Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife

“As Executive Director, Alison Charney Hussey works with the Board of Directors, the Hospital and Visitor Education Staff, the wonderful volunteers, and the community in an effort to further CROW’s mission. Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the CROW campus as well as involving herself in community outreach, she works to create a sense of collaboration and attitude of teamwork throughout the organization, the donors, and community partners.

A lifelong resident of Lee County, Alison brings her professional and legal background with her to CROW. Prior to her career at CROW, Alison was a partner at Pavese Law Firm serving in the LaBelle and Cape Coral offices. She is also a Supreme Court Certified Circuit and Family Mediator and has helped resolve disputes for more than a decade. She earned her law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University and her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. Alison brings enthusiasm to her role as a teambuilder, manager, fundraiser, and animal lover. She is proud to both lead and serve with the professionals at CROW to promote and educate the local and global communities in order to protect, heal, and conserve wildlife.”

Michelle Menendez joined the CROW team in May of 2021. As the Director of Operations and Human Resources, Michelle is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the daily administrative and HR functions of the CROW organization. Michelle majored in Business Administration at the University of North Florida. She is an active member of SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management. Michelle’s diverse experience and global sourcing background as a former product designer in the home textiles industry brings a creative and unique perspective to her role here at CROW.

Michelle is a native Floridian and is also a Sanibel Island resident. Her childhood was spent locally on the beaches of Ft Myers, Sanibel, and Captiva. Michelle is an avid tourist and local attractions advocate. Her love for our barrier island embraces our tropical environment as well as our native wildlife. Her passion for our local community is undeniably her first and foremost priority.

Dr. Robin Bast joined the CROW team as Staff Veterinarian in July 2018, but she has been involved with CROW since her first student externship in January 2010. She returned for a six-month fellowship in 2011 and stayed on staff as the Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator for a year prior to getting into veterinary school. She earned her DVM from University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville in 2016, then went on to complete two internships – the first was a year-long Small Animal Rotating Internship in emergency medicine and surgery at Florida Veterinary Referral Center in Estero, and the second was a year-long Wildlife and Conservation Medicine Internship here at CROW. After completing her internship here, she stayed on as Staff Veterinarian overseeing daily operations at the hospital and the student program.

Dr. Bast loves teaching students, and particularly enjoys working with River Otters, Owls, and Sea Turtle patients. She lives in Cape Coral with her calico cat, Amber.

Dr. Kellow is originally from Sydney, Australia and is the current associate veterinarian at CROW. Dr. Kellow graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Science and went to veterinary school at Iowa State University. Dr. Kellow has always been passionate about wildlife, exotic, and zoological medicine and completed several externships throughout veterinary school at wildlife centers and zoological facilities. After graduating from veterinary school Dr. Kellow completed a 1-year small animal rotating internship at VCA Alameda East in Denver, Colorado and a Masters of Veterinary Science in Wildlife Conservation at Murdoch University.

Dr. Kellow was one of the two 2021-2022 veterinary interns at CROW then stayed on as our Associate Veterinarian and mentor to our current interns. Dr. Kellow, along with Dr. Bast, is one of the veterinarians for the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and is currently working on her certification in aquatic veterinary medicine. Dr. Kellow is particularly passionate about conflicts at wildlife-human interfaces and One-Health medicine which is reflected in her research projects at CROW such as mercury toxicity in Osprey. Her favorite species to work with at CROW are Barred Owls and Bobcats.

Becca joined CROW in April of 2019 as the Hospital Training Coordinator. In 2018, Becca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Ecology with a focus in Wildlife Care from Iowa State University. She manages CROW’s student programs training students and volunteers in all aspects of wildlife medicine, daily patient care, neonatal protocols, and rehabilitation. Additionally, Becca oversees on-site housing offered to students during their program duration and ensures the daily operations at the hospital are running smoothly. Becca loves training students on baby opossum care protocol as opossums are one of her favorite animals to work with, along with pelicans and Turkey Vultures!

