Symposium 2006 Speakers
Daron Barnes
Daron graduated from NC State University in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree in
Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. He has been an employee of the Commission for
five years, and became the Permits and Planning Supervisor last year, responsible
for controlled hunting preserves, damage control agents, special hunt opportunities,
captive cervid facilities, fawn rehab, and special permits
Linda Bergman
Upon retiring from the Marine Corps, Linda began volunteering at the Outer Banks
Wildlife Shelter in Morehead City, pursuing her passion in wildlife conservation
and rehabilitation, which now spans nine years. She achieved her certification
as a state wildlife rehabilitator and continues to actively volunteer at OWLS,
working clinic in rehabilitation, mentoring new volunteers and facilitating
tour groups. Linda is proactively concerned with the loss of wildlife habitat
due to progressive development in Onslow and it's surrounding counties and regularly
attends community meetings to voice those concerns through education, as well
as, rally support. Linda holds a Masters of Science degree in educational psychology
and teaches curriculum courses, as well as, designs soft skill / hard skill
industry training for new and existing businesses for the North Carolina Community
College System. Linda is the current President of the WRNC.
Jean Chamberlain
Jean and her husband have been rehabilitators for 14 years, rehabilitating
raptors for about 10 years. She is particularly interested in animal behavior
and involved in all aspects of education programs and training. She helped design
and teach WRNC's Refresher and Basic Courses and organizes the symposium each
year. Jean is past president for WRNC and is the web adminstrator for WRNC and
IWRC. She is retired from a career in Information Technology.
Sally Davis
Sally received her BA in computer science and graduate certificate in education,
middle school sciences, from Dartmouth College. After ten years of international
computer consulting and teaching, including executive level management experience,
she now pursues her dream career as a DVM student at NCSU, College of Veterinary
Medicine. Recent wildlife rehabilitation experiences include pinniped and cetacean
rehab at Mystic Aquarium in CT, volunteer work at the Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation
Center, and turtle team at the CVM. She has also pursued interests in nutrition
and zoo medicine at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Mystic Aquarium and the NCSU
Center for Marine Science and Technology in Morehead City. She currently serves
as secretary of the board, co-edits the WRNC newsletter and works actively to
strengthen WRNC ties with the Vet School.
Laurel Degernes, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ABVP
Dr. Degernes is an Associate Professor of Companion and Wild Avian Medicine
at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and has been on faculty since 1992.
She has been specializing in birds since 1985, and is board certified in avian
practice. She completed an internship at The Raptor Center at the University
of Minnesota in 1986, and worked for another 4 years as staff veterinarian at
that facility. She completed a residency at NCSU in companion avian medicine
in 1992. She recently took a sabbatical leave to complete a Masters of Public
Health degree in epidemiology at the School of Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill.
She served on the Board of Directors for the Piedmont Wildlife Center in Orange
County for 2 years, and is on the board of scientific advisors for the Carolina
Raptor Center and Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research.
Kelly Douglass
Kelly graduated from NC State University in 2002 with a Bachelor's degree in
Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and began working with the Commission in 2000
in the Nongame Program permitting section. She became the Captive Cervid Program
Leader for the agency in 2004, though has been involved in captive cervid issues
since 2002. Recently, she was given the responsibility of managing the Fawn
Rehabilitation Program and enrolled at State to obtain a Master's degree in
Wildlife Sciences.
Michaeleen Farrington
Designed non-profit Education Programs for over ten years.
Education Coordintor for the Reuben H Fleet Science Center in San Diego - Designed
summer camps, Forensic Science and technology programs, family sleepovers and
public education programs, curriculum writing.
Published teacher guides for the IMAX films, Everest & The Magic of Flight.
Education Specialist for The Living Desert, in Palm Desert California - Designed
& presented small and large venue public programs, wildlife programs, School
tours, trained 200 park docents. Designed curriculum guidelines & animal
handling guidelines for the Education Department.
