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 has served on disaster relief and wide-scale rescue teams for the HSUS. 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.

Avery started working in wildlife rehabilitation in high school in their home state of Oklahoma and hasn’t stopped since! They attended veterinary school at Tufts University, where they had the opportunity to gain significant knowledge about wildlife medicine from the Tufts Wildlife Clinic. Avery’s areas of particular interest include wildlife ophthalmology, avian orthopedics, and baby bird identification. They have been happy to be able to experience wildlife rehab in various places across the country and are very interested in expanding techniques and successes with tiny animal orthopedics, such as with Nebraska’s many bats. Avery is very happy to be a part of the NWR team and to help build upon and expand the possibilities for medical care at NWR.

Devynn Adams is from Omaha, NE, and holds a B.S. in Marketing and a B.A. in Education. She has previously worked as a substitute teacher at Omaha, as well as a B.M.I.T teacher at Omaha South. Her passion is creating relationships with students and helping students learn how to be kind to wildlife in Nebraska. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her two children, going on walks with her family, and reading.

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!

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.

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.

Frankie Minturn grew up in Payson, Arizona, and started her college career at Arizona State University. After taking a few years off to live in Oahu, Hawaii, she is set to graduate from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a BS in Conservation Biology. Her childhood was always rooted in science and nature, and she has always had a passion for protecting and conserving wildlife. Frankie started with NWR as an intern in the summer of 2019 and has been a part of our organization ever since. During that time, she also worked as an Animal Care Assistant at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. She has done several international conservation studies and projects in places like Yosemite National Park, Puerto Rico, and Namibia. No matter where she is in the world, she looks forward to helping create change and meaningful connections between humans and wildlife.

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 (including going headfirst into a badger den!).

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 teaching certificate in Environmental Education from Hamline University where she is also pursuing her Masters of Education in Natural Science and Environmental Education. 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 across all demographics for wild animals by creating personal experiences and bonds between people and our natural world.

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.

Monica graduated from UNL with a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife. She started as a summer intern in 2020 and immediately fell in love with the wildlife rehabilitation field and have been with NWR since. She also works at the Nebraska Humane Society, and her favorite animals are raccoons! She loves being able to care for our wildlife in Nebraska and the reward of seeing them released back to the wild. Monica also loves educating people on our wildlife & how to peacefully coexist with them.

Alex is a filmmaker, photographer, and storyteller based out of Omaha, NE. His interest in conservation initiatives takes him around the world where he documents the challenges faced by wildlife and the work of those who wish to protect it. He is an Emerging Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and a recipient of the 2019 Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellowship.