Meet the Team
Meet our Ambassador Animals, Staff, & Board of Directors
Ambassador Animals
Ambassador animals are educational resident animals that have been deemed non-releasable for a variety of reasons. Our Ambassador Animals are given not only physical necessities and medical care at ECWR, but also a whole lot of love! They teach us the importance of keeping the wild, wild.
How do we get Animal Ambassadors?
As mentioned above, our ambassadors cannot be released into the wild due to a variety of factors. Below are some situations in which an animal may become an Ambassador Animal:
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An animal has imprinted upon humans, and therefore would not survive on their own in the wild. This includes being a prior (legal or illegal) pet.
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Past rehabilitation patients from any facility were fully recoverable, but still have an injury that would hinder their ability to hunt, seek shelter, or survive in the wild.
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An animal from another rehabilitation facility that may be unable to provide the time or financial capabilities of their own at that time.
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From collaborations with law enforcement and wildlife management agencies to provide a home for a non-native or invasive species in Florida.
Meet our Ambassador Animals
Rose
Raccoon
(Procyon lotor)
Keanu Trees
Sherman Fox Squirrel
(Sciurus niger shermani)
Loxy
Red Fox
(Vulpes vulpes)
Peggy
Virginia Opossum
(Didelphis virginiana)
Aries
Red-Shouldered Hawk
(Buteo lineatus)
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Owliver
Barred Owl
(Strix varia)
Dwight
Corn Snake
(Pantherophis guttatus)
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Butch
Corn Snake
(Pantherophis guttatus)
Tot
Eastern Box Turtle
(Terrapene carolina carolina)
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Landlord
Gopher Tortoise
(Gopherus polyphemus)
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African Spur Tortoise
(Geochelone sulcata)
Shelldon
Garfunkel
Leopard Gecko
(Eublepharis macularius)
Leopard Gecko
(Eublepharis macularius)
Simon
Meet our Staff
Pascal
Executive Director
director@emeraldcoast
wildliferefuge.org
Denise
Donor & Grants Director
denise@emeraldcoast
wildliferefuge.org
Michelle, CVT CWR
Director of Animal Care &
Volunteer and Intern Coordinator
michelle@emeraldcoast
wildliferefuge.org
Kennady
Marine Mammal Stranding Technician
kennady@emeraldcoast
wildliferefuge.org
Meet our 2023 Board of Directors
Dr. Dyson, DVM
President and Chairman
of the Board
Owner and Chief Veterinarian of St. Francis Veterinary Center in Navarre, Florida, with over 22 years of experience in veterinary medicine in the panhandle of Florida. A long-term volunteer and skilled medical professional, Dr. Dyson provides a critical service to ECWR.
Vice President
Erin Crumbley
Mrs. Crumbley is a realtor at The American Realty of Florida, LLC and is co-owner of The Vine Wine Bar, Bistro & Shoppe in Navarre, FL. She is also the CEO of Crumbley Consulting and Marketing, Inc. which is a computer consulting business established in 2011. In 2019, she was nominated and now serves as a member of the Santa Rosa County zoning committee.
Dr. Fox (Bowles), DVM
Secretary
Dr. Fox is a 2017 graduate from Ross University. She has been in the veterinary field and volunteered with ECWR since 2008. She is now a full time veterinary associate at St. Francis Veterinary Center in Navarre, Florida.
Annette Beard
Treasurer
Mrs. Beard is a native of Northwest Florida. She retired from the Department of the Air Force in January 2019 after 36 years of federal civil service in Financial Management. She earned her B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama and her M.S. in Management from Troy University.
Director & Lead Maintenance
Fred Abbott
Mr. Abbott is a recently retired National Sales Representative for 3M. He also leads our maintenance and habitat building volunteers, coming to the aid of the refuge and its structural integrity at any moment.
Kim Alexander
Director
Ms. Alexander is the school counselor at West Navarre Intermediate (WNI) school and has been a 4th grade teacher at WNI for the past seven years. She earned her M.S. in Counseling and prior to teaching, she served as a parent volunteer in the classroom, on PTO, and the SAC committee as well as a substitute teacher for multiple years. She has lived in the Emerald Coast area, on and off via military orders, since 2006 and always stayed active with her three children in a multitude of educational and extracurricular activities.
Director
Shawna Thompson
Biography coming soon!
Director
Tony Olmstead
Mr. Olmstead is our newest board member (elected 2022), and is an information Assurance Cyber Security Professional. He has over 25 years of 25 years of experience managing IT departments, building and designing Networks, customer and VIP support.
Bill Andersen
Emeritus Director
Colonel Andersen retired in 2013 as Commander, Air Force Special Operations Training Center, where he led a force of 1050 military, civilian, and contract personnel, executing an annual budget of $84 million, responsible for the indoctrination, training, and education of over 9,800 Airmen annually flying 11 different aircraft from 4 operating locations across the United States.
