Meet The People At WERC

Sue Howell is the founder of WERC. She has been actively involved in
wildlife rehabilitation and wildlife education for over thirty years. Sue is a member of NWRA (National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association), and founding member of CCWR (California Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators).

Ashley has an extensive background with WERC. Her father, John, was a co-founder of Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center and the first attending veterinarian of the organization. Since it's inception, Ashley has been around WERC. be it watching her father perform procedures or helping with outreach events. With these surroundings, her love and passion for animal welfare developed at a very early age. She finished her Bachelors of Science in Biology at California State University in 2015. Through the years, she has also worked with organizations like the Aquarium, from the Sea Otter Research and Conservation program to working along side the Vet Tech and lead Veterinarian in the animal health lab, and EFBC's Feline Conservation Center in Southern California. Her range of animals she has worked with span from marine mammals like the Southern Sea Otters to Tigers, Leopards, and Servals, to the local wildlife found here locally like Great Horned Owls and Gopher Snakes. Ashley joined our team in 2017 and stepped into the role of Executive Director as of January 2019, carrying on the legacy of her late father, John.

Colleen Grzan joined the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center as a volunteer in 2003 and within several months, became Animal Care Coordinator and now serves as the Director of Animal Care. She is also Bobcat Supervisor, part of her job being to dress up in fullbody costume and mask to feed and interact with orphaned bobcat kittens so that they don’t become habituated to humans when they’re released. Colleen writes the Animal of the Month column on W.E.R.C.’s wildlife for the South County newspapers.

Anna started as a volunteer at W.E.R.C. in late 2002.  In 2003 she began to teach educational programs.   2004 she left W.E.R.C. to pursue her Animal Health Science Degree at Cal Poly Pomona.  In 2011 she found her way back to W.E.R.C. and became the Educational Outreach Coordinator. 

Dave joined the WERC board in late 2015 after discovering it shortly after moving to the area from San Diego. Dave is an executive at a local semiconductor company and an electrical engineer by education. While growing up in Wisconsin, he was always involved with nature and wildlife in some way, spending a lot of time canoeing in all parts of the Midwest and Canada. His 30-year semiconductor career has included working for large companies and running a startup. Dave is very excited about applying his business acumen to helping wildlife, combining two passions in his life.

Sherry was one of the founding Board Members of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center over twenty years ago. Sherry has a Masters Degree from the University of Southern California in Public Administration and a Masters Degree from Santa Clara University in Clinical Psychology. She is a licensed Psychotherapist with her own private practice in Morgan Hill. Her experiences include administrative positions in the Criminal Justice System in Los Angeles County, Vice President of Asco Air Conditioning in Morgan Hill and Owner/Vice President of the Animal Care Center in Morgan Hill.

Doug has volunteered at WERC since 2007 as a rehab worker, docent/teacher, and member of the board. He is a retired professor of economics. Deer, birds, and other wildlife are the main subjects of his watercolor paintings, which have been juried into competitive national exhibitions sponsored by the National Watercolor Society and the California Watercolor Association.

Lauren Holiday has been supporting W.E.R.C for many years, as she is a long-time friend of the Quick family. She attended numerous events over those years and became interested in helping out in a larger capacity. She joined the Board of Directors in 2019 to help out with planning events. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality Management, with a focus in event management. She currently works in project management for a real estate development company. Lauren is excited to apply her event skills to W.E.R.C, an organization she holds dear to her heart.

Lesley Miles, AIA, LEED AP, is a Registered Architect and has been a principal at Weston Miles Architects inc. since 1996. Lesley’s focus is working with the community and clients to understand and develop a plan that makes sense and best fits the project’s goals. She is excited to join the board to help with the transition to a new home for WERC that will allow for more animals to be helped and direct access for Community educational programs. 

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Many years ago WMA designed the large raptor flight cage at the current site. Now she looks forward to assisting in the development of long-term goals as well as the basics of establishing an organized functional working clinic, enclosures, offices and meeting spaces. As urban boundaries expand, the work of educating and caring for the natural environment has become essential. The new site will allow for expansion of educational programs and new opportunities for fundraising important to WERC’s continued success. 

Irma Dombrowsky-Roelofsen

Penny is our graphic designer / web person. She also comes with years of fund raising experience and creating online auctions for WERC. Additionally, Penny has also become California Naturalist. 

Kelley is a recent newcomer to the WERC Board after having discovered it in early 2022. She is a Finance and Operations professional with many years at Stanford University where she is currently a Finance Manager for Emergency Medicine. She grew up in the Midwest but considers herself a true Californian after 30 years in San Jose. She has a long history of volunteering for various bay area non-profits and is passionate about animals, especially her two rescue dogs. She hopes she can use her business skills to help WERC sustain long-term financial viability and continue to do the very important work of rescuing and rehabilitating native California wildlife. Kelley stays active with a busy family schedule, traveling, golf and rowing with the Los Gatos Row Club.

Veronika is a dedicated WERC volunteer and comes to the board with project management experience.

Holly is a passionate individual who is dedicated to serving injured and orphaned
wildlife. With several years of experience in development and wildlife rehabilitation, she
is well-equipped to bring new and innovative ideas to the table that will benefit WERC
and help them transition to a new home. Originally from the Midwest, Holly grew up in
San Jose, CA. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in
Counselor Education.

Roger has been a business consultant in the Silicon Valley for many years. He is most proud of his volunteer work, and serving on the Board of Directors for many nonprofits.  He has a love and respect for animals that goes back to his childhood in Chicago and has never wavered.  He believes strongly in WERC’s mission and wants to be a part of saving wildlife and educating the public. 

Roger brings a lot of fundraising experience to WERC.  He has been the emcee/auctioneer for several dozen nonprofit events and will continue in that role for WERC.  His philosophy on hosting is simple - be funny, and entertaining, but remind the audience why we are here, and what we can all do to help wildlife animals survive.