Steven
M. Hein
Director
Steve Hein Brings his passion for
falconry, artistic talent, business
skills and a tremendous sense of fun to
his work at the Center for Wildlife
Education. Steve earned a degree in
Business Administration from Georgia
Southern University. He holds Federal
and State Licenses as a Master Falconer,
and practices this ancient art with
tremendous enthusiasm. As a wildlife
artist, Steve received the Georgia
Governor's "Artist of Excellence" award:
won the 1987 and 1988 Georgia Wildlife
Management Area Stamps; was chosen in
1986, 1987, and 1990 Georgia Ducks
Unlimited Artist of the Year; and worked
on a national level with Ducks
Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, and the
National Wild Turkey Federation.
Corporate patrons include Nations Bank
and Coca-Cola. Most recently, Steve
painted Drumming Palm Cockatoo for the
American Zoo and Aquarium Association
(AZA) Species Survival Plan and White
Oak Conservation Center. Serving as the
Center's director since its inception in
1991, Steve is also the president of the
Statesboro Convention and Visitor's
Bureau and has completed the Leadership
Bulloch and Leadership Southeast Georgia
Programs. He is a 2002 participant in
Leadership Georgia and past chair of
Leadership Southeast Georgia. Steve and
his wife Kathy have four children, Adam,
Meredith, Colleen and Mallory.
Scott
Courdin
Wildlife Curator
Scott Courdin
supervises all the raptors of the Center
for Wildlife Education's exhibits and
flighted demonstrations, as well as the
reptiles, amphibians, fish, mammals, and
invertebrates of the Center's
collection. Scott is an accomplished
wildlife rehabilitator, falconer and
environmental educator. Scott serves as
a member of the Georgia National Guard
with the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry.
In 2005 Scott was deployed for 16 months
to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom III
& IV and is currently deployed to
Afghanistan for Operation Enduring
Freedom. Scott holds a A.A. in
General Science from Georgia Military
College, a B.A. in Anthropology from
Georgia Southern University and has been
employed at the Wildlife Center since
1997.
Jackie
Entz
Interim Wildlife Curator
Jackie is a wildlife educator and
reproductive herpetologist (studies
amphibians and reptiles).
Her current research focuses on
the reproductive differences of two Georgia
populations of Gopher Tortoises.
Jackie has been working for the
Wildlife
Center since 2003 as both
a student and now as the interim
curator.
As the interim curator, her job
is to maintain the health of the Wildlife Center’s animal collection by managing
daily care, training animals, and
designing new husbandry guidelines.
Jackie graduated in 2006 with a
B.S. in Biology from Georgia Southern
University.
During her undergraduate career
she looked at the effects of fire
ecology on small mammals in Longleaf
Pine Forests.
She graduated with a Masters in
Science in biology in 2009 from Georgia
Southern University.
Her master’s research was on
Gopher tortoise reproduction, which will
be published in a scientific journal.
During her masters she also was
involved in reproductive research for
many other animals including:
Loggerhead
Sea turtles, Desert
Tortoises, Radiated Tortoises, and
Chicken turtles.
Pam
Harley
Business Manager
Pam Harley earned a BBA in Business
Administration from Georgia Southern
University in 1990. Pam manages all
business and operational affairs for The
Center for Wildlife Education, as well
as outreach program scheduling and
facility rental. She has been
employed at Georgia Southern University
since May 1990 and has been on staff at
the Wildlife Center since October 2005.
Janice
Chester
Secretary
Janice joined the Wildlife Center staff
in May 2009. She began her career at
Georgia Southern University in 1984 with
the Physical Plant Division. Prior to
joining Georgia Southern Janice worked
as Assistant Manager for Statesboro
Merchants Credit Bureau for over five
years. She graduated with a Secretarial
Degree from Swainsboro Area Vo-Tech in
1976. Janice lives in Statesboro with
her husband, Huey Chester. Janice has
one son, Cody, who is a chef at an
exclusive resort in Ireland.