Meet Our Team
For the Love of Birds
Our Board of Directors is a diverse leadership team that provides both visionary and hands on support to our mission.
Driven by a lifelong love and advocacy for birds, Teresa joined the Hamilton Aviary as a volunteer in 2023, serving on the Sunday morning care team and assisting with open house events. In 2024, she joined the Board of Directors as Director of Operations, and in 2026 she was appointed Board Chair. When the Aviary transitioned beyond a physical facility, Teresa worked alongside a dedicated team of volunteers to build the Surrender, Foster, and Adopt Program from the ground up. Today, she remains actively involved in the program, working with fellow volunteers to grow its services and help more companion parrots find safe, permanent homes... She also remains actively involved as a foster caregiver, providing hands-on care for birds awaiting their forever homes. Caring for others has always been at the heart of Teresa's work. As a Daycare provider, she understands the importance of creating safe, nurturing environments—a philosophy she naturally extends to the birds in her care. With a special soft spot for parrots needing a second chance, Teresa has welcomed many birds into her home, adopting the majority who required rehoming while continuing to foster rescue birds through the Aviary. Teresa also brings a strong history of community leadership, having served for 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton. Her experience in governance, advocacy, and volunteer leadership, combined with her passion for animal welfare, helps guide the Hamilton Aviary's evolving mission of rescue, rehabilitation, education, and conservation.
Teresa Sanges: Chair & Director of Operations
Emily began volunteering at the Aviary in 2022. Emily is passionate about behavioural enrichment, positive reinforcement training, and responsible pet stewardship.
Emily holds a Master's degrees in Applied Science focusing on developmental psychology, and rehabilitation science. In her day job, Emily is an allied health professional working in mental health.
Emily's professional experience has helped her develop strong organization, communication, and project management skills. Emily hopes to bring these skills to her role on the board while remaining an active volunteer.
Emily Downs: Vice Chair
Marla is a Veterinary Assistant with several years of experience in animal care and husbandry. She is currently enrolled in Penn Foster College’s Veterinary Technician program to continue to expand her career in veterinary medicine. She also has a background in wildlife rehabilitation, where she has cared for a wide variety of animals, including dogs, cats, bats, reptiles, opossums, and many species of wild birds. Marla has joined FOTA’s Board as the new Director of Education & Outreach in the hopes of making a difference in the lives of companion birds and the people who love them. When not working or volunteering, she often spends her free time playing with her own birds Duckie and Goose, hiking, reading, or pursuing other creative hobbies.
Marla Nunns: Director of Education & Outreach
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Madeline started volunteering in 2024 and became a Board Member in 2026. Her love of birds started with her own, a Green Cheek Conure named Charlie. Getting to love and care for such an intelligent creature has pushed her to learn more about diet, enrichment, training, and how a combination of the three can lead to amazing things.
While she spends her days working as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, all her spare time is spent learning and keeping up to date with best practices for parrots and how to improve their lives within our homes.
Madeline is a strong advocate for raw-wholefood nutrition, and providing enrichment through training and emulating natural behaviours.
Madeline Kokol: Director of Enrichment & Training
From a young age, Todd developed a strong love for birds and wildlife. He fondly remembers visiting the Hamilton Aviary when it was still located at Dundurn Castle, and its temporary home at Kenilworth Police station. and even then he dreamed of one day sharing his home with a bird of his own. That passion for animals eventually led him to a career in animal services. He began by gaining hands-on experience with humane live trapping and wildlife relocation before going on to work as an Animal Control Officer, where he developed extensive experience working with animals in both urban and field environments. During his time as an Animal Control Officer, he earned MLEOA certification, reflecting his professional training and commitment to animal welfare and public safety. In 2025, that childhood dream of having a bird of his own came full circle when he connected with the Aviary and adopted Nixon, a 32 year old Moluccan Cockatoo who has since become a beloved member of his family. Todd now serves as Director of Fundraising for FOTA, where he is passionate about supporting responsible animal care, conservation, and community education. In this role, he is dedicated to strengthening community support for the Aviary’s mission and helping secure the resources needed to sustain and grow its programs. He is proud to help ensure the Aviary continues to inspire, educate, and connect people with birds for generations to come.
Todd Bain: Director of Fundraising
Flock Members
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Marika Gulyban joined The Hamilton Aviary’s Board of Directors in April 2022 and was elected Treasurer in July 2022. She has an MBA from Queens' University and her BSc in Chemistry from McMaster University.
Marika has over 30 years of experience in Finance, Compliance and Controllership, including strategic planning, business case review, budgeting, financial reporting, and project management. She has also provided business case and financial consulting services to a large pension fund.
She is a member of the Fresh Start Project Burlington support group and is an avid reader and backyard bird enthusiast.
Marika Gulyban: Acting Treasurer
Michelle began volunteering at The Hamilton Aviary’s building in May 2022 as a feeding and cleaning team member and assisted with open houses. Since our new direction in 2024 she has worn many hats including Program and Communications Manager, Administrative and Program Support Assistant, foster mom, fundraiser, community educator, parrot trainer, and photographer. Michelle has a BAA in Media and Communication Studies and Diploma in Media Communications from the University of Guelph and Humber College respectively, so handles the majority of our communications, social media, and website maintenance. Her interests lie in both wild birds and exotic companion parrots, with a particular emphasis on understanding body language and behaviour. To further her skills she has completed BehaviorWorks' Living and Learning with Animals course, attended the IAABC’s last 2 Flock Conferences, and is working on an online Ornithology course through Cornell Lab Bird Academy. When not volunteering with FOTA, Michelle often spends her free time birdwatching locally. It was birdwatching that originally provided the spark for her to join The Aviary and foster a love of photography.
Michelle Davies: SFA Program and Communications Manager
Levi started volunteering at The Hamilton Aviary in early 2022 and took on a variety of roles at the sanctuary. Notably, he helped restart the Health and Enrichment shift, which served as a precursor to our current Enrichment and Training Committee. He also served on the Board as Vice-Chair from 2023 to 2026, contributing to governance and policy development.
Outside of the Aviary, Levi is a knowledgeable plumber and licensed Backflow and Cross Connection Technician with six years of experience. His true passion, however, lies in behavioural analysis and using it to help animals and people better communicate with one another, while advocating for animal health and welfare. He has completed BehaviorWorks’ Living and Learning with Animals course and is exploring further studies in psychology and related fields.
Levi Clemens