Kelly was one of the founding members of the Southern Tier Wildlife Center, Binghamton, NY. In addition to holding a License to Collect and Possess to hold live animals for education, she has been a state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator since 1981 and has served on the NYSWRC Board of Directors for nearly as long. Kelly works part time for the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve as an education assistant in Rensselaerville, NY. She does live education programs as “Wildlife Alive.”

Cheryl Hoople, NYSWRC Secretary
Cheryl is a licensed rehabilitator who has been with the Wildlife Department of the SPCA of Erie County since June of 1999. She is also a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. Cheryl has received her certificate for oil spill training and RVS training. In addition, she took the basic training for and joined EARS. She has been actively involved with the Board of Directors of NYSWRC since January 2002 and has assisted in the arrangements for the annual NYSWRC conference each year since that time. In 2003 Cheryl was nominated for and accepted the position of Secretary for NYSWRC.

Eileen Hagerman first became involved in the field of wildlife rehabilitation in 1996 when she began volunteering at Volunteers for Wildlife, Inc. on Long Island. Eileen’s time volunteering at the center inspired her to head to school for Veterinary Technology. She graduated from LaGuardia Community College in 2002 with an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology.

In April of 2003, Eileen became the Wildlife Clinic Supervisor at Volunteers for Wildlife. In 2005, Eileen stepped into a new role as the organization’s Executive Director. During her seven year tenure as executive director, she was a key part of the successful move of Volunteers for Wildlife’s long-time home to a new property in Nassau County.

Eileen holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Veterinary Technology Management from SUNY Delhi and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management at Stony Brook University. She is now a Veterinary Technician at an animal hospital. Eileen is an active weekly volunteer, rescue transporter and rehabilitator with Volunteers for Wildlife. She holds a Class I Wildlife Rehabilitation license and is an IWRC
Certified Wildlife rehabilitator. Eileen joined NYSWRC’s Board of Directors in November, 2016 as Treasurer.

Bev has been involved with wildlife rehabilitation since 1985.  She began her wildlife work as a volunteer at the Ross Park Zoo and the Southern Tier Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Binghamton, New York. Bev attended SUNY Buffalo and obtained a BS degree in Environmental Science.  She spent a year and a half at the Conservancy Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Naples, Florida and worked with a wide array of subtropical wildlife.  Later, she had the privilege to work three summers as a hack site attendant for the Peregrine Fund.  She graduated from Medaille College’s Veterinary Technician program in 1999. Bev was employed as a wildlife veterinary technician at the SPCA Serving Erie County from 2000 to 2018. Bev currently works as the Nature Program Coordinator for Pfeiffer Nature Center in Portville New York and volunteers for WildCare of Western New York.

Ginnie is the Executive Director and Founder of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays, Long Island, New York. She is a retired secretary/administrator for the Suffolk County Department of Public Works. As well as being a board member for NYSWRC, she is also a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association, the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, and the East Hampton Group for Wildlife.

Ginnie has successfully completed both the IWRC’s Basic and Advanced Skills Seminars. She is a N.Y.S. Certified Euthanasia Technician, N.Y.S. Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator (Class 2) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Permit Holder for the Rehabilitation of Migratory Birds. Ginnie is also a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Permit Holder for Possession of Live and Dead Specimens.

Ginnie’s story “Nice Bird,” regarding a goose she once rehabilitated, appeared in the top selling book Chicken Soup for the Nature Lover’s Soul.” She was also featured in an article in People Magazine regarding animal heroes.

Lauren is the Wildlife Center Supervisor of Volunteers for Wildlife, Inc in Locust Valley, Long Island, New York. At Volunteers for Wildlife, she oversees the care of 2,000 patients annually and thirty non-releasable educational animals. Lauren has been licensed as a New York State Wildlife Rehabilitator since 2007. Lauren is a NYS Licensed Euthanasia Technician and holds federal and state rehabilitation and education/exhibition licenses.

Lauren graduated from Connecticut College with a Bachelors Degree in Zoology in 2006 and obtained her Master’s degree in General Education from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY in 2008.

Jenny has been a NY-licensed rehabber since 2014, and received a Class II license in 2017. She volunteers with Urban Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitation primarily in an administrative and educational capacity, but does also try to get to The Wild Bird Fund from time to time to keep up with hands-on rehabilitation. She works full time as a jeweler and is also very involved with the small business community in NYC. She lives in Manhattan and loves to explain to city-dwellers how much wildlife there really is in our urban space, and how to appropriately interact with them.

She was pleased to join the NYSWRC board in 2017.

