Each year, the UWM at Waukesha Foundation recognizes a former student as Outstanding Alumnus. The award honors individuals who exhibit outstanding academic, civic, or professional accomplishments; and contributions to UWM at Waukesha as a student or alumnus or alumna. The Outstanding Alum recognized in 2020 was Mandy Feavel, a Wildlife Ecologist and Current Director of Operations at The Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw, South Carolina.
Mandy has gone on to have a fascinating career, but hasn’t forgotten where it all started – here at our Waukesha campus. Listen to her talk about her experience and journey to where she is today.
Mandy’s Current Bio:
Mandy joined the center in August of 2020, after spending the previous 8 years as the Director of Animal Care at The Wildlife In Need Center in Wisconsin. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graduate certificate in wildlife management from Oregon State University. She is currently working on her Master of Science in wildlife administration at Oregon State.
Mandy’s background includes field work throughout Wisconsin and Mexico before finding her passion for wildlife conservation in wildlife rehabilitation. She has over 12 years of experience in the field, including recently creating and teaching a new undergraduate course “The Fundamentals of Wildlife Rehabilitation” at Carroll University, in their nationally ranked animal behavior department.
Mandy is proactively advancing the field by attending and presenting at professional conferences such as the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. Mandy has spoken at several national conferences, discussing topics of educational ambassadors and Chimney Swifts (her favorite aerial insectivore). After years of working with an array of species including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, she has discovered her enthusiasm for avian conservation.