Spotlight on an IWRC Board Member
Please share an early/childhood experience that was pivotal to your personal relationship to wildlife.
- Birdwatching in Oregon City
- Watching lizards and ravens in Page, AZ
- Fascinated with the concept of flying. I eventually went to pilot school as a young adult so that I could experience some element of flying myself.
- My room was a jungle growing up. I was captivated by psittacines and learned anything I could about parrot species while I was in grade school.
How did you initially become involved with IWRC and why did you choose to become involved on a board level?
I first became involved with the IWRC when I started volunteering in Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Care Center. I chose to become a board member because I wanted to leverage my background in Finance and Accounting to serve an organization that I was aligned with and was furthering progress in an area I care about deeply. Wildlife rehab is grossly underfunded and I want to use my experience in working with startups and for-profit companies to help discover new ways to obtain funding and support.
Describe a specific area of interest or a particular passion within the scope of IWRC’s mission.
- Making wildlife rehab more financially sustainable
- Getting more public support
- Education
- Providing wildlife rehab resources to underserved communities
- Getting more recognition
Describe a skill that you have that has been surprisingly useful to your work as a wildlife rehabilitator? (or as an IWRC board member?)
The skill of discernment. Being able to make judgment decisions in high-pressure situations with minimal time and resources.
Describe a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
This is challenging . . . . what am I most proud of?
The work we’ve done with Sammie
If you were to do something else professionally, what would it be?
I would be an Ornithologist or Field Biologist.
If you could be a wild animal, which would you be?
Stellar’s Jay – I would love to be able to move and fly like that – they are so smoothly chaotic.
What is the thing for which you have waited in line the longest?
Live music, for sure! And breakfast at some of the hot spots in Portland!
What excites you so much that it keeps you awake the night before?
Traveling to a new place! I recently returned from boating on the Amazon and seeing a lot of wildlife that I’ve only dreamed of most of my life. It was absolutely magical. And racing – I love to do triathlons and running/cycling races and still get the butterflies beforehand.
Describe any companion animals that you share your home and life with.
We share our home with two foster-turned-adoption parrots: Sammie (30y Harlequin Macaw) and Pippin (18y Umbrella Cockatoo). Living with wild animals is challenging and their care is unique and time-consuming. I’m constantly working to learn new and improved ways in which to cohabitate and improve the welfare of both them and us!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.