Five Questions with Casey Philips - Ohio Wildlife Center

Casey Philips has joined Ohio Wildlife Center as the Wildlife Hospital Director, bringing more than a decade of experience in wildlife management, animal care and volunteer leadership. Philips, a native of Ohio, most recently served as the Education Manager at the Wildlife Rescue Center of St. Louis. She was also an interpreter at the St. Louis Zoo. She is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A. in Zoology) and she has a graduate certification in Nonprofit Organization Management and Leadership from the University of Missouri. She joins the Senior Leadership Team of Ohio Wildlife Center led by Executive Director Dusty Lombardi.

Click each question to learn more about Philips, how she came to join us as our Wildlife Hospital director, and her goals and priorities for 2018:

[expand title=”Tell us about your experience in the world of wildlife rehabilitation?” alt=”Tell us about your experience in the world of wildlife rehabilitation?”]

I started volunteering in wildlife rehab in 2008 at the Wildlife Rescue Center in St. Louis, MO. I hung around the Center so much that I became seasonal staff that next spring, then full time, then Education Coordinator, then Manager, then Senior Animal Care, then here! The best thing about my experience so far is that I’ve been able to participate in the field in many different ways in a short time. I’ve had a chance to go to many conferences, including as a presenter. I’ve been an educator and a volunteer coordinator. I’ve managed the animal care team and led large projects. But most importantly, I learned how to do wildlife rehab as a volunteer. So at the core of my experience is the hours of hands-on animal care I’ve done alongside amazing volunteers and mentors. Wildlife Rescue Center treats 2,800 animals a year, and was the only facility in the region to take waterfowl and reptiles. I’ve worked with lots of box turtles, squirrels, cottontails, opossums, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes. As well as coots, wood-ducks, herons, and hundreds of ducks and geese. I’ve been a home care volunteer for my entire career as well, focusing on tough cases, including neonate squirrels and orphaned mice, bats, and cottontails.[/expand]

[expand title=”What brings you back to work every day? What inspires you?” alt=”What brings you back to work every day? What inspires you?”]

Even though wildlife rehabilitation is such a niche field, it fills a universal need. People find animals that need help, and we are there to help. Like any other service field we’re there because someone has to do this work. That might seem defeatist, but I see it as empowering. Classically, Mr. Rogers said that when things get scary kids should “look for the helpers” because “there’s always someone trying to help.” Somehow we’re the people with the talents to help in these particular situations and I’m proud to be a part of that. [/expand]

[expand title=”In your time with the Center, what moment had the biggest positive impact on you? ” alt=”In your time with the Center, what moment had the biggest positive impact on you?”]

I really enjoyed the couple of weeks that I had to just focus on doing animal care with the team. Coordinating and managing is essential to keeping a good hospital, but it’s working directly with the animals that keeps everyone coming back. I’m always happy to lighten a load where I can so that there’s time to enjoy the good work we’re all doing.[/expand]

[expand title=”What are your goals for 2018?” alt=”What are your goals for the future 2018?”]

The Center is in such an amazing position to be a leader in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. Every year we fine tune our operations and increase our influence on the field. My hope is that we accelerate that progress so that we’re always out in front. In the short term that means continuing the equipment and caging upgrades in progress, and refining and documenting the improvements we’ve made to care protocols and medical treatments, so that we can distribute them to others. I’d like us to be the go-to for hands-on training in rehab or any animal care field, a resource for written guides and papers, and a facility that others model after. All of this takes time, and it takes money. Donating to the Center is a great way to support the work we do and the impact we make.[/expand]

[expand title=”What role do you see our volunteers playing in the overall structure of the organization? ” alt=”What role do you see our volunteers playing in the overall structure of the organization?”]

I hope to encourage volunteers to continue to invest in their own skills and knowledge, as the increasing talents of our volunteers is how we will increase the capacity of our programs. In this field, experience is key, and we’ve got numbers to prove just how much experience our volunteers have acquired! My role is to guide and facilitate, so that volunteers and staff can work as a team with mutual goals and shared language. I look forward to seeing what we can all accomplish together. People who want to be part of what we do should apply to volunteer online and let us walk you through the process.[/expand]