Tabitha Matsueda
Sacramento,CA
Summary
Wildlife technician with a strong mix of rehabilitation, field research, and community education experience. Brings species identification, data tracking, habitat and release coordination, and public outreach together to support safe wildlife care, conservation goals, and effective team operations.
Overview
1
1
Certification
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead Wildlife Technician
Wildlife Care Association
Sacramento, CA
08.2022 - Current
- Implemented care procedures to successfully rehabilitate over 10,000 orphaned, ill, or injured wild animals.
- Assisted with medical procedures including intubation, suturing, blood collection, euthanasia, and wound care.
- Followed strict wildlife intake and triage protocols, adjusting care by species, age, and condition.
- Identified species and stabilized up to 90 intakes per day in fast-paced setting.
- Built and followed detailed treatment plans for each patient.
- Administered medications, vaccines, and treatments according to established protocols.
- Led shifts by supervising the work of technicians, interns, and volunteers.
- Monitored animal behavior and documented changes in patient care and status with strong attention to detail.
- Sanitized cages and treatment areas to maintain hygiene standards.
- Maintained feeding and medication schedules.
- Maintained medical records and kept documentation accurate.
- Followed safety procedures and handled sensitive situations calmly and professionally.
- Hosted training classes for volunteers, interns, and staff to build new skills.
- Planned and coordinated animal pickups and releases.
- Entered and updated patient data in the WRMD database.
- Engaged with the public to support wildlife coexistence.
- Conducted educational sessions for community members and public stakeholders on the importance of wildlife conservation.
- Assisted with the safe capture, restraint, transport, and release of wild animals.
- Collaborated with other organizations such as universities, government agencies, or nonprofits on projects related to biodiversity conservation.
- Responded to public inquiries about local wildlife populations or regulations.
Adult Education Specialist
The Milieu Center
Sacramento, California
01.2024 - 03.2026
- Created lesson plans and delivered instruction for ID adult clientele based on cognitive level and individual goals.
- Provided individualized instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
- Delivered direct instruction using behavior support and learning strategies.
- Led reading, writing, math, and life skills groups to support greater independence.
- Facilitated four daily group sessions to enhance client engagement and learning for up to nine clients per session.
- Provided one-on-one support to help clients reach educational goals.
- Completed client assessments to monitor cognitive level and learning needs.
- Monitored student progress and provided feedback to parents, teachers, and other stakeholders.
- Built strong rapport with clientele through consistent, supportive interaction.
- Applied CPI training to ensure de-escalation and maintain client safety.
- Tracked, documented, reported, and entered client behavior data.
- Followed individualized ISP plans and took part in select ISP meetings.
- Participated in ISP meetings to discuss client progress and strategies for improvement.
- Collaborated with coworkers to support program-wide community events.
- Attended professional development workshops.
- Maintained accurate records of client performance and progress data.
Scientific Aid
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Rancho Cordova, California
09.2021 - 03.2023
- Expanded program reach by creating, presenting, and leading low-cost and fully sponsored community tank programs for marginalized schools.
- Helped deliver interpretive and educational programs for school field trips, facility tours, fishing programs, teacher workshops, and related learning activities.
- Delivered fish biology lessons in person and online.
- Created and presented lesson plans aligned with environmental education, state standards, and core curriculum.
- Assisted with development of educational and interpretive materials for program use.
- Provided technical support and guidance to teachers and program sponsors on hatching, rearing, and releasing fish.
- Monitored juvenile fish health and recorded hatching data.
- Maintained aquarium temperature and cleanliness.
- Organized and maintained files to ensure easy access and retrieval
- Maintained records for classroom aquarium education program.
- Processed permit and application packets each season.
- Attended seasonal meetings to review and implement updated program protocols.
- Built strong working relationships with participating teachers and program sponsors.
Student Aide
California State University of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
01.2022 - 06.2022
- Supported Dr. Michelle Stevens at California State University, Sacramento as student aide.
- Assisted in the restoration of endangered western pond turtle habitat at Bushy Lake.
- Maintained research records, files, and project documentation.
- Collected, organized, and cleaned study data for analysis.
- Supported research team with literature reviews and source summaries.
- Helped conduct weekly population surveys for invasive red-eared sliders and native western pond turtles.
- Conducted weekly basking surveys at 7 designated sites around Bushy Lake.
- Assisted with monthly mark-recapture surveys for western pond turtles and red-eared sliders.
- Collected data on turtle health and physical traits, including sex, length, and weight.
- Identified and removed invasive plant species.
- Prepared drafts of reports, charts, and presentation materials.
- Prepared reports, presentations, and articles using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
- Prepared comprehensive reports summarizing research findings.
- Contributed to ecosystem restoration efforts by reintroducing healthy seedlings of native plant species.
- Monitored and documented native plant regrowth following anthropogenic fire to assess ecological recovery.
- Utilized tracking skills to assess and report on wildlife populations in specific research sites.
- Installed and monitored trail cameras.
- Performed literature reviews to ensure accuracy of results.
- Set up, calibrated, and maintained laboratory and field research equipment.
- Interpreted results from experiments and surveys to generate meaningful conclusions.
Research Assistant
California State University of Humboldt
Sacramento, CA
02.2021 - 05.2021
- Assisted with field surveys for raptors, contributing to data collection efforts under the supervision of a California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt Wildlife and Conservation graduate student.
- Collected weekly survey data by monitoring and recording raptor species, behavior, and population counts at Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.
- Monitored raptor hunting behavior and documented field observations.
- Collaborated with supervisor to share and interpret data findings, enhancing understanding of raptor behavior.
- Collected, organized, and cleaned data for analysis.
- Organized and maintained research records and project documentation, ensuring accuracy and accessibility for future analysis.
- Set up, calibrated, and maintained laboratory and field research equipment.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies
California State University Sacramento
Sacramento, CA12-2022
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Studies
California State University Sacramento
Sacramento, CA12-2022
Skills
- Wildlife rehabilitation
- Wildlife triage
- Species identification
- Wildlife identification
- Field research
- Data recording
- Data analysis and organization
- Program coordination
- Program development
- Habitat restoration
- Microsoft Office proficiency
- Basic skills in GIS
- Special and elementary education
- Lesson Planning
Certification
- Crisis Prevention Intervention – obtained February 2024, last renewed November 2025
- Adult First Aid/CPR/AED – obtained February 2024, last renewed November 2025
- SSI Open Water Diver Certification – obtained August 2025
Timeline
Adult Education Specialist
The Milieu Center
01.2024 - 03.2026
Lead Wildlife Technician
Wildlife Care Association
08.2022 - Current
Student Aide
California State University of Sacramento
01.2022 - 06.2022
Scientific Aid
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
09.2021 - 03.2023
Research Assistant
California State University of Humboldt
02.2021 - 05.2021
Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies
California State University Sacramento
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Studies
California State University Sacramento