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Our Staff

Heather Starck, Director, Grange Insurance Audubon Center
A marine biologist and Columbus native, Heather Starck was appointed the director of Audubon Ohio’s first Audubon Center in 2004. Heather’s professional experience includes her most recent tenure as environmental education director at the Monteverde Butterfly Garden in Costa Rica. She has also developed education programs for the International Game Fish Association’s Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida. Heather’s familiarity with Audubon’s philosophy began during her years as a senior educator at Audubon’s Everglades Education Center in Miami. Her experience at the Everglades included establishing partnerships and collaborations with state and national parks, and developing statewide programs and audiences for environmental programs. Heather was recently nominated to serve on Mayor Coleman’s Young Professional Commission which informs the Mayor on issues relating to young professionals and making Columbus a better place to live, work, and play. Heather was also nominated and chosen by the Academy for Leadership and Governance for their Fellowship for Emerging Women Leaders in Columbus.

Doreen Whitley, School Programs Coordinator/Educator
Doreen has experience with Audubon as a former Program Manager and Educator for Prospect Park Audubon Center in Brooklyn, NY and the Everglades Education Center in Miami, FL. She enjoys working with urban youth. She has also worked with children suffering from severe emotional disturbance as a middle school science teacher in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, NY.

After graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL, Doreen’s passion and knowledge of the Florida Everglades led her to the Big Cypress Swamp in Ochopee, FL, where she worked as an interpretive park ranger through the Student Conservation Association. She loves the great outdoors but finds the subtleties and challenges of teaching urban ecology particularly rewarding.

“Doreen is an amazing teacher who inspires everyone around her. The kids trust her and respond to her enthusiasm. She is a tremendous person and a real asset to our Center” Heather Starck, Director of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center.