Meet The Team
We are a tight-knit group of birders representing Blue Ridge Audubon and UNC Asheville Audubon Chapter
Paulina Jones
Paulina is a western North Carolina local who is on a mission to make a difference for wildlife in the region by advocating for science-based environmental policy. She focused her undergraduate research on fatal bird-window collisions occurring at the UNC Asheville buildings; the findings of which motivated her to take action towards making Asheville a safer place for resident and migratory birds. She also served as the vice president/treasurer for UNC Asheville's Audubon chapter during her last two years pursuing her B.S. in Environmental Management and Policy with minors in biology and legal studies. Paulina is currently the coordinator for the Lights Out! Asheville program and receives support for this role through the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter.
Danielle DiBella-Lenaway
Danielle was the founder of small businesses and currently presides over CPR LifeSaver Asheville. She is a board member of the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter and is working with UNCA students on the Bird Collision Program. Danielle has been influential in various organizations, including a fundraiser in conjunction with the Children’s Restoration Network where she raised close to a half a million dollars and brought media attention to the plight of homeless children in Georgia (Guinness World Record in the longest concert in history). She trained with the National Wildlife Federation as a Habitat Host Steward, produced a fundraiser for Rang-Ton Asian Elephant Camps to create national standards for elephant rescue facilities, designed a plan with WWF to lessen the impact of safari/tourism affecting reproduction in wildlife and education to locals, was the Chair of the Wildlife Committee of the Sierra Club in Puget Sound WA, that focused on the reintroduction of the grey wolf. She also is part of NDART (National Disaster Animal Response Team) planning, prevention, recovery, mitigation, logistics and operations in animal disaster rescues.
Clayton Gibb
Clayton graduated from UNC Asheville in 2021 with degrees in Ecology and Environmental Biology and Music performance. After leaving school, he spent a year and a half working for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as a technician on their NC Bird Atlas team. Since then, he has been continuing his work with the Wild Bird Research Group banding forest-dwelling songbirds at the North Carolina Arboretum, and has joined the board of the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter. Clayton is excited to be working with Blue Ridge Audubon to support the Coalition for a Bird-friendly Asheville's efforts, as well as other projects that promote the health of our avian and human communities here in the mountains.
Special Thanks to Sarah Branagan
Sarah is a lifelong bird enthusiast served as president of the UNC Asheville Audubon Chapter and on the board of directors of Blue Ridge Audubon for two years where she helped found the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville. She graduated from UNC Asheville in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Policy and is now pursuing graduate degrees in Nonprofit Management and Environmental Studies at UNC Wilmington. We are deeply appreciative of her for sharing her knowledge, skills, and dedication with us.
