Directors and Staff

It is our goal that each staff member provides the Center's resident birds with top quality care, and visitors with comprehensive avian knowledge.

James D. Elliott, Jr., Executive Director
Jim Elliott, the Executive Director and founder of The Avian Conservation Center, has been a life-long student of birds. His many years of experience have been significantly effective in his quest to protect avian species and their habitats.

Early in his career, Elliott became aware of the need for a professional level of care for injured birds of prey in South Carolina, equipped to sufficiently manage the direct threats to the birds of prey population. That awareness eventually led Elliott to establish The Charleston Raptor Center in 1991. As the Center grew, Elliott recognized the need to increase public understanding of avian species and the crucial role they play in the environment. This expanded vision led Elliott and his growing team to broaden the scope and reach of the organization. In 2004, The Avian Conservation Center opened, incorporating The Center for Birds of Prey and The Avian Medical and Oiled Bird Treatment Facility.

Elliott has participated in a number of professional rehabilitation and veterinary internships and training focused on the ecology, care, housing, and medical care for birds of prey, and has studied and consulted extensively with leading raptor centers both in the United States and abroad including the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program at Colorado State University, the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota at St. Paul and the National Birds of Prey Centre in the U.K.

Additionally, Elliott has led research initiatives in South Carolina, including the South Carolina Coastal Hawk Migration Study and a long-term American Swallow-Tailed Kite survey. In 2002, he established the Wildlife Toxicity Working Group to investigate secondary barbiturate poisoning of bald eagles in public landfills, and in 2005, he co-founded The Avian Medical and Oiled Bird Treatment Facility in cooperation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Among other affiliations Elliott now serves as a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, and the Raptor Research Foundation. In 1998, he received the Wildlife Conservation Award given by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, and in 2001 he received the Environmental Awareness Award given by the Governor of South Carolina. Most recently, the center received the 2006 Award for Excellence in Management given by the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations. Elliott regularly lectures and consults on relevant avian conservation issues, contributing to the avian programs that he once studied.

Director of Development / Position Open

Laura J. Buchta | Administrative Coordinator
Laura joined the Center staff in 2002 with more than 20 years of administrative & organizational experience . Laura is responsible for all levels of administrative communication and support, including General Bookkeeping, Development, Membership, and Special Events.

Lisa McDonald | Financial Officer
Lisa's responsibilities encompass accounting and financial control functions for the Center, including annual budget and independent audit requirements. Lisa is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration.

Rick Kay, Programs Officer

Stephen I. Schabel | Educational Director
A native of South Carolina, Stephen joined the Center in 2003 after completing his M.S. degree in Environmental Policy at the College of Charleston. Prior to graduate school, he spent several years exploring various teaching opportunities outside of the traditional classroom, as well as a career in acoustic music as a mandolin player and vocalist for a variety of acts in the Charleston area. Stephen's background in education and environmental policy, along with his lifelong passion for the outdoors (especially birds), offer a unique and pertinent foundation for his role as Director of Education. Stephen oversees the care, husbandry, and training of the Center's educational collection as well as the design and implementation of educational programs offered on the Center's campus and in outreach programs throughout the state. Stephen particularly enjoys "lure flying" falcons and talking with visitors about issues related to the conservation of birds and other wildlife.

Monty Wallace / Educator
Originally from Bend, Oregon, Monty joined the Center in 2009 after graduating from the University of Oregon. As a teenager, his interest in raptors led him to volunteer with several educational facilities that utilized birds in their programs. He also completed an apprenticeship in falconry allowing him to hunt with a variety of raptors including Cooper's hawks and falcons. This falconry experience has allowed Monty to bring different perspectives and techniques to the training of the Center's educational collection for use in demonstrations. Monty's responsibilities include conducting educational programs, maintaining and repairing educational enclosures, and training birds for educational programming.

Keely Bargnesi / Medical Clinic Director
Keely joined the  Center as Clinic Director in January 2009. She received her B.A. in Anthropology and Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998. Following graduation, she began focusing on her love for the outdoors and wildlife, and has since spent her time involved in wildlife conservation and medicine. Keely spent the past ten years in leadership roles with a variety of international conservation and wildlife organizations in Brazil, Austria, Panama, and Tanzania. While raptors are a species close to her heart, Keely enjoys all avian species and brings with her a high level of experience and skills with shorebirds. As Medical Clinic Director, her primary responsibilities encompass a variety of administrative duties, supervising medical treatments, and training clinic volunteer staff members.

Stacy Hughes / Avian Care Specialist
A South Carolina native, Stacy began her career with the Center in 1996 as a volunteer staff member. She received her B.A. degree in Biology from the College of Charleston, and in 1999 was contracted as field researcher for the Center's Swallow-tailed kite study and as a counter for the SC Coastal Hawk Migration Survey.  As the longest-standing staff member, Stacy has assumed a wide variety of responsibilities over the years, and currently shares responsibility with the Clinic Director for overseeing the process of rehabilitation for all patients. Specialized skills include physical therapy, coping, imping, banding, and assisting with surgical cases. In addition Stacy manages the USFWS Federal Banding Program activities as well as multiple medical databases.

Audrey Poplin / Educator
Audrey began working at the Center as a volunteer in 2008 and completed a student internship with the Education Department in 2009. Upon graduating from the College of Charleston with a B.S. degree in Biology, Audrey joined the education staff. Throughout her childhood, Audrey had opportunities to work with wildlife in a variety of settings, including caring for injured and orphaned animals. Her passion for animals and their care led her to pursue a career in animal husbandry and education with the Center. Audrey's responsibilities include managing the daily care and feeding of the resident collection of birds, training owls and other raptors for flight demonstrations, and conducting on-site educational programs.

Jennifer McCarthey Tyrrell, Research Coordinator / Educator

Jennifer joined the center as a volunteer in 2007 and began an internship for graduate school shortly after as the coordinator for the Citizen Science for Swallow-tailed Kites Database. She attained her Bachelor�s degree in Biology and Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University, and her Master�s degree from the College of Charleston in Environmental Studies. Originally from Northern Virginia, she has worked in wildlife rehabilitation since high school and has always had a love for animals and the outdoors. Currently Jennifer organizes the annual Hawk Watch migration survey, a MAPS banding station, and the Citizen Science for Swallow-tailed Kites Program. Outside of the Center Jennifer sits on the Charleston Natural History Society and the Charleston Audubon Board, as well as the South Carolina Working Group for Swallow-tailed Kites.

Jennifer Heisler / Marketing & PR Consultant

Sarah Ilderton, Development Assistant

Stella Williams / Guest Services Representative

Volunteer Staff

2012 Board of Directors

• J. Stuart McDaniel, M.D. Chair
• Woodman C. Kapp, Vice Chair
• John H. Tison,  Secretary
• Louis J. Attanasi
• Dennis A. Avery
• Susan L. Drew, Lifetime Member
• Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Ph.D.
• Marty M. Daniels, At-Large Member
• Carolyn N. Dietrich
• Thomas L. Harper, Esq.
• D. Frank Haygood
• Patrick C. Ilderton, At-Large Member
• Dana Iselin
• Edworth Liipfert
• Grainger McKoy, Jr.
• Susan N. Sanders, At-Large Member
• Christy F. Taucher, At-Large Member
• Toni Thompson, At-Large Member
• Harry J. Wamboldt