Our Team
Meet the humans who power our work
Sarah Cooperman, CWR
Elka Hutcheson, CWR
Jeff Wilbur
Chandler Dennis
Executive Director
she/her
Rehabilitation Program Manager
she/her
Staff Wildlife Rehabilitator
she/her
Admin & Facilities Manager
he/him
Staff
Sarah Cooperman, CWR
Executive Director
she/her
Staff
Sarah has loved animals her whole life and would try to coax deer into her house when her parents weren't looking. (Don't do that.) After graduating from Williams College, Sarah completed a research fellowship studying perceptions of bats in other countries. She was particularly inspired by the Australian wildlife rehabbers she met who worked with flying foxes. Sarah then started her own journey as a rehabber at RWS in 2018. She holds a Category IIB wildlife rehabilitation permit and is a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. As Executive Director, Sarah manages the Sanctuary's daily operations and staff while supporting development alongside our Board of Directors. Sarah also manages our communications and educational programs. Outside of her work at RWS, Sarah enjoys river tubing, tending to her many houseplants, watching movies with her snake, and hiking with her dog.
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sarah
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Staff
Elka Hutcheson, CWR
Rehabilitation Program Manager
she/her
Staff
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Elka
As a young child, Elka kept toads and any other critter she could get her hands on (even worms - lots and lots of worms) in her bedroom and tried to take care of them until they were discovered by her continually horrified guardians and rightfully released back into her backyard...where she would try and catch them again. Though she rarely brings worms into her house now, the love and curiosity for wildlife that she developed as a child has only grown - and this naturally led her into the field of wildlife rehabilitation. Her first wildlife rehab experience was at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in 2019. She eventually graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and has worked at a multitude of wildlife hospitals across the country since. However, Virginia and its wildlife have always held a very special place in her heart, and she eventually "wormed" her way back here as permanent staff at RWS in April of 2023. When Elka isn't working, you can often find Elka digging around in the mud or flipping over rocks looking for salamanders and other critters. During the rare times, she isn't around animals, she loves to crochet, read, and just nap for hours at a time.
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Staff
Jeff Wilbur
Admin & Facilities Manager
he/him
Staff
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Jeff
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Jeff’s love of the outdoors led to a professional life of being an Outdoor Educator and a Landscape Architect. Teaching people how to live, travel, play and conserve the wilderness as well as teaching people how to create their own little wilderness at home has been a lifelong joy. Helping the creatures that we share the environment with is a natural fit. Jeff holds a Catagory IV wildlife rehabilitator permit and all the reptiles, amphibians and mammals he can get his hands on. His home life is managed by two Great Pyrenees and a herd of goldfish (his RWS life by a herd of wonderful rehabilitators).
Staff
Chandler Dennis
Staff Wildlife Rehabilitator
she/her
Staff
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Chandler
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As a child, Chandler ran around barefoot a lot and spent most of her time playing outdoors. She would play with insects and had a jar that she kept a collection of cicada sheds in. Chandler's family went camping several times a year, and she knew from a pretty young age that she wanted to work with animals in some form. She went on to study Environmental Science and Biology at Dickinson College and mainly focused on field research projects. However, once Chandler interned at RWS in the summer of 2023, she saw how fun and rewarding wildlife rehabilitation could be. Chandler joined the Sanctuary's permanent staff following her internship. When she's not working with wildlife, Chandler likes to hike, dance, cook, and spend time with her cat.
Staff
Adam (he/him) has spent his career fundraising for universities and nonprofits. A Pennsylvania transplant, he lives in Charlottesville with his wife, Sarah, and their chihuahua, Cameron. In his free time, you can find him running, hiking, watching college football, or tending to his floundering garden.
Charlotte (she/her) is a native Virginian, retired USAF Officer, and life-long nature lover. She lives with her rescue beagles on about 30 acres of mostly forested wetland full of wildlife in northern Nelson County. She loves poetry, gardening, word puzzles and transporting wildlife to and from RWS.
