About Us >

Tony W. Robyn, Audubon Missouri Executive Director and Vice President
Tony holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Webster University and began his career at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs in 1993. From there he became a Horticulture Collections Curator at the Kansas City Zoo and eventually the Associate Director. Prior to moving to Joplin he was the Environmental Education Director for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to becoming Audubon Missouri State Director, Tony led the development and construction of Joplin's $6.2 Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center.

Robin McAlester, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Executive Director, Robin McAlester graduated from MSSU with a B.A. in communications and has worked with nonprofit organizations throughout her career beginning with the United Way of Southwest Missouri. Before joining Audubon Missouri in 2005, she organized marketing efforts for St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Mo. Prior to becoming the center's executive director in 2008, Robin was the center's development director and was instrumental in the $6.2 million capital campaign.

Brent Diskin, Maintenance Supervisor, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Prior to joining Audubon Missouri, he worked at Precious Moments in Carthage, Mo. where he was the grounds supervisor. He has attended college at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and at Kansas State University. He resides in Joplin, Mo. with wife Becca and son Shane.

Doug Towell, Custodial Maintenance and Grounds, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center.

Katy Burkett, Officer Manager
Katy began her career with Audubon in 2000. Her work experience includes stints as Forest Ranger in the state of New Mexico and working in the non-for-profit and private sectors in personnel management. She holds a degree in Park Administration from Indiana University.

Chris Pistole, Education Director, Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center
Chris, originally from Pittsburg, KS graduated with his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from Pittsburg State University. After graduating he worked as the Program Director at Naturereach, a nature education outreach program in Pittsburg. During that time he coordinated RaptureReach, a rehabilitation program for sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey. At the same time he worked for the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center (Greenbush) with the Abernathy Science Ed. Center. Most recently he worked as a park naturalist with the Johnson Co. (KS) Park and Recreation District at the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe, KS. In Chris’s free time you may find him bird feeding, hiking, camping, scuba diving, photographing nature, gardening or mountain biking.

Donna Whitehead, Center Office Manager, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Donna has an extensive volunteer history working with Master Gardeners, Master Naturalist, and her local church. She helped manage a local lumber yard for 6 years. She has most recently helped open and operate a local restaurant and was a coordinator of the Title VII Native American grant for the Seneca School District. Donna joined the Audubon team in 2006.

Korey Wolfe, Director of Grassland Restoration
Korey began his position with Audubon in May of 2007. He was previously a wildlife specialist with the USDA Iowa Wildlife Services program. Korey earned his bachelors degree in wildlife management from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2005.