoys attending local sporting events, flea markets, traveling, and reading a good book.

Tammy

Tammy started at CVVC in October 2023 after working for another vet clinic for 6 years. She received a Veterinary Assistant degree from Hawkeye Community College in 2017. Tammy loves vet medicine, especially helping sick animals feel better.

Family is very important to Tammy. She and her sister live together, along with her nephew. She also loves spending time with her 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Outside of work, Tammy loves to spend time with her pets, Galaxy, a lab/husky and her black cat, Joey. She also likes to put puzzles together, especially 3D ones.

Jody

Jody served 26 years as a police officer with the Waterloo Police Department. She has always had a love for animals, which led her to working at a veterinary office. Jody has 4 dogs of her own, 3 daschunds and a sheepadoodle.

In her spare time, you will find Jody and her husband, Barry, enjoying the summer at their place on Big Spirit Lake. Jody also enjoys reading, crafting, and is always up for throwing a good party.

Louise

I joined the CVVC family just before the big move over to this building. In fact, I did most of the supervising for the move! I'm just over 6 now, and I love my job at CVVC, I supervise all the cleaning of the cat condos, as well as making sure all the food in the building is fresh and tasty. I am also chief morale officer, and I help teach clients how to give their kitties at-home shots. All in all, I keep this place running!

Thor

I'm a little over 8 years old, so I'm getting a little bit older, but I still have lots of sass! My favorite foods are super worms and butter worms (but the lad who takes care of me is mean and says I'll get fat if I eat too many butter worms). I also like crickets and mealworms, and I get red worms as a treat sometimes. YUMMY!

Leopard geckos are pretty great, if I do say so myself.

Salt, Pepper and Paprika

These three fish are a type of goldfish called Koi. Koi are originally from Japan and are symbols of luck and good fortune.

Our koi didn't come all the way from Japan. We were gifted this aquaponics setup with our koi friends from a teacher at Cedar Falls High School. They were part of an experiment to teach students about combining hydroponics and aquaculture. Instead of moving to the new high school, they came to live with us.

Salt, Pepper, and Paprika love food time, and will come to the top of the tank to beg for food when they see people near them. They love their pellets, but are also interested in some veggies. While most koi enjoy bugs as well, ours are very picky and have turned their noses up at both crickets and roaches.

Fun Facts about koi:
• The largest koi on record was 4 feet long and 91 pounds!
• Koi are illegal to keep in the state of Maine, but are legal in all other states.
• The oldest recorded koi was 226 years old, most koi can live to be 50 - 100 years old.
• Koi can go up to 2 weeks without food.
• The age of a koi can be estimated by the rings on their scales, like trees.
• Koi have sensitive skin and can get sunburned.