When she’s not busy training students, Becca enjoys spending time at home with her boyfriend, their corgi, Nugget, two prairie dogs, Peanut and Peppi, and three cats, Natty, Munchkin, and Millie. She is a sucker for reality love television, ‘The Office’, and ‘Schitt’s Creek’. On her days off you can find her kayaking, going on walks with her puppy, listening to Morgan Wallen and country music, going out to brunch or the local breweries, and spending time with her family! Becca highly encourages anyone interested in wildlife to apply for CROW’s programs, as the clinic treats a significant variety of species and prides itself on being a wildlife teaching hospital ensuring the best experience for each student during their stay!

Amber graduated in 2011 from Stautzenberger College with her Associates of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and has been a veterinary technician for over 10 years now. She started off planning to work with domestic animals, but in 2015 she shifted her career focus to wildlife medicine. This shift began when she started the six-month vet tech internship at CROW. It was during her time here that her love for wildlife took root. In the student program, Amber learned how to apply her veterinary technician skillset to working with native Florida wildlife. After this, she completed a second internship working at the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge in Fort Walton Beach, FL where she participated in all aspects of wildlife rehab and marine mammal stranding. Her next career move was working a seasonal position at the Texas State Aquarium’s wildlife rehab center. There, she was able to expand her skillset to working with native Texas wildlife. Afterwards, she made the move to zoo medicine working at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA. Although she loved the opportunity to work with a zoo collection of birds, she found herself missing wildlife. When the opportunity presented itself, she jumped at the chance to return to CROW Clinic!

Since returning to CROW in 2018, Amber has held a variety of roles within the clinic. Most recently, she took on the role of Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) Floor Manager where she works closely with CROW veterinarians to oversee the treatment and care of the most critical patients. Because CROW is a teaching hospital, Amber also teaches over 50 rotating students each year how to care for wildlife and also useful skills like placing an IV, how to read blood samples, and how to draw blood from a variety of species, along many more tech responsibilities. On her time off, Amber enjoys spending time with her sister Megan and her two cats, May and Isla. She also loves birdwatching, hiking, shelling, and crafting.

As a wildlife veterinary intern, Dr. Kristie Schott is responsible for assessing all patients admitted to the clinic, developing appropriate treatment plans, and performing surgeries and other diagnostic or therapeutic procedures under the supervision of senior veterinary staff. She is also involved in teaching student externs and conducting research to advance knowledge of wildlife health.

Dr. Schott obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Princeton University, where she studied toxoplasmosis in sea otters for her senior thesis research and developed a fascination with the many complex factors that influence the health of wildlife populations and the transmission of infectious diseases between them. She earned her DVM degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY in 2020, then went on to complete two years of intensive clinical training in small animal and exotic pet medicine – first as a rotating intern at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, followed by a specialty Avian & Exotics internship at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston – prior to joining the team at CROW. Long-term, she hopes to pursue a career combining clinical veterinary work with zoo and wildlife species with conservation medicine research. Outside of work, Dr. Schott enjoys dancing, rock climbing, reading, and spending time in the natural world through hiking, kayaking or paddle boarding, and diving.

Dr. Dittmer is one of the two veterinary medicine interns at CROW. She has loved wildlife and conservation her whole life, and when she decided she wanted to be a vet, her goal was always to work with exotic species. Dr. Dittmer received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from LeTourneau University in East Texas, then graduated veterinary school from Texas A&M in May of 2021. She completed a small animal rotating internship at Nashville Vet Specialists last year, where she worked with dogs and cats alongside veterinary specialists and sharpened her veterinary skills.

She will be at CROW for one year learning how to treat wildlife. Her favorite animal is the peregrine falcon, but she has really enjoyed working with the Gopher Tortoises this year as well! Dr. Dittmer loves the variety of animals admitted to CROW, and that we are able to contribute to conservation every day. She purchased a paddleboard after she moved here and has been enjoying exploring the area by water!

Breanna Frankel is the Rehabilitation Manager and Admissions Specialist at CROW. Previously completing a six-month student fellowship at CROW, Breanna joined the staff in 2015 and was promoted to her current management role in 2017. She earned her CWR through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council in 2017. Prior to her work at CROW, Breanna graduated from Towson University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She graduated in August 2022 from the University of Florida with a Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a concentration in Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation.

