Who We Are

Laura is the Executive Director of Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, Inc. She is an IWRC Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator and has been a multi-species wildlife rehabilitator and public educator for more than 20 years. Laura has extensive experience in animal-related fields – She has worked as a veterinary practice manager; was the executive director of a humane society and conducted cruelty investigations for the state of Minnesota; and served on disaster relief and wide-scale rescue teams as a volunteer for HSUS and others. She has spent part of her professional career in the financial services industry and all of her adult life involved in the operations of small non-profits – as an employee, board member, or volunteer.

Cheyenne grew up in Missouri and attended the University of Wyoming, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a concurrent major in Environment and Natural Resources. After school, she moved to Omaha to work at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. She has always worked with animals, from working in vet clinics, as a lab technician, a field technician, and a zookeeper. These days she enjoys freelance writing and is a full-time mom to an adventurous little boy. Animals and education are two of her greatest passions and she loves teaching and inspiring people of all ages.

Devon lived most of her life in Arizona, before moving up to Omaha in January 2023 to join our team. She has an Associates Degree in Applied Science, and a Certified Veterinary Technician license. Her love for all things wildlife began in high school, when she shadowed a herpetologist and got to work directly with native wildlife. She previously worked as a Wildlife Veterinary Technician in Tucson, Arizona at the Tucson Wildlife Center. Her goal is to continue her experience specializing as a technician in wildlife medicine.

Laura grew up in Batavia, Illinois. She got her bachelors degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish from Augustana college. She has always had a passion for animals and wildlife and has found herself working at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium as animal care staff. She has a bearded dragon that she likes to take on walks. She loves being outdoors identifying plants and birds and taking in the beauty of nature!

Allison Carter fell in love with exotic animal medicine while working with raptors at Woodland Park Zoo during a high school internship. Since that time she has worked or volunteered at rehabilitation centers across the country to gain skills and experience with a wide variety of wild animal species. Allison graduated from veterinary school at Kansas State University, then completed a small animal rotating internship at Seattle Veterinary Specialists. She went on to do a specialty internship in wildlife rehabilitation medicine at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota (WRC). After completion of her internship Allison stayed at WRC, eventually being promoted to the role of Senior Veterinarian and Veterinary Intern Supervisor. Allison is passionate about providing high quality medical care for wildlife and improving the knowledge base within the field through education and research. She is excited about the opportunity to pursue these goals at NWR.

Erin Higgins graduated from The University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska she has previously worked at a vet clinic and at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Erin started her wildlife rehabilitation career as an NWR intern while still in college and started working seasonally with us as a Wildlife Care Specialist in 2019.

Daniel is a Council Bluffs resident, originally from Colorado. He has worked as a middle-school Spanish Teacher, sushi chef, and professional actor. He is excited to get to work for Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, and the education team.

Alex Larsen graduated from the University of Nebraska - Omaha with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. Throughout her time in college, she assisted in research focused on White Nose Syndrome and insect surveys at Glacier Creek Preserve. It has always been her passion to help animals in need and educate others about the natural world.

Ayet is from Lincoln, Nebraska and graduated from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. She started as a summer intern in 2017 and has been involved with NWR ever since! Ayet is excited to continue working with animals and educating others on native wildlife. You can usually find her hanging out with her dogs or doing whatever is necessary for animal rescues!

Carly was raised in the Twin Cities and graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science focusing on Wildlife Biology. Her first experience with wildlife rehabilitation was in Wisconsin for a 6 month internship after graduation, and that is where she fell in love with the field. After realizing her passion, she moved back to the cities to intern at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. She was an intern for a few months and then was hired on as seasonal staff for the summer. At the end of that same season, she was promoted to Mammal Nursery Director. Three years later she decided it was time to try something new and move to Omaha! She is excited to learn more about Nebraska wildlife and help do her part to save and conserve our ecosystem.

Lauren Salick is from Waverly, IA and holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Iowa State University and a Masters of Arts in Natural Science and Environmental Education from Hamline University. She has previously worked with the Wildlife Care Clinic of Ames, Girl Scouts of Iowa and Utah, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Her goal is to generate passion and respect for wild animals across all demographics by creating personal experiences and bonds between people and our natural world.

Kai has dedicated the last ten years to working with animals, including the Nebraska Humane Society and general veterinary clinic settings. Kai enjoys learning about Nebraska wildlife and being able to help care for them on our veterinary team.

Erin Stuckey is from Crescent, IA and graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Animal Ecology. In college she completed two summer internships at NWR and spent two years as a staff member at the Wildlife Care Clinic in Ames, IA. After graduation she became an animal care specialist at NWR. Erin has always loved wildlife and nature and is grateful to be able to work everyday to help our native wildlife have a second change in the wild.