Board of Directors Bios
Chief Financial Officer
Stewart Halpern earned a BS degree with honors in Administrative Sciences from Yale College and a Masters in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management. He began his career as an investment banker at the former First Boston Corporation (now part of Credit Suisse) prior to becoming a sell side equity research analyst at several other Wall Street firms. He also served as Chief Financial Officer for Rush Communications (the holding company for the business interests of entertainment entrepreneur Russell Simmons), video game developer Rockstar Games and San Diego's Mad Catz Interactive, Inc., and previously served as Adviser to the Minister of Privatization of the Czech Republic. After stepping down as CFO from Mad Catz in late 2010, he has been independently advising a number of private companies on strategic, financial and operational matters. He also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Yale Club of San Diego.
Stewart and his wife Emily, an abstract painter, are companions of a Hahns Macaw and a previously homeless Miniature Pinscher. They are avid eco-travelers and reside in La Jolla.
Executive Director of Free Flight
Mary has been with Free Flight for 30 years. After purchasing a young Goffins" Cockatoo in 1986 from a local pet store in Encinitas, California, it became apparent that she needed some help in learning how to handle this shy wild-caught bird. Her good friend, Carmen, told her about a “cool place in Del Mar where there was a yard full of parrots that one could play with and people who knew about birds”. Mary began volunteering for several months and then accepted a part time position. She has been managing Free Flight the last 25 years.
Mary is a graduate of California Western University where she earned her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. She has a lifelong interest in birds starting with the Roller Canaries her grandmother raised in her home in San Francisco. Among many other species of animals Mary has kept Budgies, Finches, Canaries, Cockatiels, Grey Cheeked Parakeets, Goffins Cockatoos, Eclectus Parrots and a Sun Conure. Along the way, through her experience working art Free Flight and independent study, she has become somewhat of an authority on parrot behavior and husbandry. Understanding and promoting the human-bird connection is of special interest to her and it is her desire to pass this knowledge along to others.
Free Flight became a non-profit in 2009 and in 2010 Mary became the Executive Director. In 2015 she was named President of the Board of Directors, an office that she held for 5 years.
Eager to escape the frigid winters of the Northeast, Frank took flight in 2014 in search of sunnier skies. He migrated to San Diego where he quickly set out to find a new flock. Frank eventually settled on Free Flight where he found many similarly-minded bird brains. He began his formal relationship with Free Flight on the Fundraising Committee and joined the Board in 2020.
Frank is a graduate of Harvard University and Boston University School of Law. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certificant and Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder, he is a Senior Financial Advisor with the fee-only financial planning firm Sensible Financial. In addition to his work as an advisor to individuals and families, he specializes in financial planning for individuals going through divorce. Frank is a founding member of the San Diego chapter of the National Association of Divorce Professionals.
Frank lives in downtown San Diego. Although he does not currently own a bird, he is the proud father of four crested geckos (who are actually distant relatives of modern-day birds). Frank is a classically trained singer and is active in the professional choruses Sacra/Profana and San Diego Pro Arte Voices.
Board Secretary
Lauren has been involved with Free Flight since 2012, first as a volunteer, then as an employee. She enthusiastically joined the Board of Directors in 2020. Lauren’s passion for birds and the health of their wild ecosystems drives her career focus. She now proudly works for Nature and Culture International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving biologically and culturally diverse landscapes in Latin America - areas from which some of Free Flight's most beloved and endangered feathered friends originate.
Lauren earned a B.A. from University of San Diego, specializing her undergraduate work in Latin American studies, Spanish, and Religious studies, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Conservation Biology. With a diverse professional background, she greatly enjoys incorporating her experience in naturalist education, aviculture, photography, and digital design into her service at Free Flight.
Legal Advisor
Caroline Morrison is partner at the local Del Mar law firm of Palecek, Morrison & Associates LLP. Her practice focuses on the areas of corporate and business law, real estate law, estate planning and civil litigation; however she particularly enjoys advising non-profits on corporate compliance issues.
Caroline obtained her Juris Doctor Degree in 2008 from University of San Diego School of Law and her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego in 2003.
Caroline is an active Rotarian, proudly serving as member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club and enjoys representing her firm in her participation with the San Diego County Coastal Chambers of Commerce.
She lives in Encinitas with her husband Colin, an active duty Naval Officer and avid bird lover.
Board President
Camille has a Moluccan cockatoo, Kiki, and has been depending on Free Flight for over 20 years for her daycare while Camille works. Not only is she a dedicated client, but she has been a frequent volunteer at Free Flight since 2013. Camille has been involved with animals for as long as she can remember. Her love for them inspired her to complete her AA degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management at Moorpark College of Animal Science. Her volunteer work includesthe Oceanside Humane Society, the Songbird Rescue at Project Wildlife, and doing rhino research at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego.
Camille currently works as an independent contractor hair stylist in Solana Beach. She had been working previously in Rancho Santa Fe for almost 2 decades.