Cheryl grew up in a very small railroad village, Ravena, NY where she graduated from Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School. She attended State University of New York Plattsburgh in the Adirondack Mountains, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with Biology and Chemistry minors. Inspired after taking a class in remote sensing and using aerial photographs to map wetlands, she worked with a professor on mapping two watersheds in the Adirondacks and came to UGA to present the project at a conference. One of her mentors, Dr. Marguerite Madden, was working in the Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science in UGA’s Geography Department and embarking on a huge project to map the Everglades, Biscayne National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Keys and 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Cheryl was recruited to come to UGA for a master’s in Geography in Remote Sensing and Mapping Science. She fell in love with her study areas and Athens itself and stayed for a PhD in Ecology with a focus on plant ecology, doing field work on Ossabaw Island. Deciding to embark on a career in conservation, Cheryl moved to California where her work focused on wildlife conservation and protecting cetaceans – whales, dolphins, and porpoises. She became involved with the Humane Society of the US and Humane Society International as a part of a national consortium protecting whales and dolphins, which is how she got plugged into the Humane Society as an organization. When she returned to Athens in August 2020, Cheryl became the CEO of the Athens Area Humane and soon after, began the renovation of AAHS’s new animal care center at 1030 Mitchell Bridge Road. Cheryl is part of the latest cohort of LEAD Athens and Rotary of Athens. She lives on the North Side with her cat, Kuro (‘Biscuits’). Her cat, Fellini, and husband, Bryant Austin remain in Carmel, CA, and will join her in Athens soon.
What do you love most about your work here at the Humane Society?
It’s a joyful place that celebrates the bond between people and pets. When you match somebody with their next forever buddy, everyone’s life improves – it’s ‘feel good’ work.
What do you love to do in Athens?
I love that you are never more than two or three connections away from anyone. Athens still has a cool vibe and downtown hasn’t corporatized to the degree that so many places have. The Manhattan Café is a favorite place to grab a cocktail, and The Grit is a favorite. My new favorite place is Tazikis; I love chatting with owner Whit Richardson. I am a vegan, so I am always looking to find a new spot.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
My favorite place is the Peruvian Amazon. My friends and I spent weeks living with the Matses.
Do you have a favorite book, or a book you find yourself rereading, referencing or gifting?
David Quammen’s The Song of the Dodo always inspires me. If I want some brain candy Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Dallaire is a terrifying reminder of how history repeated itself in the Tutsi-Hutu genocide and how one individual tried to make a difference. Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille inspires me. She is the ‘Jane Goodall of The Adirondacks’. She was an ecologist who built a cabin deep in the woods and lived like a hermit with her two German Shepherds. She was always my inspiration for how I wanted to be as an ecologist.
If you could put any message on a billboard, what would you put?
My favorite quote by Thich Nhat Hanh – “The Way Out Is In.”
Do you have a favorite movie?
Jaws is my favorite movie of all time! It is a perfect example of Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’. I saw Jaws when I was 8 and it was formative in sparking my appreciation of animals and our relationship to them. There is probably not a line in the script that I cannot recite. Everything about it is perfect – the beautiful cinematography, the soundtrack – a movie to end all movies.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be in the moment. The best things in life do not require a plan. I didn’t trust myself to be in the moment; I felt I always needed a plan because I was scared but wouldn’t admit it. Make time for adventures. Take a year off and go backpacking. I was not that person until I was much older. I never ‘plan’ trips – I just ‘do’ them. It feels more like an adventure.
What is something interesting about you that most people might not know?
My husband, Bryant Austin, is an internationally acclaimed whale photographer. He takes life-sized photographs of whales that require him to be within a couple meters of his subjects. He freedives; never uses SCUBA. His work has been exhibited in Iceland, Japan, Chile, South Korea, Norway, Morocco, and other countries. Most partners would be anxious about their spouse swimming with orcas in the freezing, inky black waters of Norway. I encourage it. The stories he amasses about his encounters are very moving.
If you could see any band or show anywhere, what would you see and where?
The Afro-Cuban All Stars or the Gypsy Kings in Havana, Cuba.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would you have lunch with and where?
Poppy, my grandfather, my father, and Thich Naht Hahn. We probably would not say much, just have a good meal in my grandfather’s Old Florida sunroom in Daytona, listening to the cicadas.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home?”
Sanctuary, peace and refuge.
