Katie Kefalos

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh she completed various internships working with exotics until uncovering her passion for our local ecosystem.  She began her native animal welfare journey as a volunteer, but was eventually hired as a part-time rehab assistant in 2015..and has never looked back!

Although Katie enjoys rehabilitating all of Pennsylvania’s native species, Cedar Waxwings are quite possibly her favorite!  Their song is so sweet and they have such charisma, can you blame her?

She also has developed a strong passion for gardening, even though she still kills a house plant from time to time and is at war with the Sparrow flock that lives near her house.

Colleen Dougherty

Colleen joined the HARP team in 2015 as a wildlife center intern. After learning to care for a variety of wildlife and seeing the passion of the staff that worked there, she knew this was the place for her.  She immediately applied when a job was available.  Colleen worked part-time as an animal care staff while she finished college.

She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, a minor in History, and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. In 2019 she became a licensed rehabilitator. 

Colleen loves working with Red Foxes because of their curious and playful nature. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, reading all the fantasy series, and hanging out with her husband, David, and rescue dog, Zuko.

Annie Beliles

Annie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Saint Francis University in 2015 and has completed fieldwork in the Galapagos Islands and St. Lucia. She developed her passion for wildlife during her internship at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and was able to turn that passion into a career when she was hired to the medical team. She became a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator through the PA Game Commission a few years later and now also oversees the intern program at the Center. 

Annie enjoys working with a variety of species, but her favorite animals to treat are bats. While not at work, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, Willow, as well as rescue dogs (Freya, Loki, and Fenrir) and two ferrets (Odin and Pepper)

Lauren Gibbons

Lauren developed her passion for wildlife conservation and rehabilitation in the town of Rhinelander, WI, where she completed an internship at Wild Instincts.  She joined the HARP Wildlife Center team in 2019 as an animal care technician and worked her way up to becoming a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator through the PA Game Commission in 2023. She also oversees the clinic’s Release Site program. She feels a great privilege to play an intimate role in the patient’s rehabilitation process from intake to release and beyond.

While she cherishes the opportunity to work with all native PA wildlife, Northern Flickers are her absolute favorite! Outside of the busy clinic life, Lauren and her husband Russ enjoy traveling, hiking, beekeeping, and gardening.

Chelsea Poteet

Chelsea attended Edinboro University, where she earned a B.S. in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. While in college, she interned at Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center and did a research project, where she studied the diet and body size of a few endangered species of freshwater turtles down south.

After living out of state for some time, Chelsea returned to PA, where she began working as the Volunteer Manager for HARP’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

At work, Chelsea most enjoys training volunteers and caring for Virginia opossums, but at home, you can find her playing video games and spending time with her husband, Jacob, and cat, Regina George