Staff
Executive
ellynweisel@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x150
Ellyn comes with considerable experience in the type of organizations WildCare appreciates and admires. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and American Studies from Colby College, Ellyn began her career as Vice President, Corporate Consulting with International Management Group (IMG) in the San Francisco Bay Area. She then served as a Development Consultant for the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, and first as Director of Outreach and Philanthropy, then as Vice President of Development at Common Sense Media in San Francisco.
Ellyn was previously the Director of Development at WildCare and stepped in as Interim Executive Director for six months before taking the position of Executive Director in September 2019. Before her arrival at WildCare, she served as Chief Development Officer of 10,000 Degrees in San Rafael, California, a nonprofit helping disadvantaged students further their education, which led her to a post as Foundation Director of the DripDrop Foundation, an organization that works to prevent dehydration worldwide. Ellyn’s experience helping mission-driven organizations design and execute a comprehensive and sustainable fundraising strategy is precisely what is needed at WildCare. Her involvement and management in strategic planning, major gifts campaigns, board relations and development, budget creation, and oversight comprise her work at WildCare.
In 2023, Ellyn was nominated as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco. Find her at #43 on thewomenweadmire.com.
bobkendall@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x340
Bob was the Chief Financial Officer of a not-for-profit art school in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the last 9 years and a Florida CPA for 35 years. Prior to that he was CFO of several SEC reporting companies including a company on the NASDAQ. He was an auditor with the international CPA firm of Laventhol & Horwath. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley.
Communications, Media, and Advocacy
alisonhermance@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x240
Alison attended the University of Utah for a degree in English Literature with a Minor in Italian Language. When she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, she worked as a Concierge at several of the city’s finest hotels, including the Stanford Court and The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. Her extensive customer service background served her well when she came to WildCare as both a volunteer and a part-time Assistant Volunteer Coordinator.
Alison has been at WildCare since 2003. She has served as Major Gifts Officer, Volunteer Manager, Web Manager and Director of Communications and Marketing. In 2005 she took over the creation and maintenance of WildCare’s website, and continues to be responsible for all website content.
In her current role as Director of Communications and Marketing, she is responsible for media and public relations for WildCare, and oversees all outward-facing communications from the organization. She does outreach presentations to groups large and small, and frequent television and radio appearances representing the organization. She edits WildCare’s newsletter and also writes extensively about wildlife and the injured and orphaned patients admitted to WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital for various publications. Her experience at WildCare gives her a unique perspective on wildlife and the impact of human behavior on the animals with which we share our habitat.
In a volunteer capacity at WildCare, Alison is on the Squirrel Foster Care Team and the Baby Raptor Reunite Team. In her spare time she enjoys travel, reading, and off-road motorcycling.
dioncampbell@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x100
Development
nicoletrautsch@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x310
Following a long-held desire for her work to help animals, Nicole began at WildCare at the Front Desk as a Wildlife Services Representative, answering the Wildlife Hotline and admitting hospital patients. Her previous professional background is in luxury retail business management at companies such as Chanel and Gucci, helping them increase business through client relationship building and perfecting customer service. Nicole holds an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts. She is a lifelong lover of animals, and has volunteered at animal organizations such as The Randall Junior Museum, SFSPCA and Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Nicole grew up in San Francisco and has many fond memories of school field trips with Mrs. Terwilliger, where her love and appreciation for wildlife blossomed. She is currently a member of WildCare’s Squirrel Foster Care Team, and is the proud mother of another animal lover, her son Emmett.
zoe@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x610
With a passion to inspire coexistence between humans and wildlife, Zoe is overjoyed to be a part of WildCare’s development team.
Zoe’s determination to become a wildlife conservationist and advocate began with her time as an Animal Biology major at the University of California, Davis. Her drive to learn about the natural world and its inhabitants grew exponentially with every species she studied: honey bees, dairy cattle—she even traveled across the globe to study the primates of Rwanda. Her experience with Wild Campus, a program dedicated to wildlife education and outreach, helped inspire her undergraduate research project focusing on the welfare of Japanese Macaques.
