Meet Carol Bryant-Martin, the Executive Director of the Alaska Raptor Center since July 2024! With an extensive background in both government and private sectors, Carol has held notable roles at the Florida Department of State, the Florida Department of Legal Affairs, Getty Images, and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. She’s a pro at nonprofit management, fundraising, fiscal management, and community outreach.

Carol earned her master’s in history from Eastern Washington University and developed her passion for applied archaeology working at the Smithsonian. She holds a BA in history from George Mason University and has trained at archaeology field schools at Harvard and James Madison University. She also obtained a graduate level certification in Project Management from Florida State University, as well as credentials in Professional Fundraising from Boston University, and Sustainable Historic Preservation from Cornell University.

Throughout her career, Carol has secured vital support for Smithsonian museums, national historic landmarks, and community projects across local Main Street districts in Florida. Now at the Alaska Raptor Center, she collaborates with an amazing team to rescue, rehabilitate, and research our feathered friends.

When she’s not working on avian adventures, Carol loves volunteering, hiking, swimming, reading, and unwinding in her historic Sitka home with her husband Doug and son Ezekiel. Plus, she’s a proud bonus mom to her two adult daughters, Stella and Iris!

Ange is responsible for summer tour planning, coordinating fundraising events
and managing our gift shop. Ange jumps in anywhere she sees a need! Ange has
been with the Alaska Raptor Center since 2004.

Jen has worked at the Alaska Raptor Center in many different capacities since she first came to Sitka as an intern in 1995. In her current position as the Avian Director, Jen manages the Avian Care Team. The team’s daily responsibilities include the training and care of our avian ambassadors as well as caring for our rehabilitation patients. She is the main contact with our veterinarian, Dr. Vosburg and is responsible for all permit reporting. In her off time from the ARC, Jen enjoys bird watching, spending time with her dog and learning about the nature of southeast Alaska.

Richard has been involved with the Alaska Raptor Center since first moving to Sitka, Alaska in 2005. While splitting his years between studying anthropology and biology at Utah State University and working as a Wildlife Interpreter during his summers, Richard fell in love with the work being done here at the Alaska Raptor Center. Richard is now our Development Specialist.

Dr. Vosburg supports the Center on a contract basis, diagnosing, treating and helping rehabilitate our wild patients. In addition, she performs regular exams and cares for our resident education birds. She was our staff veterinarian at the Center from the mid 1990’s through 1998, and returned to us on a contract basis in 2005. We are very fortunate to have someone with her level of experience with raptors, coupled with a thorough knowledge of our organization and a love for both.

Since my start at the Alaska Raptor Center in 2009 as “the maintenance guy”, the variety of projects and challenges have provided for never a dull moment! Working with our dedicated staff and volunteers is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Lolly is our official ray of sunshine! She originally came to the Alaska Raptor Center in 2001 as the receptionist. In 2006 Lolly left us to return to work for the State of Alaska where she worked until her retirement in 2010. After retiring from that position, Lolly returned and will most likely be the person you talk to if you call, or the smiling face to greet you at our front counter.

Sophie, one of our avian care specialists, is originally from Wisconsin and has a BS in wildlife conservation and environmental science. She started working in wildlife rehabilitation at the age of 18 with birds in Colorado and has loved it ever since. Her favorite part of the career is being able to educate people on just how amazing these birds are, and how they contribute to the natural world around us. Because of this, she says this is why it is so crucial to continue to protect them and the rest of the wildlife on this planet.

Sheila Swanberg is a longtime resident of Sitka, Alaska and an avian care specialist at the Alaska Raptor Center. She cares for the rehabilitation patients, cleans and maintains bird enclosures, and prepares diets for the birds. More importantly, she works alongside the ambassador birds to keep the public informed about the center’s activities.

Brandi is an avian care specialist from Colorado. She earned a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University, and has a background in animal husbandry and nature interpretation. Some of her fondest and most formative experiences growing up came from her hometown nature and wildlife discovery center. In this career now, she loves passing on those experiences to others, along with the lessons she learns (daily!) from the birds themselves. If you see her, be sure to tell her your best joke.

River, one of our avian care specialists, is originally from Dunedin, Florida and joined our team in April of 2024. They have a B.S. in Wildlife Biology with a specialization in Wildlife Rehabilitation from Lees-McRae College which sparked their love of raptors. They care for our rehabilitation patients, clean/maintain bird enclosures, and work with our ambassador birds to aid in their training.

Meg joined the Alaska Raptor Center as an Avian Care Specialist in 2017. She comes to us with a degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management from Moorpark College. Spending the past few years as a member of the bird staff, she has moved on to become the Outreach Coordinator for the center working to help obtain staff for the busy summer season.

Kaylee began as a Wildlife Interpreter in 2005 and her love of birds of prey was born. By 2008 she was an eagle handler and trainer. She left for college and obtained a degree in Veterinary Technology while continuing her work with raptors teaching at a falconry school. In 2014 Kaylee returned to Alaska to become the Operations Manager for Alaska Raptor Center’s Ketchikan education extension facility until 2021. She has now stepped into the Lead Avian Trainer role providing guidance and support for the unwavering Avian Care Team in Sitka.