Breanna first fell in love with wildlife medicine when she worked with large exotics in South Africa during college. Prior to CROW, her experience includes volunteering at the Maryland SPCA in their veterinary clinic and training adoptable dogs. She also worked as a surgical assistant at a small animal specialty hospital in western New York. Breanna enjoys teaching students who come through CROW and assisting with conservation related fieldwork in her free time. Her favorite type of education focuses on misunderstood animals like vultures or Virginia opossums and their benefits to the ecosystems. Breanna enjoys working with CROWs ambassador animals and her favorite species to work with are Magnificent Frigatebirds, vultures, and all types of turtles!

Originally from Wendell, North Carolina, Morgan joined the CROW team as an intern in May 2016 before accepting a full-time position in the rehab department in 2017, and thus becoming CROW’s in-house “bird nerd”. Morgan is an IWRC Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator and earned her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology with a concentration in Wildlife Rehabilitation and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Lees McRae College in Banner Elk, NC. While attending school, she worked at the college’s very own May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where she learned the tips of the wildlife rehab trade from some of the very best! She also developed a deeper love and understanding of birds along with the conservation measures to help protect them.

At CROW, Morgan works closely with Talon, CROW’s Red-tailed Hawk ambassador, and helps train him to be an educational animal for his species and other wildlife. Morgan also assists with the training of students/volunteers, first response calls/animal intakes, and triaging patients alongside veterinarians. She also takes great care to expand CROW’s wildlife artifact collection with her taxidermy skills and species knowledge. Aside from CROW, Morgan spends her free time exploring some of Florida’s wonderful nature trails and birdwatching every step of the way! She also volunteers her time assisting SCCF on Sanibel with their shorebird surveys and a multitude of other bird count surveys throughout migration. While Morgan may be obsessed with all birds, her favorite is the Belted Kingfisher which she says always likes to evade her camera.

Katie has been an IWRC Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator (CWR) at CROW since December of 2017. She grew up on a farm in Iowa, and was first introduced to animal care through her flock of chickens. Katie graduated from Iowa State University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Ecology with an emphasis on wildlife rehabilitation. While at Iowa State, she interned at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. Katie also worked three years at the Wildlife Care Clinic at the Iowa State Veterinary College. After graduation, she spent a summer doing bird, vegetation, and insect surveys then completed a six-month fellowship at CROW before being hired on as staff.

As a CWR, Katie helps oversee the rehabilitation of injured reptiles, birds, and mammals. Another large part of her job is caring for all the baby animals admitted to the hospital. She also assists with training students and volunteers in various areas of the clinic, and helps with treatments and animal care in the ICU portion of the hospital. Her favorite animals to work with include vultures, ducks, pelicans, and owls.

Taylor started at CROW in March of 2022 as a 6-month fellowship student with the goal of eventually attending veterinary school. After falling in love with wildlife medicine, she was hired on as a Wildlife Rehabber upon completion of the student program. Taylor graduated from Boston University in 2021 with a degree in Biology, and a double minor in public health and sociology. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Microbiology through the University of Florida, while working part-time at CROW. Taylor has previously worked as both a veterinary assistant and technician in domestic animal clinics and she is planning on applying to veterinary school this coming September. Taylor hopes to return to CROW as a veterinary student intern upon completion of her DVM.
Her favorite patients to work with include barred owls and roseate spoonbills.

Kayla joined the CROW team as a Wildlife Rehabilitator in January of 2023. Kayla started her career in wildlife rehabilitation after graduating from the University of Florida in 2012 and completing an internship at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. Falling in love with wildlife, Kayla worked rehabilitating birds in the keys until 2017 when she transitioned to St. Francis Wildlife in Tallahassee. There, she diversified her rehabilitation experience to all wildlife species. In 2022, Kayla spent a year rehabilitating birds and sea turtles with the University of Texas. Growing up in Florida, Kayla found herself wanting to continue wildlife rehabilitation and conservation in Florida. She is excited to work for CROW and with Florida wildlife again.