Save our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center is a non-profit wildlife conservation and education organization located on the former site of The Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary on City Island in Sarasota, Florida. Save Our Seabirds is committed to the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured birds with the goal of releasing them back to their natural habitats. A lifelong sanctuary and specialized medical care are provided for those birds that cannot be released. We use their stories to educate the public about avian conservation.
Bird rescues began here in 1988, led by Dale Shields, “The Pelican Man.” His sanctuary became one of Florida’s largest, saving thousands of birds before closing in 2006. In 2008, Save Our Seabirds was founded by Lee Fox and Ann Anderson to continue this mission. Since then, the organization has expanded rescue efforts, improved avian care, and added educational programs. With over 1,400 birds admitted annually, future goals include upgrading the hospital, enhancing enclosures, and expanding visitor education.
Who We Are
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Our Mission
Rescue • Rehabilitate • Release
• 5,000+ distress calls answered annually
• 1,400+ birds admitted annually
• ~100 permanent resident birds
• Open 365 days a year
Meet Our Team
Like a flock in flight, we move together - driven by our shared love for birds, wildlife, and the future of conservation.
Brian Walton
Executive Director
Brian has three decades of nonprofit leadership experience. He has a passion for building great teams and leading them to advance meaningful causes.
Over the years Brian has provided leadership to a number of organizations and causes. He has led organizations focused on affordable housing, serving Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and providing leadership development in the countries of former communist Yugoslavia.
As an independent consultant he helped dozens of organizations tell their story and raise significant dollars for mission fulfillment.
Education & Certification
Bachelor of Arts & Master of Arts, Johnson University in Knoxville, TN
CFRE, CNC
Dr. Jennifer Long
Veterinarian
Dr. Jennifer Long, a local veterinarian, is now partnering with Save Our Seabirds!
Dr. Long is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. She brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for animal care. And fortunately for us - BIRDS have always been one of her favorite species to work with.
With a lifelong love for animals, her background includes time spent working with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, where she joined the rehabilitation and medical treatment of raptors and other bird species.
Fun Fact: Dr. Long spent nine years living and practicing veterinary medicine in Asia.
Jonathan Hande
Lead Rehabber
Jonathan has worked at SOS for over 12 years. His knowledge about birds is surpassed only by his passion and love for birds.
Jonathan routinely provides training to our volunteer rescuers and is always ready for a great conversation about feathered friends!
Fun Fact: Jonathan's dream is to one day own a farm.
Favorite Bird: Cormorant
Lisa Wood
Director of Education & Outreach
Lisa comes to Save Our Seabirds with a background that seems almost tailor-made to have a positive impact with our organization. Lisa started out as a rescue volunteer in 2023 and accepted a staff position in 2025.
She is working towards achieving her BS in Biology with a goal of becoming a veterinarian with a specialty in avian care. This career shift comes after two decades of work in the marketing and advertising world, with a few crossovers into outdoor recreation and carpentry. Her work has included high profile clients such as Pepsi, MIT Tech Review, Belvedere and many more.
Fun Fact: Lisa has lived overseas for 6 years.
Favorite Bird: Gulls are her spirit animal because they both love snacks on the beach, but she couldn't pick just one favorite.
Alex Torres
Office Manager
Alex has lived in Florida for 25 years. An avid outdoorsman, Alex has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communications studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
Alex worked in public relations for five years and has extensive experience in customer service roles, including outreach coordinator with the Humane Society of Manatee County.
Originally from Colombia, Alex is fluent in Spanish. His hobbies include playing tennis, biking, photography, and snorkeling.
Fun Fact: Alex lived in Kenya for three years.
Favorite Bird: Peregrine falcon
Lynn Lotsey
Weekend Office Manager
Lynn joined SOS in 2012. She enjoys sharing our mission and empowering callers to assist birds in need.
Lynn's favorite pastimes are bass fishing, cooking, reading, and visiting Wilbur Hot Springs.
Fun Fact: Lynn knows her way 'round a diesel tractor - it took only one time to prime Ol'Blue to never let that happen a second time.
