After two years in general business administration at Bentley College, Kristen switched gears and attained her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from UNH. While in her major, she became a baby bird room volunteer at Center for Wildlife, falling in love with the fact that work was being done daily to address and mitigate the local challenges to wildlife and ecosystems she was learning about. Kristen served as a Park Naturalist for Plum Island through the Department of Conservation and Recreation for 2 years, honing techniques in environmental education, PR, and collaboration between the public and environmental agencies. In 2012 she accepted the Executive Director position, and in her tenure has led and empowered our amazing team toward the sustainable growth and expansion of services and community impact. She is a member of the "Gateway to Maine: Outside" coalition, Friends of Mount Agamenticus Advisory Group, and Nottingham Conservation Commission. One of the highlights of her position is sharing the information and tools used for CFW’s recent successful growth with other non-profits and organizations in the field. The stronger our community is, the better the health of wildlife, habitats, and humans!

Shelley received her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Unity College in 2002. She began her career in wildlife rehabilitation as a volunteer/intern for Avian Haven while attending Unity. After college, Shelley went to work at The Raptor Trust located in Millington, NJ. The Trust is a large wild bird rehabilitation and education center that, at the time, admitted almost 3500 birds a year and housed 65 permanent residents. For five years she was a part of the senior medical team and assisted the staff surgeon with all of the critical care patients. In 2008 Shelley moved back to Maine and became the Infirmary Manager at Avian Haven, which by then had grown to admit 1200 birds a year. After leaving Avian Haven in 2013 she worked at Hope Elephants for a short time and continued to remain involved with wildlife by teaming up with Merryspring Nature Center and The Riley School leading owl prowls in the winters. She also taught a Birding by Habitat class through local Adult Education. Shelley is extremely passionate about the natural world and wildlife rehabilitation. While her focus and love has always been on the medical aspect of rehabilitation, she finds continuous joy in combining education, ecology, and natural history into her work.  Shelley serves as a member of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wildlife rehabilitation steering committee, along with the Rabies Vector commission.

Carolyn joined the Center for Wildlife team in January 2020.  She obtained her BA degree in Anthropology from Wheaton College in Norton, MA.  While attending college, Carolyn worked in the Corporate and Foundation Relations Office which introduced her to the world of development and fundraising.  Having spent more than twenty years focused on nonprofit fundraising at nonprofits in Boston and New York City, she has spent a better part of her career in the higher education field working at both Harvard Kennedy School as well as University of New Hampshire.  Upon starting a family, she moved to Maine and found herself down the street from Center of Wildlife often visiting with her own mammals. One of the highlights of her position is working with the amazing and strong donor community that supports the critical work being done at Center for Wildlife, witnessing the care and compassion being given in the medical clinic and of course counting the beautiful ambassadors as teammates!

For over thirty years, Dan Gardoqui has been sharing his passion for helping people find health, well-being and purpose through connection with the more-than-human-world. In addition to co-founding and directing a successful nature connection nonprofit (White Pine Programs) and a successful consulting & guiding business (Lead with Nature) Dan also contributed to books about birds ( Jon Young's "What the Robin Knows" - science & audio editor), wildlife tracking (Mark Elbroch's Mammal Tracks & Sign: / and Casey McFarland's Peterson Field Guide to Bird Nests). He also has engaged in citizen science and field research projects focused on: Flying Squirrels, Canada Lynx, Moose, Eastern Wolves, Blanding's  and Spotted Turtles and Grasshopper Sparrows). Dan served as Faculty for both Granite State College and the University of New Hampshire, where he taught winter ecology, natural history and field dendrology. Dan certifications include: Registered Maine Guide, Certified Wildlife Tracker, Certified Bird Guide and Wilderness First Aid. He's led hundreds of walks, talks, workshops, expeditions and travel tours throughout North America, Canada, and Southern Africa - working with people of all ages. He lives just down the road from the Center for Wildlife where he raised two sons with his partner, Kate. When not working, Dan enjoys trail running, hiking, foraging, hunting and following the lives of wild birds wherever he goes.
 

Bob graduated from the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources in 2014. After graduating, Bob spent years traveling and adventure sport guiding in both New Zealand and Australia. Upon return to New England, Bob continued his outdoor guiding career while also working for Sunday River Resort's marketing team. Along with guiding and marketing, Bob has also spent time advocating for sustainable transportation, managed operations for a variety of outdoor sporting companies and taught environmental education to adults with disabilities in Southern Maine. In his free time, Bob can be found on skis in the mountains, on a board in the water or on the trails with his dogs. Bob is excited to help spread the word about the Center for Wildlife and to help build connections with the local community.

A lifelong resident of Maine, Valerie was raised with Kittery’s coastal woodlands in her backyard and grew up loving New England’s wildlife and wild spaces.  She earned her B.A. in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic and her M.S. in Earth & Environmental Science from Lehigh University, and discovered a passion for birds, natural history, and environmental education.  After college, she worked as an environmental instructor at Stone Environmental Schools of New England and a volunteer educator with the Blue Ocean Society.  Returning to live in Southern Maine with her family, Valerie spent several years in the administrative and payroll fields in the private sector.  Valerie is thrilled to be a part of the Center for Wildlife and is excited to support the on-site team and the local community.

Jess grew up in Northern California, and earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona in 2023. In March 2024, she relocated to Maine to lead several successful field campaigns for Midcoast Maine State Senators. Since then, Jess has applied her expertise in community engagement to support fundraising efforts for the Center for Wildlife. Growing up in a home filled with reptiles and mammals, she developed a deep, lifelong passion for animals and environmental conservation. This early connection has driven her to pursue a career dedicated to wildlife conservation. Outside of work, Jess enjoys kayaking, exploring trails, and spending time with her cat, Casper. She is eager to contribute to the Center for Wildlife's mission of fostering the interconnection between humans and the environment.

