A fascination with birds has been in my blood since birth coming from generations of bird enthusiasts. My toddler days were spent helping my mother rehab and feed birds for a Mass Audubon. As a child, I attended the Monday Night Seminars at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and helped my mother check nest boxes for a  Bluebird Trail program. By age nine, I founded a nature club and newsletter, all while dreaming of living in the Serengeti alongside cheetahs and hornbills. Even then, my handwritten newsletters had educational articles and learning games for my classmates foreshadowing my future at Bird Academy. I’m honored to be working alongside so many talented contributors dedicated to engaging and educating people about birds and nature. 

In my current role as a Project Assistant at Bird Academy, I serve as a liaison between online learners and the Academy, providing essential support to our learners. This includes addressing a wide range of inquiries received via email, phone, or traditional mail regarding our courses, webinars, learning tools, and general bird-related questions.

Bird Academy is dedicated to educating lifelong learners about birds, biology, and nature through online courses, events, tools, and games. I’ve done content development for many of our courses, which involves selecting photos for bird identification quizzes, crafting quiz questions, suggesting topics to cover, and providing audio/visual support. My motivation lies in helping create or support engaging practice tools for fellow bird lovers. As our team has grown I focus more time on learner support.

I’ve been a part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology since 2009, initially as a volunteer before transitioning to a staff position. In March 2013, we launched our inaugural “Be a Better Birder” webinar series led by Dr. McGowan, producing over 300 live events. Gradually, we transformed these live courses into self-paced offerings, which evolved into part of Bird Academy, now is part of the Center for Engagement in Science and Nature.

My degree is in zoology with a focus on animal behavior, ecology, ornithology, and environmental politics. My background includes photojournalism, sports and event photography, public education about wild and domestic animals, fundraising for nonprofits, working on federal political campaigns for candidates who advocate for wildlife protection; and customer service & tech support at a leading telecommunications Fortune 500 company.

On weekends or during special events, I lead bird walks. Also, I do tabling events at bird festivals, where I enjoy connecting with fellow bird lovers and Bird Academy participants. Feel free to ask me about creating celebratory “lifer dances” when spotting a new bird species.

Need more information about our online courses and tools? Email or call us here. I’m happy to walk people through enrolling, signing in, navigating, and content for our courses and tools.