Staff & Volunteers
Amanda has worked daily at Bat World Sanctuary in an unpaid position since 1994. She is an author of both scientific and popular literature about bats, including her most recent work, The Captive Care and Rehabilitation of Insectivorous Bats.
Natalie is a graphic artist, a certified yoga instructor and a volunteer with the The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She was born and raised in Texas, but never stayed in one place for too long. She has traveled the world, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and France. She had her first real experience with bats in Europe, when a colony of bats flew around her as she enjoyed an evening picnic. Natalie has been an animal lover since childhood, but her favorite animal has always been bats. Her role model growing up was Jane Goodall, and when she had an opportunity to work alongside the “Jane Goodall of bats”, she accepted it in a heartbeat. Natalie has now settled down in Texas with her loving husband and two cats, and has decided to dedicate her life to caring for bats.
Ava is Texas born but raised in the hills of Kentucky, near Mammoth Cave Parks. She spent her childhood around all types of animals, from horses, snakes, wolves, birds, and other wildlife. Ava later returned to Texas to further her education in animals sciences. She had a goal of becoming a veterinary assistant but when a position at Bat World opened up, she jumped at the opportunity. Ava fell completely in love with bats and loves her position as bat caregiver. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, three rescued Great Danes and a senior pit bull.
Ashley was born and raised in El Paso, TX. She earned a Bachelors in Data Analytics from the University of North Texas in 2014. After graduating, Ashley developed curriculum and teaching classes for a major outdoor retailer. In 2016 she earned her NREMT-B license and worked as an EMT in the emergency room of the county hospital for five and a half years, including during the COVID pandemic. Her other jobs include being a master bike mechanic, managing bike shops, an event coordinator, and working with a wildlife manager. Ashley has always loved the outdoors and animals, being introduced to bats for the first time as a child at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Her other talents include being an accomplished seamstress, which she often utilizes in making enrichment items for the bats. Like many staff members, Ashley started off as a volunteer but was quickly hired on when her dedication to the bats and the organization was recognized. Ashley lives with her two cats, Ichabod and Sweetie, as well as her two snakes, Mac and Cheese.
Lourdes Gonzales was born in Mexico and moved to Texas when she was 21. For the past 30 years, she worked in the cleaning service industry as well as the restaurant business. Lourdes has three grown boys, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren! Her furred children include a rescued dog named Roxy, as well as Roxy’s daughter, Elise – and a rescued cat named Susie, and Susie’s daughter, Luna. Lourdes loves all animals and the bats are no exception. She goes the extra mile in giving the elderly bats gentle massages and soothing words; they completely light up when she cares for them. Lourdes can work circles around all of us and is an invaluable member of our team!
A native Texan born and raised locally, Tonda grew up caring for poultry, livestock, horses, and a pot-bellied pig that she bottle raised from birth. She currently shares her home with several dogs and cats and shares her bird feeding areas with a flock of wild turkeys that she watched grow up. Tonda holds a PhD in Information Science with an emphasis in storytelling for information transfer and is a NAI Certified Interpretive Guide. She previously taught at, and developed online courses for, the University of North Texas, where she continues to teach as an adjunct professor. Tonda tries to help any creature in need – whether wild or domestic – and she has previously worked as a veterinary technician, volunteered 6 years at her local animal shelter, and remains active providing social media and networking assistance for several local dog rescues. She was thrilled to transition from Bat World volunteer to employee where she uses her love for all creatures and our environment to rescue, care, and advocate for bats and their native ecosystems. Tonda enjoys being outdoors and photographing nature and loves spending time at the Texas coast.
Mary Ann looks forward to her weekly volunteer day and has a particular fondness for the “Florida Girls” (flying foxes). When not at BWS, she spends time with her 3 dogs and family.
Elizabeth lives in Fort Worth, Texas and drives over an hour each way to volunteer with BWS. She has worked a registered nurse in emergency services for over 13 years.
Julie has always loved animals and wildlife, and discovered the sanctuary after a video of Statler, our 34 year old Indian flying fox, went viral.
Lis graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in Computer Programming. She is an aspiring writer currently working on her first novel.
Dr. Jarrett has been working with Bat World Sanctuary since the mid-90s. He helped us create therapies and medications that still benefit bats to this day, methods that are now being used to treat bats the world over.
Bat World Sanctuary’s Attorney Randy Turner has been an avid animal lover all his life. He has worked on elephant conservation in Kenya, black rhinoceros conservation in Zimbabwe, and worked extensively with ex-captive orangutans that had been confiscated by the Indonesian government, gradually re-introducing them into the wild.
Kate is a permitted wildlife rehabilitator specializing in bats, raccoons and opossums. In addition to her service as Director of Special Projects for Bat World Sanctuary, she is a founding member and board adviser of Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, supervises the activities of more than 3 dozen volunteers, and serves as the community representative on the Institutional Animal Care and Use committee at UT-Arlington.
Martin is a successful business owner and is married to Kate Rugroden, Bat World’s Director of Special Projects. Martin assists with cage building, including an outdoor flight enclosure at the Bat World Mid-cities location for orphaned bats to practice flying before release back to the wild
John holds degrees in ICSA (Corporate Law, Governance, risk and compliance) from his native England and Computer Science gained in the United States.
Dottie volunteers as Bat World’s Director of Planning, assisting with new projects, educational outreach, workshops, grant writing, editing and annual reports and much, much more.
Larry, husband of Amanda Lollar (Founder of BWS), is a mechanical engineer, designer, and a friend to animals of all species. He has been interested in bats since learning of their intelligence and curiosity in 2001 when he first met Amanda.
Gone but never forgotten...
David’s tenderness with the animals that gravitated towards him was tangible; his expressive face would beam at the opportunity to gain more knowledge about the bats, and they thrived in his care as he embraced them for all that they are.
In Loving Memory of Denise Tomlinson.
Denise was an avid bat rehabilitator and biologist. She has bravely battled a brain tumor for the last three years.