ECO Rotary Speaker Series: Rae Okawa with Hawaii Wildlife Center

​ Rae is the Development Director at the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center. The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center specializes in the medical treatment and rehabilitative care of native birds and bats statewide. Rae was born and raised on O‘ahu where she developed a passion for native birds early on. Rae is a MidPac grad and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and a Masters of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been with HWC since 2012 and is in charge of all areas of fund development, PR, and social media. She is a self-proclaimed “bird nerd” and is extremely grateful for Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center for giving her a pathway to return back home and to work in conservation in Hawai’i.

​Rae will provide an Introduction to the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center and an update on the 2025 ʻUaʻu Kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) fallout season on Oʻahu. Each year the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center team sets up at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital to handle all of the assessment, care, rehabilitation, and release of hundreds of birds found downed all over the island during the peak of the season in November and December.