Currently Education Director - Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter.
Jennifer Gordon
Jennifer started rehabbing in 2001 when she found a clutch of orphaned ducks.
She worked under local rehabbers until 2003 when she founded the Carolina Waterfowl
Rescue. Since then CWR has taken in approximately 500 birds a year. Her specialties
are waterfowl and wading birds since they are the bulk of the birds they take
in.
She has been a volunteer at the Carolina Raptor Center since 2003 working approximately
200 hours in the rehabilitation and resident bird care departments.
She is also the founder of the Duck Rescue Network which is still in the beginning
stages but seeks to network rehabilitators along with other rescuers across
the county. They work on placement of non-releasable waterfowl, adoption assistance
for domestic waterfowl, share health and care information and husbandry. They
also coordinate rescues and transports across the county.
Elizabeth Hanrahan
Elizabeth is founder of Ocracoke Wildlife Rehabilitation, Rescue and Education
on a remote barrier island 25 miles off the coast of North Carolina. She also
volunteers with the NCWRC and National Park Service with the Sea Turtle Monitoring
program and the Sea Turtle Stranding & Salvage programs. She does weekly
shorebird counts for NPS as well as the Manomet Shorebird Conservation Research
Program. She has been a program leader for Wings Over Water and has presented
at NWRA, WRNC and elsewhere.
Pat Isaacs
Pat has been rehabilitating wildlife for the past 40 years, however, considers
that her real rehabilitation experience didn't start until 1993 when she joined
ARC, IWRC and NWRA and started doing wildlife rehab full time. She has completed
IWRC's 1AB certification and 5 additional IWRC advanced Skills Seminars plus
other wildlife rehab workshops, seminars, and conventions. She has presented
at IWRC conferences, and teaches the Eastern Cottontail and Hotline Classes
for ARC.
Pat served on the board of directors for ARC for 5 years and currently remains
active as a supply point, hotline coordinator, and assists with all their printing
needs in addition to rehabbing and being available as a mentor for other members.
She also has worked as an advisor on IWRC’s hotline committee and as a
state representative for them.
A home-based rehabilitator; Pat currently rehabilitates approximately 150-180
mammals a year, as part of the 1500-2000 that ARC members rehabilitate annually.
Sharon Kzinowek
Sharon Kzinowek is a Category II-A licensed wildlife rehabilitator and staff
member at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. She began as a volunteer at WCV in
1995 and then became licensed as a WCV apprentice in 1996. At this time she
began raising orphan babies at home while continuing to be an active volunteer
and working part-time as a Veterinary Assistant. Sharon joined the staff at
WCV full-time in the spring of 1999, has moved to senior wildlife rehabilitator,
and teaches various wildlife rehabilitation courses for the WCV. Sharon has
two teenage children and lives in rural Louisa County.
Connie Sale
Connie Sale has been specializing in hummingbird rehabilitation for over eight
years, along with her husband, Wilton, in Chesapeake, VA. She is Category II
State permitted and holds a Federal migratory bird rehab permit. Connie is a
member of Wildlife Response, Inc., NWRA, and IWRC. She has a Bachelor of Science
degree in Biology and has been an avid
birder for over 30 years. Her passion is hummingbirds. She co- owns a sideline
business, Plants With a Purpose, which specializes in plants to attract hummingbirds,
songbirds and butterflies. Professionally, she is a Technical Recruiting Manager
for a large defense contractor.
Nimette Soli
Nimette has held a federal permit for 6 years. She majored in wildlife science
at Texas A&M although she didn't finish the degree. She is currently employed
as a vet tech at East Carolina Vet Service, Greenille, NC and is a third generation
rehabber. Her mother holds permits in Texas and her grandmother was known as
the Bird Lady of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. She has also raised parrots for more than
10 years, and is an amateur naturalist and birder.
Jennifer Gordon
Bob Kiger
Additional speaker info will be added as it becomes available.