Operations Manager and Volunteer Coordinator

After watching the documentary “Parrot Confidential,” Diane became interested in the well-being of parrots in captivity. When she moved to San Diego in 2014, she looked for a bird sanctuary to visit and possibly volunteer. She found Free Flight and quickly found herself visiting once a week and spending the entire day here.

After several months of visiting, Diane became a volunteer, and found herself becoming very fond of several birds, especially “Midori.” She found it hard to leave after her volunteer shift was over, so when she was offered a position on staff she was ecstatic! As a staff member, Diane finds educating the visitors about parrots especially enthralling and looks forward to introducing more people to our flock in the future.

Administrative Assistant & Fundraising Coordinator

Susy was born and raised in Italy. Like many other supporters of animal care and conservation, as a child she dreamed of working with animals and becoming an advocate for their well-being. She spent much of her childhood living and working at her grandparents’ ranch, where she fed, cared for and tended to their many farm animals. Italian universities offer very limited opportunities to earn a degree in animal care, so she chose instead to pursue and obtain a degree in Economics and Finance, and graduated with a Master's degree in Management. After working as a Financial Controller for ten years for several multi-national companies, Susy moved to San Diego and decided to seek opportunities in the field that she has always loved:  animal care, behavior and conservation. She volunteered with several facilities such as Lions Tigers and Bears, the San Diego River Park Foundation, and the San Diego Zoo, where she was hired first as an Educator in the Tours and Premium Product department and later as an Animal Keeper. She also recently earned a Master's degree in Zoology and Conservation through Miami University (Ohio) in collaboration with the Institute for Conservation Research (Escondido). Susy started volunteering at Free Flight in early 2017, and after a few months -- thanks to her dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to our mission -- she became part of our staff.

As a zookeeper and educator, as well as a compassionate and dedicated bird lover, Susy strives to inspire our visitors to share our passion for what we do, and to help them to develop an emotional connection to the wonderful world of exotic companion birds.

Isabelle fell in love with parrots at a young age and considered her two conures “Skittles” and “Dusky” her best friends all  throughout her adolescence. When age finally brought about their passing, Isabelle’s mom thought being around other parrots might ease some of her grief and came across an ad for Free Flight on Groupon. What was meant to be a one-off visit to cheer her up and bribe her to get back to school turned into a total life changer! Isabelle applied that same day to become a college intern….. And basically never left. Now, nearly a decade later, Isabelle continues to enjoy her work in avian husbandry and enrichment, but also serves as our Education & Outreach Coordinator, Communications Creator, and Grant Writer behind the scenes. She loves every moment she gets to spend working in service of the flock and inspiring others to learn about (and care about!) birds! She’s currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management & Leadership (MSNP) at the University of San Diego in the hopes of developing skills to further her impact here. 

Outside of Free Flight, Isabelle can be found teaching music! She teaches general music and band classes in Cardiff School District, and assists with the front ensemble (keyboard percussion section) for the marching band at San Marcos High School. She holds degrees in Instrumental Music Education (BM), Percussion Performance (BM) and a single subject (music) teaching credential from CSU Long Beach, as well as a Master’s in Teaching (MAT) - Elementary from SDSU. Additionally, she has completed the first two levels of Orff certification training and hopes to be fully certified in the Orff-Schulwerk pedagogy by the end of Summer 2025!

When not working at Free Flight or teaching music, Isabelle can be found birding, spending time outside in the sunshine, or chilling out with her three cockatiels: “Romeo,” “Louie,” and “Sizzle.”

Joey started at Free Flight as a Junior Docent in 2015. He quickly became passionate about helping birds and people, and fostering a relationship between them. In 2019, Joey joined our staff. He especially enjoys spending time with our East-African Crowned Crane, “Princess,” as well as caring for our friendly Koi population. Looking ahead in his career, Joey aspires to work with and photograph wildlife around the world.