Kit completed a master’s degree in biology from the University of Oregon, publishing papers on social behavior and communication in Caribbean Iguanas. Kit began volunteering at Cascades Raptor Center while also teaching college biology. After a major career shift and many years at the center, she now oversees both the ambassador animal collection and rehabilitation cases at Cascades. Kit is passionate about improving the quality of life for all raptors in human care through positive reinforcement training. She is currently Board President of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) and has served as a board member since 2013.
She has presented papers on training, leads workshops and webinars, acts as a mentor to other trainers and a consultant to other facilities, and presented on the Cascades’ criteria for selection of non-releasable raptors for ambassadors. She has also presented at IWRC conference and the RRF conferences on age-appropriate education; and at presented on the Center’s resident wellness program for AFA. Mostly recently she shared information with Washington rehabilitators on the Raptor Center’s reunification protocol for young raptors.