Katie Baron
Katie is a counselor and wildlife educator. Her passion is connecting people with animals and nature in a way that is mutually beneficial for both! Through her counseling practices she does this utilizing animal-assisted psychotherapy and nature-based activities that facilitate people learning more about themselves, their environment, and the animals they are sharing space with. As the Education Director she provides wildlife & environmental education programs at Acadia Wildlife nature center, teaching people about native wildlife and what we can do to help protect them and their environment. She has been a member of Acadia Wildlife Center's Board of Directors since 2022.
Heather Roche
Born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. I share that birthplace with 2 famous people: novelist John Updike and songwriter/singer Taylor Swift. MDI is now my home. For decades I tended to lost and abandoned cats.
Likes: animals more than people, rock music, running, working outdoors, Sea Isle City NJ, reading, and Hendrick’s gin.
Future: Learn to sail. Adopt a dog(s).
Next life: Astrophysicist
Vicki Salsbury
Vicki was born, grew up and attended Mount Desert Island School. She was the creator and owner of Salsburys Organics in Town Hill for over forty years. In between she raised two children, took Library Science courses, and married her sweetheart, Brent Hutchins...that was over thirty years ago.
Salsburys is where Ann Rivers and I first met. She needed supplies and I tried to find them for her. Salsburys has had one of Acadia Wildlife's donation boxes for years now and has sold Christmas trees to benefit this amazing Wildlife Center.
I am thrilled to see how many volunteers we now have, and excited about all the new plans. I look forward to our continued relationship and helping where I can. As well, my husband loves turning his carpenter and theater earnings over to them. He too, loves to see all the animals that have been helped in this wonderful rehab center.
Denise Shomo
After years of vacationing on MDI, I recently moved to Bar Harbor and am thrilled to be a “Mainer” and full-time resident. “When you are lucky enough to love where you live, it is a privilege. Like wow I actually live here! It is now time for me to get involved in the community and Acadia Wildlife Center perfectly aligns with my passion and belief that animals are important, fascinating, incredibly amazing, and essential.
An unlikely person to be on a board of a non-profit, as my entire career has been in the for-profit financial services sector. Yet I bring business experience that I believe is transferable such as, outreach, writing/reviewing contracts, managing and people skills (by understanding how to navigate various levels and personalities), and by creating relationships. I am exceptional at driving results. Mom once called me a tornado. She said., “You get in, get-it-done, and get out”. On a personal level, physical labor has always been part of my DNA. For some odd reason, I just love the independence of knowing what I can achieve with a bit of muscle power. I’m often found outdoors working with various tools doing manual labor. I use my chainsaw to cut trees and an axe to split firewood and then general clean-up of the grounds at Acadia Wildlife Center. The tasks and constant money needs seem so overwhelming until you watch the release of a beautiful animal that has been a patient at The Center, and you then understand why volunteers do what they do. AWC volunteers are HERO’s. Helping Ann and Tony inspires me.
