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.

Marcia Kay Foster, Audubon Missouri, State Office Manager
Marcia Kay has lived in Missouri all her life, growing up around and in nature in Noel, Missouri. She graduated from Missouri Southern State College with two A.S. degrees – Office Administration and General Business. She comes to Audubon Missouri with over 20 years’ experience in Office Administration. Prior to joining Audubon Missouri, she worked at Freeman Health System as the medical education coordinator for their residency program. She enjoys volunteering at Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center in her off time. She lives just outside of Joplin with her husband, Ron, and enjoys being in nature whether it is swimming, hiking, or birding.

Jill DeWitt, Audubon Missouri, Community Outreach Policy Coordinator
Jill DeWitt joined Audubon Missouri in 2008 working as Community Outreach Policy Coordinator. She began with National Audubon's Washington DC Conservation Policy division as a global warming field organizer in 2007, working to build capacity to address the global warming challenge. She holds a BS in Biology from University of Missouri, and has completed post-grad coursework at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, CA. She has worked in bio-organic chemistry, pharmaceutical research and development and serves as environmental representative to Mid-America Regional Council’s Air Quality Forum. She is a third term president for Burroughs Audubon Society in Kansas City. Jill will continue to engage and educate our partners and supporters on global warming and conservation issues in Missouri.

Robin McAlester, Executive Director, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
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.

Chris Pistole, Education Director, Wildcat Glades Conservation & 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.

Chanda Regier, Teacher/Naturalist, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Chanda comes to us from Prairie State Park where she worked as an Interpretive Resource Specialist since 2004. She holds a master's degree in biology from Emporia State University and lives in Joplin. For her master's research, she examined butterfly abundance and species diversity on burned versus burned and grazed land in the flint hills region of Kansas. Her prior naturalist experience includes Graham Cave State Park in Missouri and Great Plains Nature Center, Dillon Nature Center and the Hutchinson Zoo, all in Kansas.

Marta Churchwell, Volunteer/Event Coordinator, Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Prior to joining Audubon Missouri, Marta served as a volunteer at Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center. She is also a volunteer with the Missouri Master Naturalist program. After working as a news reporter for The Joplin Globe for 21 years, Marta returned to Missouri Southern State University and earned a B.S. in sociology. Entering the nonprofit sector, she served as a volunteer and program coordinator, a program developer and a grant writer. In her free time, Marta can be found making jewelry, hiking, camping, fly fishing and remodeling her home - one of the original cabins in historic Redings Mill, just across Shoal Creek from the Audubon Center.

Patricia Hagen, St. Louis Audubon Center Project, Executive Director
Patty received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and received her Masters in Public Administration and Doctorate in Public Policy Analysis from Saint Louis University. She has spent most of her professional career at Saint Louis University, where she served in a number of roles, including research administrator, associate dean, and associate provost. Patricia and her family love the outdoors, love to travel, and are extremely interested in preserving the environment. She is an avid gardener and cook, and a devoted fan of the St. Louis Cardinals!

Korey Wolfe, Grassland Restoration Project, Director
Korey earned his BS in Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri – Columbia and worked as a Wildlife Specialist with USDA – APHIS before beginning his work with Audubon Missouri. He grew up on a working farm is Osage County, MO and has a deep rooted passion for conservation. Korey is an avid outdoorsman and loves videotaping his bowhunting adventures with his wife, Monica, which typically allows them to travel the West and Midwest every fall. He is also a huge fan of trail camera photography, fishing, and anything else that helps keep his children involved in the outdoors.