After graduating in 2019, Zoe found her voice for animal advocacy at the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a Veterinary Assistant. Zoe’s experiences with education outreach, research, and animal health deeply connects her to WildCare’s mission. She is grateful to be able to continue that mission as WildCare’s Development Manager.
briannabjarnson@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x210
As a lifelong nature and animal lover, Brianna is thrilled to be part of WildCare’s Development Department team.
Brianna holds a master’s degree in English and has a long, diverse background in education from preschool and K-8 to college. As a former educator and grant-funded program coordinator at Sonoma State University, she brings her experience in outreach and communications to WildCare’s stewardship program.
A North Bay native and nature enthusiast, Brianna began studying animals as a young child and has helped rescue wildlife. She loves all animals and her favorite place to be is out in the forest enjoying the beautiful landscape among the wildlife.
joannegrantz@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x280
Joanne has worked at WildCare since 2019. Joanne is a dedicated administrative professional with long-standing and diverse experience throughout multiple industries and capacities. In her role as Donor Services Manager, she is responsible for maintaining WildCare's donor database and processing donations.
bethslatkin@discoverwildcare.org
Beth joined WildCare in October 2020 as its part-time grant writer. With nearly a decade of experience as a grant writer and institutional giving manager for Bay Area educational nonprofits like the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Berkeley Chess School, Beth is delighted to be in a place that values wildlife and nature education. A longtime board member of International Bird Rescue, Beth became involved in wildlife rescue during the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill, where she became a volunteer spotter for the City of Berkeley, looking for oiled water birds along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. With a dual background in publishing (MJ, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism) and digital marketing for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, Beth has been Bay Nature Institute’s Director of Marketing and Outreach since 2011. In her spare time, Beth explores Northern California’s wild spaces, listening out for bird song and the occasional ribbit.
Education
eileenjones@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x120
Eileen has been in the environmental education world for the last 40 years. She has been a naturalist and outdoor leader on both coasts. These adventures include being a naturalist with Santa Clara County’s Outdoor Science School, an outdoor leader for inner New York City youth at the Manice Education Center and a State Park Interpretive Ranger in Massachusetts. She was the Director of the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center in Point Reyes National Seashore and lived and worked at the Marin County Outdoor School for 9 years as the Naturalist Supervisor and then as the Interim Outdoor School Manager. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Environmental Science and is a nature geek at heart.
katelynch@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x190
Kate grew up in Marin County and was a regular visitor to WildCare as a child. She began volunteering in 1998 when she was still in high school. When she went off to college, she had to discontinue her Saturday morning shift, but regularly used the skills and knowledge she had learned at WildCare when she went on to work as a Vet Assistant.
When the Costco Busan oil spill created a state of emergency in our bay, Kate was inspired to carve out time in her schedule to volunteer at WildCare again. She began volunteering in the hospital and with the Wildlife Ambassador Program in early 2009, and quickly started picking up as many extra shifts as she could manage. In 2011, Kate was hired to work as a Wildlife Services Representative at WildCare’s Front Desk. That same year, Kate began volunteering on the Opossum Foster Care Team. Kate grew to become one of WildCare’s primary opossum foster care providers, sometimes caring for almost a hundred orphaned or injured baby opossums in a year. In 2021, Kate was promoted to Education and Front Desk Manager.
When Kate isn’t busy caring for baby opossums, you can find her talking about opossums. When not totally consumed by her love for opossums, Kate enjoys cuddles with her rescue dogs, being outside in nature, and going to the movies and Giants games.
ryanelogsdon@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x160
caseypearce@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x200
Since she was a child, Casey's dream has been to create a world where humans and wildlife cohabitate peacefully. She grew up exploring the Metroparks in and around her home city of Cleveland, Ohio.
In college, Casey earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Denison University. She pursued a variety of teaching opportunities during college including being a Teaching Assistant for physiology labs, a Summer Camp Counselor, an Assistant Teacher of an afterschool program, and even a Kayak Tour Guide on Lake Michigan.
