Operations Manager and Volunteer Coordinator

After watching the documentary “Parrot Confidential,” Diane became interested in the well-being of parrots in captivity. When she moved to San Diego in 2014, she looked for a bird sanctuary to visit and possibly volunteer. She found Free Flight and quickly found herself visiting once a week and spending the entire day here.

After several months of visiting, Diane became a volunteer, and found herself becoming very fond of several birds, especially “Midori.” She found it hard to leave after her volunteer shift was over, so when she was offered a position on staff she was ecstatic! As a staff member, Diane finds educating the visitors about parrots especially enthralling and looks forward to introducing more people to our flock in the future.

Administrative Assistant & Fundraising Coordinator

Susy was born and raised in Italy. Like many other supporters of animal care and conservation, as a child she dreamed of working with animals and becoming an advocate for their well-being. She spent much of her childhood living and working at her grandparents’ ranch, where she fed, cared for and tended to their many farm animals. Italian universities offer very limited opportunities to earn a degree in animal care, so she chose instead to pursue and obtain a degree in Economics and Finance, and graduated with a Master's degree in Management. After working as a Financial Controller for ten years for several multi-national companies, Susy moved to San Diego and decided to seek opportunities in the field that she has always loved:  animal care, behavior and conservation. She volunteered with several facilities such as Lions Tigers and Bears, the San Diego River Park Foundation, and the San Diego Zoo, where she was hired first as an Educator in the Tours and Premium Product department and later as an Animal Keeper. She also recently earned a Master's degree in Zoology and Conservation through Miami University (Ohio) in collaboration with the Institute for Conservation Research (Escondido). Susy started volunteering at Free Flight in early 2017, and after a few months -- thanks to her dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to our mission -- she became part of our staff.

As a zookeeper and educator, as well as a compassionate and dedicated bird lover, Susy strives to inspire our visitors to share our passion for what we do, and to help them to develop an emotional connection to the wonderful world of exotic companion birds.

Joey started at Free Flight as a Junior Docent in 2015. He quickly became passionate about helping birds and people, and fostering a relationship between them. In 2019, Joey joined our staff. He especially enjoys spending time with our East-African Crowned Crane, “Princess,” as well as caring for our friendly Koi population. Looking ahead in his career, Joey aspires to work with and photograph wildlife around the world.

At home, Joey enjoys spending his time with a cockatoo named Daisy and an amazon named Sidney!

Nicole Miani has been a longtime supporter of Free Flight in many capacities - from visitor, to volunteer, to adopter, and now to staff member! Nicole is passionate about ensuring every bird’s beak is kept busy (a busy beak is a happy beak!) with fun enrichment options, and she enjoys sharing fun anecdotes about the resident flock with our visitors! You’ll often find Nicole accompanied by one of her companion parrots, a Goffin’s cockatoo named Digit, who she adopted from our sanctuary! (Occasionally her sweet cockatiel Puff comes to visit on work days, too!)

As our newest staff member, Jon is delighted to join the Free Flight team! Jon has an extensive background in martial arts and a great love for animals - especially reptiles and birds. At Free Flight, Jon can be found caring for the birds, educating visitors, and assisting Joey with maintaining our beautiful koi pond. Jon also has begun joining the outreach team, where he’s been putting his bilingual skills to great use! We look forward to seeing him continue to grow in his role as part of our staff.

Matt is the newest member of the Free Flight team, and the proud adopter of former Free Flight resident, umbrella cockatoo Bo!

Matt is a USAF Veteran. He was first stationed in North Dakota with the 791 Missile Security Forces Squadron. He then went on serve at the Naval Weapon Station near Charleston, South Carolina as a prison guard.

Upon completion of his military service, Matt spent 7 years in workforce development! While managing two career centers, he devoted his time to helping underserved populations gain access to education.

Today, Matt enjoys his time supporting the Free Flight residents on the weekends, introducing visitors to the flock, and bringing Bo to visit his feathered pals during his shifts!