Rebecca has been a licensed Class I Wildlife Rehabilitator since 2015. She had pet birds as a child and credits the humble rock dove with setting her on her wildlife rehabilitation journey. After obtaining a BA in English and American Literature at NYU and an MSLIS from Pratt Institute, she found herself drawn to the birds trying to make it in the big city. She considers herself lucky to get to work with urban wildlife and many migratory species as a rehabber at the Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan. Professionally, she is an academic archivist.

Jean’s involvement with wildlife rehabilitation began in 1993 when she became a volunteer at the Buffalo Zoo in the Rare and Nocturnal Mammal Department. In 2001 she completed the Bird Banders training course from the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory and in 2002 received her oil spill training certification. Jean was a volunteer shift supervisor at the Erie Co. SPCA’s Wildlife Hospital for 19 years. She has been state licensed since 1999 and received her US Fish and Wildlife license in 2018. Jean has a BA degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina and prior to her involvement in wildlife rehabilitation she was a teacher and assistant principal. Jean has a special interest in rearing orphaned wood ducks, turkeys and cottontail rabbits.

Veronica currently works full time as the Executive Associate to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. After obtaining her Class I Wildlife Rehabilitation license she joined the SPCA’s Wildlife department in 2002 as a Volunteer. Prior to that, in 1999, she had joined the Messinger Woods Wildlife Care and Education Center as a volunteer for injured and recuperating wildlife and served as a board member for the organization for several years. She currently serves as a shift supervisor at the SPCA’s Wildlife Department. Veronica has a Master of Science degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College and is also involved in the Sustainability and Community Garden committee, an active group of multi-disciplinary faculty members, administrative staff and students. A strong advocate for the conservation and regeneration of wildlife habitat, Veronica is deeply aware of the inter-relatedness and inter-dependence of all living things and the necessity to protect ecosystems. Veronica is also the chapter coordinator of the Jesuit Honor society and continually promotes the Jesuit ideals of compassion for all living beings and the Pope’s “Laudato si’: On Care for Common Home”. She is a passionate advocate for the protection of all remaining natural habitats and the health of the planet as a whole.

Andrea L. Sammarco’s practice is primarily concentrated in the area of civil litigation and counseling. For over 20 years, she has assisted small businesses, municipalities and individuals in the areas of labor and employment, contracts, healthcare and benefits law.

Andrea was previously affiliated with Hiscock & Barclay, LLP, in the firm’s litigation department, before leaving to form The Sammarco Law Firm, LLP. She is admitted to practice in New York as well as the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Western District of New York.

Andrea is past Chair of the Erie County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Committee, and a regular presenter at CLE accredited regional and statewide conferences on topics of general interest, including alternative dispute resolution, labor and employment, and other issues. In addition to being a long time member of the Erie County Bar, Andrea has held memberships in the the Labor and Employment Relations Association of New York, the New York Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the New York Sate Bar Association. Andrea is also a certified mediator through the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Andrea received her law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, with a Certificate of Concentration in State and Local Government Law. Andrea served as Attorney for the Town of Pendleton, New York from 2004 – 2013. More recently, Andrea serves as local counsel for class-actionwage and hour litigation on behalf of Buffalo Bills cheerleaders.

She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of Niagara Hospice, Inc., as Board Member of The Hospice & Palliative Care Group. Inc., and as Advisory Board Member and legal counsel to the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.

Andrea is a New York State licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and has volunteered for numerous charitable organizations, including the Bless the Beasts Foundation, the Erie County SPCA Wildlife Department and others, and served as in-house counsel for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a national animal rights/welfare organization. She lives in Clarence, New York with her husband Scott.

Diplomate – American College of Zoological Medicine

Jay Hyman Professor of Wildlife Medicine, emeritus

Research/Clinical Interests
Wildlife Health and Conservation, specifically Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Reintroduction Medicine

Education and Training
1982 University of California, PhD
1974-1976 University of California Davis, Residency in Wildlife/Zoological Medicine
1972 University of Missouri, DVM
Westcott Hospital for Animals, Detroit, MI, Intern, Small Animal Practice

Board Certification
American College of Zoological Medicine

Dr. Moran received her degree in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 1995. After graduation, she worked in a small animal practice until 2004, when she began work at the Erie County SPCA. Dr. Moran is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and she works closely with the wildlife department at the SPCA. In her “free time,” she cares for turtles and snakes at home where she lives with her husband and son and an ever-changing array of animals. Dr. Moran was the recipient of the 2008 Veterinarian of the Year Award.