Charlotte Rea
Dawn Kidd
Charlotte (she/her) is a native Virginian, retired USAF Officer, and life-long nature lover. She lives with her rescue beagles on about 30 acres of mostly forested wetland full of wildlife in northern Nelson County. She loves poetry, gardening, word puzzles and transporting wildlife to and from RWS.
Dawn (she/her) is a native of Albemarle County. She currently resides in Crozet and is surrounded by animals, both domesticated and wild. Her family has property near the Sanctuary, and she has many fond memories of fishing and playing in the Rockfish River. Favorite animals include the hummingbirds that visit annually and the fox that visits nightly. As she likes to say, “We live in their world.”
Secretary
Dean Lhospital
Jayme Fraser, DVM
Karen Walker
Treasurer
Dawn Kidd
Secretary
Dean Lhospital
Jayme Fraser, DVM
Karen Walker
Treasurer
Dawn (she/her) is a native of Albemarle County. She currently resides in Crozet and is surrounded by animals, both domesticated and wild. Her family has property near the Sanctuary, and she has many fond memories of fishing and playing in the Rockfish River. Favorite animals include the hummingbirds that visit annually and the fox that visits nightly. As she likes to say, “We live in their world.”
Dean (he/him) lives in Charlottesville with his wife and their menagerie of two sons, two rescue pups Whiskey and Ginnie, and a rescue cat Wednesday. Interests are nature, wildlife (of course), photography, and responsible cultural and adventure travel. He first crossed paths with RWS when he brought an injured fledgling to the sanctuary and saw the amazing care and compassion shown by the staff and volunteers. Now he is proud to be part of RWS as a Board member and donor.
Jayme (she/her) has a lifelong love for all creatures. This love led her to become a veterinarian, and she’s spent her career helping animals since graduating from veterinary school in 2011. She recently joined RWS with the hopes of being able to help even more animals in her free time. Jayme is originally from West Virginia but now lives in Charlottesville with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Ted and Calzone, and their rescue kitty, Chuey. She also enjoys tending to the many birds and squirrels that call her backyard home. While she loves all wildlife, opossums, bats, and crows are her favorite local creatures.
Karen (she/her) has lived in Charlottesville for 27 years and now lives on a farm in Albemarle county. She loves nature, both floral and fauna. She helped start Wild Virginia back in the mid-90's in her friend's living room. She has traveled the world in pursuit of culture and biodiversity. Her favorite native species is the red fox. She is so happy to be a part of the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary.
President
Mary Haines-Johnson
Nancy Nuell
Patty Wallens
Mary (she/her) is a retired teacher, having taught at Nelson County Middle School with 27 years of experience. She is the sponsor of the Environmental Leadership Club and enjoys providing outdoor experiential learning for her students. As an avid adventurer and volunteer, she has traveled to assist with research on crocodiles of the Okavango Delta and bats of the Brazilian Pantanal. When not skirting the globe or engaging with students, Mary enjoys curling up on the couch and reading adolescent fiction surrounded by her fur family.
Nancy (she/her) retired from a long career in fundraising and higher education leadership in 2020 and has since been enjoying retirement living as a full-time "nature freak" at her woodland home in Nelson County. She and her partner John McLean live a stones throw away from RWS with their dog Porter and cat Bo and Fargo. Nancy enjoys hiking, travel, music and fostering kittens for the Almost Home Shelter. Her favorite local wildlife is the Northern Long-eared Bat.
Patty (she/her) is one of the founding Board members at the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, and her specialty is writing grants for RWS. She is grateful for the generosity of this community in supporting RWS and loves hearing about how hard people work to rescue wildlife. Patty lives with her husband, Jeff McCormack and their beloved dog, Maisie, in Albemarle County.
2024 © Copyright Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary
Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. EIN 51-0498181.
Thank you for supporting our mission to help native wildlife in Virginia and beyond.