Welcoming David Heald as Board President

We are delighted to introduce David Heald as Avian Haven's new Board President.

David spent 30 years in Episcopal parish ministry after studying at Harvard Divinity School — drawn there, he says, because "I've always been sort of more broadly spiritually connected," and Harvard offered a broad-based place to study, rather than a single seminary tradition. After more than two decades in church work, David stepped away from parish life without a clear plan for what came next. "Left with no idea what I was going to do, not a clue," he recalls.

A few months later, an acquaintance who was leaving her position as a hospice chaplain asked if David might be interested in applying. He had never done hospice work before, but sensed that walking alongside people — and their families — at the end of life would be meaningful. He said yes, and spent the next 20 years as a hospice chaplain, finishing that work just this past November.

Looking back, David describes the role as an affirmation of something deeper than any one job: "It was an affirmation of my vocation to be a person of healing and compassion... In those moments with people who are dying — I mean, you could call it caretaking in a sense, but it's a more fundamental caretaking. Being fully present, and through that presence, through listening and attending, being an agent of healing and reconciliation." He's quick to note it wasn't about religious background — the vocation of presence and compassion, he says, "came to life fully" with all kinds of people, whether religious or not.

That same throughline — healing, compassion, presence — is what drew David to birds, and now to Avian Haven. His love of birds goes back to childhood, growing up with whippoorwills and barn swallows in the fields and woods on the South Shore of Massachusetts, and watching his father feed birds. He took a Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird biology correspondence course in his thirties — "no internet," he laughs, "all done by mail" — and has been a devoted backyard birder ever since. Asked about a favorite species, he named two, as different as can be: chickadees, "always around... super cute, and I love their songs," and ravens, whose call in the middle of a mountain hike he calls "almost transcendent."

For David, taking on the role of Board President is a chance to bring his two vocations together. "The human element — that is, caring for and supporting human beings — comes into it strongly," he said. "And you combine that with caring for birds, or helping to support the mission of Avian Haven, which is basically a mission of healing and compassion... With my vocation, it all comes together. I get to do both."

During a recent visit to Avian Haven's clinic, David was present when a large fishing hook was removed from an eagle. "Taking huge fish hooks out of an eagle... to witness that kind of care and compassion and competence — wow, that's incredible," he said. We couldn't be more glad to have David's steady, compassionate presence guiding our board forward.

Thanking Diane Demos for Her Years of Leadership

As we welcome David, we also want to pause and express our deep gratitude to Diane Demos, who has served as Avian Haven's Board President and whose leadership has helped guide this organization through a period of remarkable transition.

Under Diane's leadership, Avian Haven’s built the foundation for the organizational transformation we're experiencing today — all while never losing sight of the mission that brings every one of us to this work: giving Maine's wild birds a second chance. Diane's dedication will leave a lasting mark on this organization, and we are profoundly grateful for her years of volunteer service in this role.

Please join us in thanking Diane for everything she has given to Avian Haven.