Photo by Erin Nelson
Chris Sykes, the new director of the Alabama Wildlife Center, holds a great horned owl on April 8, 2022, at Oak Mountain State Park.
After the unexpected passing of former Alabama Wildlife Center Executive Director Doug Adair in November, Chris Sykes was chosen to take over the role in early March.
Sykes is a Tennessee native who moved to Birmingham in 2015 after serving five years in the United States Marine Corps. He has two master’s degrees — an MPA and MA — from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has worked with several Birmingham nonprofit organizations prior to joining the AWC.
“When I got out in January 2015, one day I was in military camo and the next, I was a civilian at UAB,” he said.
His first day in his new position was March 7, but Sykes is no stranger to the nonprofit sector. He spent the past two years serving as the development director for Jimmie Hale Mission, where he was part of the $10 million capital campaign for the organization.
When he heard the news of Adair’s passing, he said he was hopeful he’d get a chance to be his successor.
“It was a challenging leap, but this is where my heart is and passion is,” Sykes said.
Prior to that position, he worked for another nonprofit, the Norma Livingston Ovarian Foundation, for two years. Sykes also previously worked with the Alabama Audubon based in downtown Birmingham while he was in graduate school.
He said it was while working there that his passion started for birds and conservation began to develop, and that worked hand in hand with his love of nature.
“I wanted to know more about the nonprofit world and how to lead an organization, which led me to the next two positions gaining experience and knowledge,” he said. “My passion has always been conservation and birds. This is where my heart lies, and I hope to take all my experience and diversity from the different nonprofits and bring it here and lead the next chapter of the wildlife center.”
Sykes will be working with the AWC’s five staff members along with a group of about 50 volunteers. As a nonprofit, AWC does not get funding from Oak Mountain State Park, where it has been located since the 1980s.
“To keep this organization running seven days a week, we need all the hands we can get,” Sykes said. “It’s critical because as we move into the busy season over the next few months, we are hoping to expand into internships. The birds need to eat around the clock, and it requires a lot of hours and dedication of staff, volunteers and interns.”
Sykes said the overall state of the AWC is strong, and he is excited about the future. He has plans to expand the center’s capabilities and wants to make its clinic more state of the art. He also plans to launch a capital campaign to allow the AWC to update some of the bird enclosures and offer more programs and services.
“I think, overall, the organization has such a bright future, and I’m just thankful to be here and be surrounded by an incredible network of people who are passionate and will help me take things to the next level,” Sykes said.
Upcoming events include a baby bird shower May 7, which will celebrate the lives of the AWC’s newest members. The public is invited to bring in items from a wishlist from the AWC’s website. Other events slated to return include Chirps and Chips in late summer/early fall and the Wild About Chocolate fundraiser next February.
For more information on the AWC or to make a donation, visit alabamawildlifecenter.org.
