Appalachian Wild transitions from shared leadership, names executive director

Press release from office of Appalachian Wild:

Appalachian Wild, a Candler-based non-profit providing care for injured and orphaned wildlife, announced a change in its organizational structure from two co-directors to one.  Co-founder Kimberly Brewster will transition from co-directing to focusing on development, finance and the Wands for Wildlife program. Co-founder Savannah Trantham will become its Executive Director, responsible for leading and managing day-to-day operations as well as ensuring programs and services are aligned with its mission and long-term goals.

Brewster was born in Charlotte but lived in New York, Atlanta, and Knoxville before moving to WNC in 2007.  Prior to co-founding Appalachian Wild, she has worked in nonprofit management at the Carolina Raptor Center, Catawba Lands Conservancy, Carolina Mountain Lands Conservancy, and the Friends of the WNC Nature Center.

A native of Candler, Trantham graduated with a B.S. in biology, with a concentration in wildlife rehabilitation, from Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.  A licensed wildlife rehabilitator, she worked in the animal department at the WNC Nature Center from May 2005 to December 2018, holding positions of animal naturalist up to assistant animal curator before leaving to head operations at Appalachian Wild in 2018.

“Appalachian Wild’s shared leadership model worked well in getting us to where we are today, providing rehabilitative care to wildlife with an astonishing 85% success rate,” says Board Chair D Smith.  “Each has played to their strengths with Kimberly handling the administrative and financial aspects and Savannah overseeing operations. Now in our second year of operations, designating one Executive Director creates efficiencies to better take advantage of opportunities as they arise.”

Appalachian Wild is a 50(c)(3) founded in 2014 to coordinate the needs of wildlife rehabilitation by providing care to injured and orphaned wildlife, support for wildlife rehabilitation network, and conservation education.  Since opening its wildlife care facility on July 6, 2018, it has helped 2,073 animals. Its long range vision is to provide Buncombe County with a full-service wildlife rehabilitation, research and education center.  For more information on Appalachian Wild and its programs and needs, visit AppalachianWild.org.

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HISTORY OF ORGANIZATION

For the past three decades Western North Carolina’s volunteer wildlife rehabilitators have greatly needed support in their efforts to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife.   Those finding wildlife in crisis didn’t have an easy and sure way to help the animals. The overwhelmed home-based wildlife rehabilitators wanted relief and the community needed a place to bring wildlife in crisis.  It was a fortuitous day for the region’s wildlife when Kimberly Brewster and Savannah Trantham met and resolved to remedy the situation. Savannah’s expertise as a licensed rehabilitator and assistant animal curator at the WNC Nature Center, coupled with Kimberly’s experience in developing, marketing, and fundraising for nonprofits, made a perfect match.  In October of 2014, Appalachian Wildlife Refuge was established to provide care for injured and orphaned native wildlife, coordinate the needs of home-based wildlife rehabilitators in NC, and conservation education to the community. The Appalachian Wild Urgent Care facility opened in Candler last July 6, 2018, and, since March 2020, has served 2,073 animals.  The long range vision is to build a full-service wildlife rehabilitation and education center in Buncombe County.