Favorite Bird: Hummingbird, with a royal tern as a close second
Leo Kissling
Director of Facilities & Grounds
Leo is a lifelong outdoorsman, an Eagle Scout, and has been birding since he was 12. He began with SOS as a volunteer rescuer, and joined the staff in the fall of 2023.
Fun Fact: Leo is an excellent cook, having worked in the restaurant business for 20 years.
Favorite Bird: Magnificent frigatebird, with the swallow-tailed kite as a close second
Stormy Willson
Lead Avian Keeper
Stormy has a degree in fisheries and wildlife conservation from Oregon State University. She hopes to use her knowledge and passion to connect people with local wildlife conservation.
Fun Fact: Stormy knows how to knit/crochet, has helped train a baby falcon, and is an aries.
Favorite Bird: At SOS, Helios; in general, aplomado falcons
Tara Morningstar
Avian Kitchen Manager
Tara holds a bachelor of arts in english and environmental studies from Western Michigan University. Her honors thesis was on the intelligence in crows as described in biological studies and literature. She has worked at SOS for over 12 years.
Before that, she spent two years tracking and banding eastern bluebirds as well as banding passerines for spring and fall migrations at Kalamazoo Nature Center. She also volunteers at Mote and Wildlife, Inc.
Fun Fact: Tara can do a bit of Tuvan throat singing.
Favorite Bird: Crow and anhinga
Nicole Carlson
Hospital Technician
Nicole started at SOS in 2024. She has a bachelors of science in wildlife biology and is originally from Michigan. Her wildlife roles before SOS included the Grand Rapids Wildlife Rehab Center, Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park and Mote Marine Laboratory.
Fun Fact: Nicole is a triplet
Favorite Bird: Brown Pelican
Nic Frazier
Hospital Technician
Nic served at an intern in. 2024 and we loved her so much we brought her on board as staff! She has a bachelors degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida. Her long-term goal is to work in habitat and species conservation to help restore threatened animal populations.
Fun Fact: Nic loves reading, arts and crafts, and hiking.
Favorite Bird: Osprey
Abby O'Donnell
Hospital Technician
Abby has a bachelors in environmental studies from Eckerd College. She previously worked at the Tampa Bay Raptor Center, for Florida Fish and Wildlife as a biologist studying brown pelicans, and with many wildlife rescue organizations in Tampa Bay.
Abby has been working with birds for about 3 years. She hopes to continue to inspire and teach others about the importance of birds and conservation efforts.
Fun Fact: Abby has 6 reptiles and a quaker parrot.
Favorite Bird: Swallow-tailed kites and peregrine falcons
Cali Bressler
Avian Keeper
Cali has been working with animals for about a decade. While she started with horses, she fell in love with birds and reptiles during her years as a zookeeper. She also dabbled in veterinary medicine as a vet technician and kennel tech, but her passions remain in educating the public about conservation and wildlife. She enjoys music of all genres, collecting oddities and bones, and taking care of her many pets.
Fun Fact: Cali has six snakes, five tarantulas, a scorpion, a beta fish, and an elderly cat named Twinkle.
Favorite Bird: Hyacinth macaw and great horned owls
Tyler MacDonald
Avian Keeper
Tyler is a Florida native who has been working with animals his whole life. He has hands-on experience caring for a wide variety of species, from parrots, raptors, and lemurs to reptiles and small mammals.
Fun fact: He has touched a wild elephant
Favorite bird : shoebill stork
McKenna Robinson
Avian Keeper
McKenna has a bachelors in Marine Biology from the University of West Florida. Driven by a passion for animal rehabilitation, providing care and aid to every animal that needs it. She is currently continuing her education to further her ability to care for these animals and share their stories with others. Besides birds, her favorite animal is a Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle.
Favorite bird: Brown Pelican.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Linda Mitchell
Chair
Originally from the Philadelphia area, Linda earned degrees in education and psychology from the University of Delaware.
Her professional experience spans elementary education, corporate buying at Macy’s New York, and regional management at Discovery Toys. Linda has served as school board president for Hopewell Valley Regional School District in New Jersey, as board chair of the American Red Cross Greensboro Chapter in North Carolina, as board chair of the Greensboro Ballet, and served on the board of Out of the Garden Project, a food insecurity nonprofit.
