Wolf Conservation Center Team
Rebecca Bose, Curator
Rebecca Bose (Curator) is in charge of the well-being of all the Wolf Conservation Center's Ambassador and Species Survival Plan (SSP) wolves. Rebecca started as a volunteer with the WCC when it first formed and quickly proved invaluable thanks to her animal care skills. She was named Curator in 2003, becoming one of the WCC's first staff members and was elected to join the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan Management Group in 2009 and the Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan Management Group in 2010. Rebecca holds a BS in biology (with minors in chemistry and pre-veterinary studies) from Pace University and a Masters degree in biology from Miami University. Harboring a great love for animals and the environment since she was a child, Rebecca always envisioned herself working for a conservation/ animal cause. She is rarely found far from her German Shepherd Kai, who not only traveled with Atka, but also helps keep the WCC grounds clear of wayward sticks.
Matthew Cocchi, Program Assistant
Matthew (or Matt) Cocchi is currently working as the Wolf Conservation Center's Program Assistant, helping to facilitate the Wolf Center's various programs and goals of Conservation, Education, and Advocacy. He graduated from Skidmore College Magna Cum Laude in Spring of 2021, with B.A.s in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. Aside from his studies, Matt's interests include hiking, drawing, reading, tabletop-gaming, and plants. He has plans to attend graduate school in the future to pursue his education, and get involved with public land management. He is a kind and compassionate individual and loves a good joke or a bad pun. If you see him on a tour, feel free to say hello!
Jen Cristiano, Program Educator
Jen Cristiano (Program Educator) develops and teaches educational programs at the Wolf Conservation Center. Jen graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Geoscience. She researched topics including road salt usage in the Adirondacks and changes in soil decomposition from climate change. After graduating, Jen became an Interpretive Park Ranger for the National Park Service where she spent four seasons leading guided hikes, boat tours, and evening campground programs in Glacier National Park. Wanting to focus primarily on wildlife conservation, she joined the WCC.
Jeff Dow, Partnership Manager
Jeff’s primary focus is to define, cultivate, and implement marketing partnerships and sponsorship strategy for the Wolf Conservation Center. Jeff’s passion for wildlife and the environment spans over 15 years and includes past work with the National Geographic Society, National Aquarium, and Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Jeff lives in Green Bay, WI and when he isn’t working, he is the Chief Event Planner, Activities Director and sometimes hostage negotiator for two children ages 16 and 12.
Regan Downey, Director of Education
Regan Downey develops, schedules, and teaches many of the Wolf Conservation Center’s onsite and offsite education programs. She works with the education team to develop engaging and interactive environmental education lessons for individuals of all ages. Regan graduated magna cum laude from Providence College with a BS in Biology and a minor in Economics, and spent three years researching the mechanics of avian flight. After college, Regan’s passion for conservation education brought her to the Wildlife Conservation Society where she worked in the Education Department for six months before accepting a position at the WCC as the Youth Education Coordinator. She became the Director of Education in 2018 and assists the Executive Director with mission-related projects.
Dana Goin, Wildlife Outreach Specialist
Dana Goin is focused on educating the public on the local wildlife with whom we share the landscape, and how to best foster peaceful coexistence with them. Dana got her start at the Wolf Conservation Center as a summer intern. One of her first positions working with wildlife, it led to other research opportunities in college and beyond. After receiving her degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Delaware, she went on to travel around the country as a wildlife technician. Her study species include mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, gray foxes, raccoons, opossums, and white-tailed deer. She has researched large carnivore populations in megacities such as Los Angeles, predator-prey dynamics and movement, and the efficacy of rabies vaccination baits on mesocarnivores.
Joseph W. Hinton, PhD, Senior Research Scientist
Joey is WCC’s senior research scientist and earned his PhD from the University of Georgia. His research background focuses on the conservation and management of canids, specifically red wolves and coyotes. Joey often conducts field research involving morphometrics, mark-recapture methods, radio-tracking techniques, and GPS/GIS applications to understand population dynamics and distribution. His ongoing projects include the ecology and conservation of the reintroduced red wolf population in North Carolina, the ecology and management of coyotes throughout the southeastern United States, assessing the taxonomy and ecology of canids along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, and the ecology and management of moose in the Adirondack Park.”
Summer Hoogenboom, Development & Events Coordinator
Summer's focus is to plan the WCC’s many fundraising events. Summer’s lifelong passion for wildlife and environmental conservation led her to the University of Connecticut where she earned a B.S. in Animal Science and a minor in Wildlife Conservation. She studied wildlife in Chilean Patagonia and South Africa during her undergraduate career and continued after graduation as an environmental field technician in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico, studying the effects of natural disaster destruction on rainforest organisms before accepting her position with the WCC.
Maggie Howell, Executive Director
Maggie Howell has worked at the Wolf Conservation Center since 2005, starting as the WCC's Managing Director and taking the helm as Executive Director in 2013. Before joining the WCC, Maggie worked in the jungles of Wall Street for a few years before moving out West to begin her career in wildlife conservation. Maggie has served as coordinator of the Northeast Wolf Coalition. She has a degree in Biology from Vassar, with a focus on Animal Behavior and ecology.
Chris Lovell, IT Operations Specialist
Chris Lovell joined the Wolf Conservation Center as the IT Operations Specialist in the spring of 2020. He received his B.S. in Information Technology from the College of Saint Rose. He provides hands-on support for all of the technical operations at the center and works to continually implement new and innovative ideas to support the Wolf Center’s mission. When he is not at work, Chris actively volunteers in his community, including with the Boy Scout troop that he earned the rank of Eagle Scout in.
Mark Ode, Deputy Director
Mark Ode is the Wolf Conservation Center's Deputy Director. Before joining the WCC, he held numerous IT management positions across a variety of industries. Being a passionate advocate for wolves and wildlife, Mark found himself spending most of his free time volunteering for, and supporting, wildlife and conservation organizations and research projects leading to his initial involvement with the WCC as a donor and volunteer. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Oakland University, a Master's degree in Information Assurance from Walsh College, and a Master's degree in Biology from Miami University.
William Peacock, Gift & Office Administration
William Peacock joined the WCC full-time in July of 2019. His role at the Center includes managing a variety of administrative and clerical activities that advance the execution of the Center’s goals and objectives. Will has always had a passion for wildlife, going back to seeing Atka as a kindergartner at Pound Ridge Elementary School. He graduated from High Point University in the spring of 2018 with a degree in Communications with a journalism focus. In the fall of 2017, Will produced a video segment that was featured on the Triad News Organization Network about Red Wolves in North Carolina and the challenges they face going forward. Will interned with us at the Center during the summer of 2015, so he knows the Center well.
Alex Spitzer, Facilities Manager
Alex Spitzer is a member of the Wolf Conservation Center's education team and assists with other aspects of the WCC's daily operations. After graduating from the State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry School in 2010, Alex became an educational intern at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN before joining the Wolf Conservation Center staff.
Spencer Wilhelm, Director of Operations
Spencer Wilhelm is in charge of constructing and maintaining the WCC's extensive enclosures and grounds. He also assists in animal care and leads many of the WCC's onsite projects. Raised in a small town in Wyoming, Spencer earned a BS in Zoology from the University of Wyoming before traveling to Washington State to work with large cats. His passion for wildlife next brought him to Arizona where he not only continued working with big cats, but also gained hands-on experience with bears, wolves, and hyenas. Spencer then headed east to a position at the Bronx Zoo, before joining the WCC in 2005.