Chris Wilcox, President:
Chris is a long-time resident of Simsbury and like many others he found birding during covid as a way to get out and relax. He is an avid wildlife photographer and loves to travel with his wife Alison.
His favorite birds are the Belted Kingfisher and Blackburnian Warbler.
Audrey Staropoli, Vice President:
Audrey is a long-time resident of West Hartford whose obsession with birds was sparked a few years ago when she spotted a Belted Kingfisher for the first time at local park. When she’s not out hiking with her dog or looking for birds, she’s probably inside because it’s raining too hard. Audrey joined the Board in 2024 and is looking forward to getting more of our members involved.
Lisa Lukawicz, Secretary:
Lisa’s dad was responsible for instilling her love of nature, and especially of birds. Growing up in Wolcott, CT, her parents’ house was bordered by farmland and had a tremendous variety of birds. As Lisa approached retirement in 2018, she looked forward to devoting her time to birding. Lisa hopes to instill a love of nature in her three-year-old step-granddaughter, Avery. Avery has her own pair of binoculars and can already distinguish quite a few birds at Lisa’s feeder.
Donna Summers, Treasurer:
Donna was introduced to birding when her mom taught her the song of the house wrens at a young age. She learned to identify birds by sight and song, while helping her mom with the HAS Spring Census as a teen. Since then, she has volunteered with a variety of bird-related citizen science projects, including a Breeding Bird Atlas and HAS counts. In recent years, she has enjoyed sharing her love of birdwatching with young families in the field and teaching them about the birding world. Donna loves giving back to her birding community and is happy to be serving HAS as its current Treasurer.
Erin Mahoney, Board Member:
Erin developed a passion for birding during the pandemic, an interest that quickly grew into bird photography and birding travel. She has volunteered as an Osprey Nation Steward with the Connecticut Audubon Society and is passionate about conservation and connecting others to the joy of birds. In addition to birding, Erin is an Alzheimer’s advocate. She serves as a Congressional Ambassador and member of the Public Policy Committee for the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, where she contributes to state and federal advocacy efforts. Professionally, Erin works in healthcare, managing relationships with medical practices and supporting quality improvement initiatives.
Bill Kelly, Board Member:
Bill Kelly lives in Farmington with his wife Laura. They have 3 children – unfortunately only two of them are birders. Bill is a high school math teacher in Bristol. He started birding during the pandemic when he had more time to notice birds at his feeder. His spark bird was the Rose Breasted Grosbeak. His favorite birding memories are trips to Cape May and Cape Ann with his daughter Tilly, his trip to Arizona last month with his son Joey, and a family birding trip to El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico.
Martin Kaehrle, Board Member:
Martin grew up in West Hartford, before attending Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is a PhD student studying information science. Martin joined HAS in 2020 and volunteers as the club’s archivist. In the northeast, two of his favorite birding destinations are Block Island, RI, and Suffolk County, NY.
Vicky Margiott, Board Member:
Vicky is a UCONN graduate who then worked at Hamilton Standard providing Systems Engineering for the Space Suit. She and her husband Paul live in South Windsor and have two married children. Vicky is a grandma as of 2023 and is enjoying every minute of it. Actively seeking out birds began for her in Cape May with Pete Dunne led walks and expanded in retirement with more trips and adventures. Her favorite bird is an American Avocet.
Doug Murray, Board Member:
Doug grew up in an extended family north of the Adirondacks where the winters are hard. His grandparents, parents and siblings all fed and observed the birds and he continues the family tradition and obligation to nature. Doug is a retired environmental scientist and loves getting out hiking and canoeing. He is a CTDEEP certified Master Wildlife Conservationist and also volunteers with the environmental committee of the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy.
Al Gatti, Ex-Officio President:
Al spent over 35 years in the healthcare insurance industry, including time as a CFO involved with strategic planning. Al also served for 10 years as COO at a Connecticut estates and trusts law firm. His community engagement activities include 8 years on the Board of Connecticut Alzheimer’s Association, with time spent as Chair of the Board and Treasurer. He also volunteered as a crew leader for 10 years with Habitat for Humanity, serving one Saturday every month.