She joined the Save Our Seabirds board in 2022 and chaired the Sunset Soiree in 2023. Linda also serves on the Sarasota Ballet Board of Trustees.
Lisa Hartmann
Vice Chair
Lisa earned a B.S. from University of Miami with an emphasis on marine sciences and holds a professional accounting master’s degree from Rutgers University.
Her professional experience spans dolphin training at Miami Seaquarium in Florida, zookeeping in the Marine Mammal Division of the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, and accounting at KPMG both in the U.S. and U.K.
Lisa began her affiliation with Save Our Seabirds as a Baby Bird Room and fundraising volunteer before joining the board in 2015 and has chaired the Sunset Soiree for four years. She has volunteered with Mote Marine Aquarium, Southeastern Guide Dogs, and SPARCC.
Jane Weinman
Treasurer
Originally from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Jane graduated from the University of Tulsa with an education degree before relocating to Dallas, Texas, where she completed her master’s degree in education at Texas A&M University.
She was a public elementary school educator for 12 years before assuming the role of controller for her husband’s geophysical consulting and seismic processing company.
She has served on her Homeowners Association board and was instrumental in revising HOA bylaws and securing higher-yielding investment funds.
Jane joined the Save Our Seabirds board in 2024.
Ken Goldberg
Secretary
Ken earned his B.B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from The College of William and Mary in Virginia. He began his career as an equities analyst at Standard & Poor’s in New York City before transitioning to management leadership roles in retail apparel.
Leveraging his expertise, Ken moved into consulting at firms including Deloitte & Touche, CFT Consulting (which he co-founded), and Answerthink. Currently, Ken is CEO of Real Digital Media in Sarasota, providing digital signage and marketing solutions to owners and operators of out-of-home networks.
Ken has served on Sarasota’s Out-of-Door Academy board, was a founding member and board chair of the Digital Signage Federation, and class chair for Mason School of Business at William & Mary.
Ken joined the Save Our Seabirds board in 2021 and led the Save Our Seabirds fall fundraiser for several years.
Ann B. Anderson
Founding Board Member
Ann joined Save Our Seabirds as a co-founder in 2008 and was a driving force behind its growth and success.
A native of Rochester, Minnesota, she earned her B.A. in literature and philosophy from the University of Minnesota. Ann began her professional career as a social worker before returning to school to earn her certification as a registered nurse.
She spent 50 years owning, raising, and showing Boxer dogs under the kennel named Rummer Run and owned and/or bred close to 100 Boxer champions.
In addition to her service on the Save Our Seabirds Board, Ann also sits on the board of the American Boxer Charitable Trust.
Danielle Gladding
Board Member
Danielle is an active community volunteer, lending her time and support to several not-for-profit organizations including State College of Florida Foundation, the Girl Scouts of America, Easter Seals of Southwest Florida, The Florida House in Washington, D.C, Mote Marine, and the Debutante Program of Sarasota and Manatee benefitting the youth programming for the Sarasota Orchestra.
Danielle has been involved in Sarasota real estate since 1987 beginning as founder and managing broker for Trop Properties Real Estate and now is a Broker-Associate with Coldwell Banker.
Before joining the Save Our Seabirds board in 2024, Danielle was an avid supporter of Save Our Seabirds and co-sponsored numerous events for the organization.
Nancy Curtis
Board Member
A retired speech pathologist and audiologist, Nancy earned a B.A. in speech pathology from Emerson College and a master’s degree from Stanford University.
She spent most of her career working in special education at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and various schools in New Jersey. Early in her career, while living in Malaysia as the country’s only speech pathologist, Nancy established the first program for deaf preschoolers at the National Society of the Deaf.
She has served on the board of People for Animals, a New Jersey animal rescue organization and clinic, and has been on the Save Our Seabirds board since 2009. She also volunteers at Save Our Seabirds as a docent, tour leader, and camp guide.