In the summer of 2019, Casey did an internship with the New Mexico Wildlife Center to learn more about wildlife rehabilitation and public education. Having the chance to educate the public on how to help injured or orphaned wildlife inspired Casey to pursue a career in wildlife and nature education.
After college, Casey spent time at NatureBridge as an Environmental Science Educator where she fell in love with the outdoor landscapes of Marin County! For fun Casey likes to hike, read, do art, and swim. She is ready to use her diverse experiences in education to teach students about wildlife and help them fall in love with our beautiful world!
carlypucci@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x300
Text: (415) 463-4624
She/her/hers
Carly grew up backpacking and scuba diving with her dad. These experiences ignited her
passion for the outdoors, and her love for wildlife, which has only deepened with the passing
years. She hopes to share her excitement for learning with other curious minds.
Having dabbled in many areas of education, Carly has seen a variety of approaches.
Some of her experiences include: teaching English in Mexico and Guatemala; working at her
former Waldorf inspired charter school; Working with LandPath’s IOOBY, outdoor education
program; and most recently working at Ocean Alternative, in Santa Cruz. She understands the
value of hands on, experiential learning, project based approaches, and peer led activities.
Carly studied literature, with a concentration in Latin American and Spanish literature, at
California University of Santa Cruz, as well as at La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
She has a love for learning languages and for travel.Thus far she has been to 21 countries, and
enjoys learning about the endless intricacies of planet earth. In her free time you can still find her
in the waves or in the mountains, surfing, foraging or making art.
cecilialedesma@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x260
Text: 415-463-4624
Facilities
gregneal@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x250
Hospital
melaniepiazza@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x140
Licensed by both the U.S. and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Melanie Piazza has served as the Director of Animal Care of WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital since 2002. Frustrated by the number of orphans brought into the hospital because of the actions of trappers and also discouraged by the number of wildlife patients that were the victims of entanglement with fishing line and hooks, Melanie founded both WildCare’s Wildlife Solutions program and Marin Municipal Water District’s fishing line recycling program. She is currently also the foster care team co-lead for the squirrel team and manages after-hours intake of critical patients.
Prior to her arrival at WildCare she was the manager of the Animal Protection Society’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Mebane, NC for four years. She is a graduate of Elon University. Melanie’s other passion is animal rescue during times of disaster. She is an active member of Oiled Wildlife Care Network, San Francisco’s Disaster Animal Response Team and Marin County’s Community Emergency Response Team.
Melanie was a volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center for nine years and currently fosters kittens for various rescue groups. Any free time is spent running
julianasorem@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x290
Dr. Juliana Sorem started her association with WildCare as a Hospital Volunteer in 1997 and completed WildCare’s internship program in 2000, before leaving for veterinary school. After graduating from U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine she completed an internship at the Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of Marin, and then spent eleven years working in companion animal medicine and surgery in Oakland.
Dr. Sorem returned to WildCare as a Hospital Volunteer from 2012 to 2017 and was hired as WildCare’s first ever full-time veterinarian in 2017 for both our Hospital patients and our resident Ambassador animals. She is also foster care team lead for the raccoon team.
brittanymorse@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x180
Brittany Morse is a Bay Area native who has been rescuing and rehabilitating both marine and urban wildlife across the U.S. since 2009. She began her wildlife work at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito while taking graduate classes focused on research and neuroscience. In 2012 she moved the Massachusetts where she worked for the Cape Wildlife Center as a Senor Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician and volunteered with many other local wildlife rescue and welfare organizations including the Marine Life Center, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. While living on the East Coast Brittany also received licensures in wildlife rehabilitation from The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.
In 2016 Brittany returned to the North Bay and began her journey with WildCare as a Research Assistant working on a rodenticide study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. Later that year she accepted the Clinic Hospital Manager position and took on the bat and skunk foster care teams. In 2019 she took the opportunity t to manage her favorite foster care species by taking over the opossum team.
jacquelinelewis@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x350
Jacqueline’s love for wildlife started young, as she grew up visiting WildCare's courtyard as a toddler, and went on to attend our summer camp programs. The day after her eighteenth birthday she signed up for our volunteer orientation.