Abby attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island where she completed her B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Sustainability. Growing up with many animals in the woods of Maine, she was always passionate about wildlife and care taking. Abby completed a 3-month internship at the Center for Wildlife and felt connected with the sustainability aspect of rehabilitation. She enjoyed her time so much, she decided to become a Medical Clinic Apprentice in hopes of learning as much as she can while caring for the wildlife.  In 2019, Abby accepted the full-time position of Wildlife Specialist, and beyond providing excellent medical treatment and care to our patients and ambassadors, she takes the lead on housing and facilities upkeep.

Jeremy considers a potent curiosity his most abiding and valuable trait. Wandering between Emersonian self-reliance and John Cage’s rampant experimentalism, Jeremy considers himself a true improviser and a generalist, who believes learning something new in the course of solving a unique problem is one of life’s greatest joys. He earned an MFA from Bard College and spent almost every waking hour of his young adulthood with saxophone in hand, performing and recording original music widely throughout the region. From a job repairing docks, Jeremy worked his way onto the deck of a UNH research boat, where he stayed for the better part of a decade before moving on to the Seacoast Science Center to design and build interactive exhibits. These days he can be found sailing local waters with his family, working on something with an engine, or making up his own rules to games. Jeremy is happy to join the Center for Wildlife team, and is looking forward to putting old knowledge to use, and gaining some new knowledge in the process.

Emily graduated from Unity College in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Captive Wildlife Care and Education. While obtaining her degree and well before, Emily worked and volunteered at Nevin’s Farm MSPCA caring for homeless animals and doing humane education and outreach programs. She also designed courses in survival skills, anatomy and physiology, and disease ecology for the College for Kids Program at Northern Essex Community College. She used this background in education and advocacy later when leading award-winning research in sustainability behavior; specifically in development of methods for educators and academics to optimize their audience’s understanding of conservation sciences, increase engagement, and encourage lasting behavior change towards sustainability. Emily has also participated in research in evolutionary zoology, wildlife road mortality, genetics, and viability of citizen science data for law and policy change. Emily arrived at Center for Wildlife in 2020 as an intern and found her passion for the interdisciplinary approach to conservation and the One Health mindset was not only shared by the staff but had long been an integral part of CFW’s mission. She apprenticed in the Wildlife Clinic for nearly 2 years before accepting the position of Volunteer Coordinator, where she continues to work closely with the amazing educators, animal ambassadors, wildlife specialists, patients, and of course, all our amazing volunteers!

Bre graduated from Unity College where she earned her B.S. in Captive Wildlife Care and Education in 2019. She started her journey into wildlife rehabilitation here at the center where she was a summer intern in 2018! After completing her internship, she stayed in the field by volunteering and working a seasonal rehabilitation position at Avian Haven in Freedom, ME. After moving back home to Connecticut, Bre worked a seasonal job with the State of Connecticut in their Wildlife Division and worked as an Animal Control Officer for a local city. Bre then landed in the field of Veterinary Science and got a job at an animal hospital. Though she loved these jobs and working with domestic animals, wildlife is where her true passion lies and she returned to the center in the spring of 2021 to join the clinic team as a Wildlife Specialist! Bre is excited to work in a conservation field that truly helps to foster a great sense of community and helps connect people to the amazing wildlife around them!

Sam received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont in 2015. While in college, she worked on a family-owned dairy farm, as well as volunteered at a local animal shelter, which strengthened her passion for animal husbandry. After graduation, she worked as a Genetic Testing Analyst for a dairy breed association before switching gears to explore a new curiosity for nature. Sam began her time at the Center for Wildlife as an intern in 2018, where she found a passion for wildlife and conservation. She later accepted positions as a Medical Clinic Apprentice and Senior Medical Clinic Apprentice, as she continued to grow her skill set and learn more about the field of conservation medicine. Sam is excited to continue to engage in research projects and contribute to CFW’s mission.

Chloe attended Kent State University to obtain a B.S. in Zoology. While completing her degree, she interned at Medina Raptor Center where she found her passion working to help injured and orphaned songbirds and birds of prey. After graduating in 2022, she went on to work at The Wildlife Conservation Center at Stark Parks in Ohio, where she diversified her experience working with a variety of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Chloe then came to us in 2023 to work as Wildlife Rehabilitation Apprentice where she planned to grow her skill set and learn about the animals native to New England. In 2024, Chloe accepted a full time position as a Wildlife Specialist, continuing her career in helping and advocating for wildlife. Chloe is excited to be working in a conservation field where she will constantly be learning new skills and techniques, and hopes to help the community understand the importance of coexisting with wildlife.

Quinn was born and raised in New England and has spent most of his life in the woods and fields of New Hampshire. A graduate of UNH’s animal science program, Quinn has been involved in the husbandry of both wild and domestic species for many years. At the age of 16 he was hired at York’s Wild Kingdom, where he cared for pheasants, peacocks, and pygmy goats. He would later rise up in the ranks and become the primary caretaker of primates, alligators, cassowaries, and kangaroos to name a few. While in school, Quinn was introduced to the world of wildlife rehabilitation at the Center for Wildlife in Maine as an intern as well as Monkey Park in Costa Rica where he cared for orphaned howler monkeys. After college, Quinn bounced around zoos and nature centers in hopes of learning as much as he could about wild animal husbandry, working at Southwick’s Zoo, Ecotarium, Wildlife Encounters, and the Franklin Park Zoo. In 2023 he was accepted as a wildlife rehabilitation apprentice position, returning to CFW. He has officially come on as Nature Center Lead, where he gets to care for his beloved wildlife daily and educate the public on conservation. When not at work, Quinn can usually be found at the local birding hotspot.