Diane Huff
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.
Susy Zanese
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.
Isabelle Zapata
Learning Center Coordinator
Isabelle fell in love with parrots as a kid when she started visiting a bird store down the street from her home. Eager to learn and help out, the staff let her help out for a couple of hours on Tuesday afternoons through her middle and high school years.
In the summer of 2015, she became an intern at Free Flight. Since then, she’s officially joined the staff (Spring 2018) and started leading the youth education programs, where she shares her passion for studying avian (and human) behavior and companion parrot husbandry with the youngest members of our community. She truly loves seeing youngsters develop a lasting love and concern for parrots!
Outside of Free Flight, Isabelle’s expertise lies in music education. She holds Bachelors degrees in Instrumental Music Education and Percussion Performance, and a single subject teaching credential (music) from CSU Long Beach. She also holds a Masters Degree in Elementary Education (SDSU). You can find her teaching music in Cardiff by the Sea, Long Beach, and Murrietta. Despite the crazy commutes, she is grateful for the opportunity to teach so many different types of music, and musicians!
In the future, Isabelle hopes to maintain a balance of her three great loves: education, music, and birds!
Brian Pecsar
Brian began volunteering at Free Flight while in high school to occupy himself during summer break. With no prior experience working with parrots, he was quickly charmed by their dynamic personalities. After regularly volunteering and becoming familiar with the many Free Flight resident birds, he was thrilled to join the staff in 2018. As a staff member, he enjoys learning the many quirks of each bird that make them an individual and using that to strengthen his bond with each bird, especially those that are less outgoing and charismatic than others. He also enjoys learning how to properly care for the complex ecosystem of Free Flight’s koi pond. Brian is currently pursuing a degree in Biology at San Diego State University.
Joey Maycen
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.