Steve Siegler
Board Member
Steven was president and CEO of J.McLaughlin from 1998 to 2016, where he helped transform a chain of five regional stores into a 120-store nationwide chain. During his tenure, he led the organization’s growth transition from a family business culture to a best of class brand and business organization, creating a culture built on product integrity, customer loyalty, creativity, and control.
Since his retirement, Steven has stayed busy with a variety of projects including retail real estate and tenant strategies, profit-driven growth strategies, organization structure, entrepreneurial mentoring, and executive coaching.
Steven has also served on the Grand Bay Community Board as well as the Executive Board of Nantucket Community Sailing. Steven joined the Save Our Seabirds Board in 2018.
Jeff Telego
Board Member
Jeff received his formal education and training at Georgetown University and Olivet College and has over 40 years of experience in environmental risk management. Currently, he leads Risk Management Technologies (RTM) and RTM Communications, providing consulting, oversight, and expert witness services across industries. He has developed international programs for financial institutions in Australia, Taiwan, and eastern Europe, and co-founded the U.S. Environmental Bankers Association (EBA) and its Australasian counterpart.
Jeff participated in the Wharton School Center for Risk and Decision Processes on Pollution Insurance and served on the ASTM Committee and subcommittees of E-50 on Environmental Assessment. Jeff also shares his knowledge as a board advisor and contributes to publications like Bloomberg's Bureau of National Affairs and Risk Management Magazine. He has served on the Save Our Seabirds board since 2017.
Nancy McLean
Board Member
A native of Canton, Ohio, Nancy graduated with a B.S. in industrial systems engineering from The Ohio State University before earning her M.B.A. from University of Virginia Darden School.
She worked for General Motors for 35 years living in Europe, Canada, and throughout the U.S. holding various positions in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, service, and strategic planning. She retired as Director of Brand Quality in 2014.
Since then, she has been an active volunteer for Precious Jewels Academy, Catholic Charities, and Longboat Key Garden Club, where she co-chaired the Taste of the Keys fundraising event for three years. Nancy joined the board of Save Our Seabirds in 2023 and chaired the 2024 Sunset Soiree.
Cynthia Craig
Board Member
Cynthia graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Dickinson College before receiving her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
During her career as a practicing attorney, she served two terms on the New Jersey Supreme Court District Ethics Committee and was the court-appointed trustee of the EJW Special Needs Trust. Together with Daniel J. Pomeroy, Cynthia co-authored New Jersey Automobile Insurance Law.
Currently she volunteers as Guardian Ad Litem in Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit and since 2016 has served on the Children’s Guardian Fund as board secretary, chair of the Governance Committee, and most recently as president. Cynthia joined the Save Our Seabirds board in 2024.
Clive Samuels
Board Member
Clive received an MSc engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in many states throughout the U.S.
He owned and held leadership positions at consulting engineering firms including Clive Samuels & Associates (U.S./U.K.) and Energy Squared, LLC, and served as president of Coolsys Energy Engineering.
He has been president of the Pond View condominium board in Princeton, New Jersey as well as president of Grand Bay Longboat Key condominium board. Clive has served on the Save Our Seabirds Board since 2022.
John Wilson
Board Member
Born in the Midwest, John graduated summa cum laude from the University of Detroit and the University of Michigan Law School. For more than 40 years, he was a trial lawyer representing businesses, municipalities, universities, and individuals in all types of cases involving complex commercial, securities, intellectual property, product liability, medical, pharmaceutical, insurance coverage, and class actions in the state and federal courts of Washington and other jurisdictions around the country.
He has served as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. John currently serves on the Institutional Review Board of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center which provides the latest breakthroughs impacting both cancer and infectious diseases worldwide. John began his tenure with the Save Our Seabirds board in 2024.
Michelle Johnson
Board Member
A graduate of Miami University, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Michelle runs a concierge level wealth management office for select clients with Edward Jones.
She is a resident of Longboat Key, and deeply involved in her community. In addition to serving on the SOS Board of Directors, she is also a member of the LBK Garden Club, Moderator of the LBK Facebook page, and serves as Coordinator of the LBK Book Club. She has served a variety of nonprofit roles in the past - including PEO, St. Croix Valley Foundation, and Turning Point for victims of sexual abuse.