Grant Writer

Theresa Rij Theresa came to Free Flight in 2011 to volunteer her time with the birds and later joined our team bringing with her 20+ years of executive administration, program, contract, relationship and proposal management experience. Companies she has worked with include Diebold, SAIC, Xerox, Avnet, Stanford Hospital and Google. Theresa's formal education includes marketing, global program management, global government proposal management, fashion and interior design, leadership and psychology. As a parrot enthusiast and former owner of a private parrot rescue and rehabilitation venture, Theresa is putting her experience and passion toward her roles at Free Flight as Grant Writer, Avian Specialist and Behavior Consultant. Her greatest joy is working with parrots that have behavioral issues - helping them to live a quality life while they are at the sanctuary and in their forever homes after they get adopted. When she isn't at Free Flight or researching everything parrots, Theresa enjoys spending time with her Meyer's Parrot and rescue cat, Mercedes. She is also a landscape photographer, painter, gardener and, fiction and non-fiction writer.