After a year of volunteering Jacqueline completed our Hospital Internship Program and just two weeks after that she was offered a job as a seasonal Wildlife Assistant. Jacqueline has since achieved the titles of Senior Wildlife Technician, Hospital Internship Manager, and most recently Hungry Owl Project Program Manager.
Jacqueline also participates in foster care, specializing in neonates (that means feeding babies up to every three hours through the night!) and manages the Rodent Foster Care Team. In her spare time Jacqueline likes to spend her time with her family and her two dogs, Shiloh and Mama Snow.
lucystevenot@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x330
Lucy Stevenot was hired as the Songbird Hospital Manager at WildCare in 2016. She got her start in wildlife rehabilitation in 2010 as a volunteer at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito while also attending Academy of Art University. Her time spent at TMMC caused Lucy to change colleges and pursue a degree in biology so she could continue to work with wildlife. She graduated from Smith College with a BA in Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation.
In addition to TMMC, Lucy has worked with several different organizations and wildlife hospitals in the area including The Bird Rescue Center (Santa Rosa) and Native Songbird Care & Conservation (Sebastopol). Lucy has also worked at the San Francisco Zoo, Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of Marin and The Wildlife Project (Sacramento). It was at Native Songbird Care & Conservation that Lucy fell in love with songbirds and decided to specialize in the care of the amazing and diverse species that fall under this name. While her first love is songbirds, Lucy is also currently the foster care team lead for rabbits and hares and is also co-team lead for the skunk team.
Hungry Owl Project
jacquelinelewis@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x 350
Jacqueline’s love for wildlife started young, as she grew up visiting WildCare's courtyard as a toddler, and went on to attend our summer camp programs. The day after her eighteenth birthday she signed up for our volunteer orientation.
After a year of volunteering Jacqueline completed our Hospital Internship Program and just two weeks after that she was offered a job as a seasonal Wildlife Assistant. Jacqueline has since achieved the titles of Senior Wildlife Technician, Hospital Internship Manager, and most recently Hungry Owl Project Program Manager.
Jacqueline also participates in foster care, specializing in neonates (that means feeding babies up to every three hours through the night!) and manages the Rodent Foster Care Team. In her spare time Jacqueline likes to spend her time with her family and her two dogs, Shiloh and Mama Snow.
stevebeatty@discoverwildcare.org
Steve Beatty has just joined WildCare as our new owl box builder, and he wants to eventually work directly with WildCare's patients as a volunteer. Steve first learned about Wildcare when his adventuresome cat brought home two baby opossums. His driving from El Sobrante (East Bay) to WildCare in the wee hours of the morning were rewarded months later when he was able to release the healthy siblings at a creek near his house. His cat was ‘rewarded’ with permanent confinement to the house and a 500 ft2 Zen garden catio.
Steve wanted to introduce himself to you by asking you to play truth, truth, lie. Of these three adventures, you will try to guess which is the lie.
1) While on a bike trip, he was nearly buried under a collapsing mountain
2) He briefly spoke with one of the most famous, 20th century actresses
3) He was terrified by a no-knock warrant intended for someone else with a very similar name
Read through to discover the lie.
Steve grew up in the bucolic Sonoma Valley, and was inspired by his high school physics teacher to pursue a degree in physics. Despite his parents’ inability to provide support, he earned his BS in physics from Cal and his teaching credential from CSU Sacramento. He taught physics, biology, math and computers, grades 7-12, for ten years, but had to transition to the corporate world to earn enough to qualify for a home loan. He programmed for a learning company, PG&E and Halliburton for two decades before finishing his career as a teacher last year.
But wait. How did he develop the requisite carpentry skills from programming and teaching you may ask? That is where the home purchase comes in. Twenty plus years ago he bought his current residence in El Sobrante, and he has been improving it ever since. He retro-insulated the entire house, installed a killer retaining wall, added a bathroom, installed a French drain across the entire property, and the list goes on. Additionally, he purchased the house next door and converted it to a duplex, landscaped the entire property, built yet another retaining wall, replaced fences, and again the list goes on (on refinance, when the underwriter asked the assessor why a 55-year-old house was valued so high, he replied, “Because all of the improvements make it the equivalent of a new house”). All of this with his own hands and no outside help. In this mix he built six sheds, one of which is 1.5 stories that he is convinced will withstand anything the Hayward Fault can throw at it (message from Steve to Mother Nature: not intended as a challenge!).
