Lindsay Wildlife Experience Names New Executive Director

The Lindsay Wildlife Experience has named interim director Karen Deshayes as its new executive director.

The 68-year-old pioneering wildlife hospital and education center in Walnut Creek said in a statement Tuesday that Deshayes will assume its top job July 1 after doing the job on a temporary basis since August 2021.

“We are excited to welcome Karen as our new permanent executive director,” said Janet Kozlowski, president of the Lindsay Wildlife Experience Board of Directors. “Karen’s enthusiasm and proven leadership experience, including her success at Lindsay over the past two years, speak to a bright future for our organization.”

A former vice president of Union Bank and Bank of America’s Private Bank, Deshayes has held interim leadership roles at non-profit community-based organizations, including Marin Legal Aid, Child Family and Community Services, Inc., Education Through Music (ETM) Bay Area, Community Housing Partnership, and Centerforce.

Lindsay officials said Deshayes will continue to focus on fundraising, community partnerships, hospital and exhibit hall renovation and expansion, as well as daily operations and finances.

The board of directors called her financial expertise “invaluable following the pandemic.”

She will help steward the expansion of the center’s Nature Cove — making it an immersive experience with animal enclosures, hands-on activities, and play space for children.

“It is my great pleasure to work with this well-loved organization whose mission is to connect people with wildlife to inspire responsibility and respect for the world we share,” Deshayes said.

“I look forward to continuing to work with our talented staff and board of directors, dedicated volunteer force, and of course our invaluable supporters.”