Our Staff
Eileen Hagerman, Executive Director
Eileen came to Volunteers for Wildlife in 1996 as a volunteer. Volunteering at the center inspired her to go back to school to become a veterinary technician. In 2003, she graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an Associate in Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician. In May of 2003, Eileen came on part-time as Clinic Supervisor at Volunteers. That soon turned into full-time Clinic Supervisor, and in 2005 Eileen became the Executive Director.
Eileen lives at home with her husband Tom, her three cats, turtle, bunny, gerbil, and fish. She is especially fond of the opossums that come into our hospital.
Suzanne Scheuring, Education Coordinator
Suzanne started with Volunteers for Wildlife in 2003 as per-diem education staff while completing her degree in biology at SUNY Stony Brook. After graduating with a BS in Biology in 2005, she came on full-time as the Education Coordinator. She gained most of her animal handling and environmental education experience while working at the Salisbury Zoo in Salisbury, MD as a docent, as well as a per-diem staff for the education department there in 1999-2001.
Sue shares her home with her husband Mike, her dog, cat, 3 ducks and a leopard tortoise. Sue’s hobbies include gardening, crocheting, and kayaking. Sue is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with a special interest in turtles and other reptiles.
Jason Wanaselja, Clinic Supervisor
Jason started with Volunteers in spring of 2004 as a Clinic Assistant, after graduating from Messiah College in PA with a BS in Environmental Science. He was recently promoted to Clinic Supervisor. Jason’s interest in school was Ornithology, and he worked as a plover steward at Jones Beach before coming to Volunteers.
Jason’s interest at our hospital is with our birds, and he is extremely adept at holding and examining even the tiniest bird. In his free time, Jason is involved with his church’s youth group, but he also spends a lot of time birding.
Rosemarie Curcio
Rosemarie started with Volunteers as a volunteer in 1991. In 2001 she came on as a staff member one day a week, as she is also a teacher in New York City. Rosemarie’s house is a very busy one with her four cats, especially because she does a small amount of rehab out of her home as she holds her own Federal License.
Rosemarie has a very special interest in bats, and has volunteered with Bat World Sanctuary in Austin, TX. Thanks to Rosemarie, there is now a chapter of Bat World Big Apple in New York as well!
Michelle Pesce
Michelle started volunteering with us in 2001, and in 2004 came on as staff during the summer. She is currently finishing up a BS in Biology at Stony Brook University, and will be attending veterinary school at Cornell University in the fall. In her “spare” time, Michelle is an EMT and member of her town's fire department, volunteers at a veterinary clinic, and is involved with a feral cat rescue in conjunction with Stony Brook University.
In April 2006, Michelle went to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses for those who had lost their homes due to Hurricane Katrina. Michelle shares her home with her parents, two brothers, her rabbit, turtle, mice, and her Pionus parrot, Ziggy. She is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and specializes in very small mammals.
Caitlin Mills
Caitlin had volunteered with us for a few years before joining us as staff in September 2007, after she graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a degree in Environmental Science. Caitlin also works for an environmental consulting & contracting company. She spent a summmer in Arizona working on field research projects with professors and graduate students at the Southwestern Research Station. Caitlin will be going to Costa Rica to take a course in Tropical Biology and Conservation this summer.
Sandy Walczyk
Sandy began volunteering with us in 2000, and also worked for us during the summer. She took a four year "hiatus" while she went to school at College of the Atlantic in Maine. Her major was Human Ecology, the study of humans' interactions with the world. Since graduating two years ago, Sandy has had sixteen jobs, including state & federal wildlife research, landscaping/gardening, house painting, waitressing, working for a vet, working at a feed store, writing/editing research papers, chopping and burning big piles of wood, carpentry, and construction. In two years she has lived and worked in eight states, and now she's back with us, doing everything from animal care to rebuilding aviaries and making repairs in our building. Sandy's pets include a dog and three cats, and takes pride in her collection of interesting animal remains, including a mummified fox.
Laura McKellar, Clinic Supervisor "Emeritus"
Laura started with Volunteers in 2002 as a volunteer and in 2005 moved up to Clinic Supervisor. Laura is presently on what we would like to think of as a “sabbatical” as her family grew this year when she had another baby.
We’re not letting go of her yet, and hope to see her back when her boys go to school.
Laura is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with an interest in birds, and is involved doing rescue and transport of injured wildlife to our facility, as well as releasing our patients when they get well. To be continued….
Here's a picture of all of us (plus a few extra) at a barbeque. Even at parties, we find ourselves reverting to conversations about animals, work, and very often, the poop of animals at work at least once every five minutes.