Dana Lusher
PResident / cofounder
After a 25-year career as a mental health counselor, Dana’s program closed. Left between jobs, she started volunteering with local wildlife rehabber Pat Slakey and at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and through those experiences, she decided to become a rehabber herself. With a lifetime love of birds, the decision to rehab them was an easy one! In 2014 she started Nature’s Nanny Wildlife Rehabilitation, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the rehab and release of wild birds, as well as the education of the public. NNWR currently has more than 20 volunteers, six education birds, two pet birds, a dog, and a strong belief that every rehab bird could potentially not have been injured in the first place.
Rodney Lusher
Vice PResident
Born and raised in southern California. Although best known for its big cities and picturesque coastlines, California also has abundant nature and wildlife areas where Rod spent much of his time growing up. From an early age, he found that he loved animals. With his wife Dana, he got into scuba diving in 2000, revitalizing his love of wildlife. They found they had to bring back pictures of all the amazing animals they encountered while diving. Diving and photography of sea life quickly led to them seeking out and regularly visiting wildlife areas around the state of Virginia and, eventually, trips to South Africa. As Dana got increasingly involved in wildlife rehabilitation, Rod supported her by building enclosures and becoming a permitted category II rehabilitator. When Dana started Nature's Nanny Wildlife Rehabilitation in 2012, Rod became Vice President and continues assisting her to this day.
Linda Vetter
Standards of care officer
A native of the Finger Lakes region in western New York, Linda came to the Hampton Roads area courtesy of the U.S. Navy. A lifelong animal lover, she started volunteering with a local animal organization before she retired from the Navy. Her passion grew to encompass wildlife as she followed the Bald Eagles who used to nest in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It was the tragic death of the female eagle in 2011 that started her on a journey that would connect her with the wildlife rehabilitation community and result in her becoming a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. A founding member of Nature’s Nanny Wildlife Rehabilitation, Linda is a proponent of “One Health,” which recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment and is grateful for the opportunity to participate as a Board member and rehabilitator in helping sick, injured and orphaned animals so they can be returned to the wild.
Marianne Kleber
Public Relations
Marianne Kleber became interested in birds of prey by watching the bald eagle nest at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. After watching the cam and participating in a chat, she was asked to be a moderator for the NBG, and WVEC TV moderated chat. She frequently visited the garden and met many photographers, including Dana Lusher. After the tragedy with the eagles resulted in the 2011 removal and transfer of the eaglets to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, she became a moderator for their cam, which featured many different birds and animals. She witnessed the rehabilitation of birds of prey and realized the need for rehabbers in the Hampton Roads area. When Dana became a rehabber and started her own nonprofit, NNWR, she asked Marianne to be on the Board of Directors. She enjoys educating people about the need for rehabbers, fundraising, the success stories, and is also an occasional wildlife transporter.
Idella ‘Missy’ Hogg
Secretary/treasurer
Avid birdwatcher, animal lover, and older sister of Dana Lusher, Missy Hogg has been with NNWR from the beginning. With a long career in accounting and data entry both with the government and currently with William and Mary’s HR department, Missy jumped at the chance to help her sister, and handles with admin end of the non-profit.