Who We Are
City Wildlife was created to address the need for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Washington, DC. Over the past several decades, local wildlife habitat has been severely depleted, and wild animals have had to adapt to living in close proximity with people. Each year hundreds of wild animals in DC are unintentionally harmed by people and the urban environment.
Our goals are:
- To manage a rescue center to assist sick, orphaned, and injured wild animals and return them to the wild;
- To promote the enjoyment of native wildlife and harmonious co-existence with wild animals; and
- To protect the District of Columbia’s wild places for animal habitats.
What We Do
In 2007, City Wildlife founders Anne Lewis and Jim Monsma got together to try and figure out a way to fill this gap in animal care.
Why We Need You
City Wildlife relies upon grants and personal donations to sponsor our work. We need the support of the local and national community to help keep our doors open and fund our education and outreach programs as well as the center itself.
We rely heavily on volunteers to help us with Lights Out, Duck Watch, educational outreach and animal care.
Meet Our Staff and Board
Paula Goldberg, Executive Director
Emory Univ. School of Medicine (Physician Assistant Program)
Trinity College (A.B., Biology)
Licensed Master Wildlife Rehabilitator (MD)
Paula joined the staff in February 2014 after five years on the Board of Directors. After several decades as a health care provider in the world of human medicine, she enjoys applying her medical skills and expertise to advance urban wildlife rehabilitation. Sharing the wonders of the natural world and working with vulnerable animal populations are very important to Paula, who also volunteers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and pursues natural history field studies and educational programming on her own locally and in New England. Paula and her husband Jeff Goldberg have three grown children and a house full of pets.
Karen Alroy, Staff Wildlife Veterinarian
Tufts University (D.V.M., M.P.H)
Karen gained her training in wildlife and exotic animal medicine at numerous places including the Tufts University Wildlife Clinic, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Wildlife Health Center at U.C. Davis, and the Southeastern Cooperative for Wildlife Disease Study at University of Georgia. She conducted advanced clinical training in small animal emergency medicine as an intern at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C, and advanced research training as a Fogarty Scholar at Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to treating orphaned, injured and ill wild animals at City Wildlife, Karen enjoys teaching and training volunteers and being a part of public stewardship of the environment. She has strong interests in the connections between human, animal and environmental health and conducts research on infectious disease and epidemiology. She is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation.
Will Sander, Staff Wildlife Veterinarian
University of Wisconsin-Madison (D.V.M.)
Yale University (M.P.H)
Diplomate of American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
Will’s veterinary studies included work at wildlife centers in Ithaca, Raleigh, Boston, and Seattle, as well as with the start-up of a new wildlife center in Madison. His grounding in clinical medicine has included several years in veterinary practice focused on small animal/exotics. Desiring to achieve a broader impact, his interests turned from clinical wildlife and zoo medicine to a broader policy/public health perspective, addressing issues at the intersection between international sustainable development and wildlife conservation and disease management, which led to his MPH in global health. In addition to his work at City Wildlife, will was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in EPA’s Office of water. Currently, he is a Veterinary Specialist Senior Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in support of Department of Defense’s international country health system assessments for both animal and human health. When possible, he loves to travel with his wife to new and exciting locations.
Peggy Hammond
Licensed Master Wildlife Rehabilitator (MD)
Peggy began as a City Wildlife volunteer, and joined the team as an apprentice wildlife rehabilitator in October 2013. She is currently working towards her wildlife rehabilitator’s license. In addition to hands-on training at the clinic, Peggy regularly attends wildlife courses and workshops such as “Wildlife 911”, “Wildlife Examinations & Stabilization” and “Wildlife Capture, Restraint, Handling, & Transportation”. Peggy is driven by her philosophy that humans share a natural connection with animals, and that helping them helps all of us; she derives great satisfaction in providing a valuable service to those without a voice of their own. Peggy also enjoys restoring natural habitats using native plants; she has participated in creating healthy ecosystems around the city through District Department of the Environment (DDOE) and the Audubon Society’s Backyard Habitat Workshops. She is the mother of two grown sons.
Kasey Birtz, Animal Care Manager
Kasey is a recent grad of New England Institute of Technology from the veterinary technology program. She has worked in several small animal practices, including an emergency and specialty hospital and fell in love with wildlife medicine at the New England Wildlife Center in Massachusetts. Originally from Rhode Island, Kasey moved to DC with to take the Animal Care Manager position at City Wildlife. She is scheduled to take the VTNE next month to become a licensed vet tech.
Eliza Burbank, Assistant Animal Care Manager
Eliza began volunteering at City Wildlife during her junior year at American University. After a year and a half of volunteering, she interned at City Wildlife the spring semester of her senior year, and was offered the job as Assistant Animal Care Manager following her graduation. Although initially interested in international relations, Eliza is now pursuing a career in veterinary medicine and is currently applying to veterinary school for 2017. She hopes to work in conservation — either as a zoo veterinarian or a wildlife veterinarian.
Luke Dykes, Administrative Assistant
Luke graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Biology. After graduating, he spent a few years working as a veterinary technician in the local area. Luke was attracted to City Wildlife because of their dedication to helping the underappreciated wildlife in urban environments, and loves working for an organization that advocates for the beautiful cohabitants of the DMV.
Board of Directors
Anne Lewis, President
Maryanna Kieffer, Vice-President
Lisa Olson, Treasurer
Veska Kita
Peter S. Glassman, D.V.M.
Paula C. Goldberg
Maryanna Kieffer
Lisbeth Fuisz
Mike Prucker
Jim Tate, Jr., Ph.D.
Lorraine Gunzerath, Ph.D.
Nate Erwin
April Linton