Steve does not need any supplemental income. Rather, he has joined Wildcare for the same
reason we all have- to help our fellow creatures thrive! He looks forward to getting to know our Wildcare family, and to learn about caring for wild animals.
Now to reveal the lie. Steve was never arrested for anything. While working at a data entry
summer job, the office staff all left to celebrate some occasion, and he volunteered to answer
the phones. A woman called asking to speak with the president regarding a contribution for her AIDS foundation. He took her information, and when she said, “Elizabeth Taylor”, he dutifully wrote it down, thanked her and hung up. Three steps to his desk and he abruptly stopped, realizing who it was. He was actually grateful for the delayed recognition, because it spared her the annoyance of, “The Elizabeth Taylor? You were great in...”
In 1980, Steve set out on the adventure of a lifetime. He took off from Davis on May 1, 1980 on his ten speed, packed with camping gear. Seventeen days later he arrived at Seaquest State Park, about 40 miles west of Mt. St. Helens. He planned to leave the next morning at 6 am but overslept. The mountain blew at 8:30 am, so had he left on time he probably would have seen it firsthand, but probably would also have been dangerously close, as his planned route was right in the path of the mud flow and hurling boulders.
Steve looks forward to great experiences at Wildcare, but hopefully less dramatic than his bike
adventure.
Volunteer
briannabjarnson@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x210
As a lifelong nature and animal lover, Brianna is thrilled to be part of WildCare’s Development Department team.
Brianna holds a master’s degree in English and has a long, diverse background in education from preschool and K-8 to college. As a former educator and grant-funded program coordinator at Sonoma State University, she brings her experience in outreach and communications to WildCare’s stewardship program.
A North Bay native and nature enthusiast, Brianna began studying animals as a young child and has helped rescue wildlife. She loves all animals and her favorite place to be is out in the forest enjoying the beautiful landscape among the wildlife.
Website
alisonhermance@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x240
Alison attended the University of Utah for a degree in English Literature with a Minor in Italian Language. When she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, she worked as a Concierge at several of the city’s finest hotels, including the Stanford Court and The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. Her extensive customer service background served her well when she came to WildCare as both a volunteer and a part-time Assistant Volunteer Coordinator.
Alison has been at WildCare since 2003. She has served as Major Gifts Officer, Volunteer Manager, Web Manager and Director of Communications and Marketing. In 2005 she took over the creation and maintenance of WildCare’s website, and continues to be responsible for all website content.
In her current role as Director of Communications and Marketing, she is responsible for media and public relations for WildCare, and oversees all outward-facing communications from the organization. She does outreach presentations to groups large and small, and frequent television and radio appearances representing the organization. She edits WildCare’s newsletter and also writes extensively about wildlife and the injured and orphaned patients admitted to WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital for various publications. Her experience at WildCare gives her a unique perspective on wildlife and the impact of human behavior on the animals with which we share our habitat.
In a volunteer capacity at WildCare, Alison is on the Squirrel Foster Care Team and the Baby Raptor Reunite Team. In her spare time she enjoys travel, reading, and off-road motorcycling.
Wildlife Hotline
barbarapritchard@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x100
andreao'dell@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x100
Andrea grew up on the Indian River lagoon system in Florida with a love and respect for wildlife, especially manatees and ospreys. She holds a master’s degree in social work and spent many years working with troubled teenagers and their families in Florida and Baltimore. She started volunteering at WildCare in 2016 and became a Wildlife Services Representative in 2020. She lives in Larkspur with her husband, two sons, dog and three cats.
dioncampbell@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x100
catemason@discoverwildcare.org
415-453-1000 x100
Cate is an avid lover of all things wildlife, animal or plant, and comes to us by way of the restaurant industry. Seeking to help wildlife that are unable to help themselves, Cate brings her compassion, empathy and many skills to WildCare.