Her Story
About Rebecca
Rebecca Hamlin serves as President of North Texas Wildlife Center in the state of Texas. She entered the field of animal welfare and wildlife rehabilitation approximately seven years ago after a career as a teacher, having earned degrees in psychology and childhood development. During the pandemic, she began volunteering at the center following the rescue of an opossum and was later selected as president after two and a half years of service. Hamlin maintains a permit from Texas Parks and Wildlife, pursues ongoing education through conferences and research, and oversees daily operations including animal care, volunteer coordination, public interactions, and facility management. She has led successful fundraising, including raising $250,000 for a new facility in three months. She collaborates closely with groups such as Fanged Out, DFW Squirrel Rescue, DFW Wild Care, and Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, and supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through events and fundraising. Hamlin attributes her success to embracing her authentic personality after years of suppression, and she prioritizes compassion for people and animals, accountability, and a commitment to lifelong learning and improvement in all aspects of her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rebecca
01What do you attribute your success to?
For the longest time in my life, I hid who I was. I'm loud, I'm sarcastic, I think I'm hilarious. I am the baby of 9, and I am the baby of 9 personality. And so, for the longest time, I tried to, like, suppress who I was. ... And whenever I finally grew into who I was, and was like, okay, this is just how I am, and I started being that person everywhere, my entire life changed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Best career advice I really think just focusing on yourself. ... My competitor is me yesterday. I'm competing with the version of me that I was yesterday, last week, last year. I need to be better than that person. ... I don't wanna compete with other people, let's build each other up, we can all win.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find someone who's already doing it, and find a way to fit in with them. It's so much easier to join a group that's already established than it is to try and start one. ... find a way to make it what you need it to be, and if you're passionate about it, I think it'll happen really easily.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in animal rescue, especially in the state of Texas, is breaking the stigma against animals. ... lack of resource availability. Wildlife rehabilitators don't get funding from the state of Texas. ... opportunities to foster compassion, to teach kids, to teach adults. ... every day is just a day to really change people's hearts, to educate people, and to foster collaboration.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Compassion for people, compassion for animals. Accountability is so big. ... always being willing to learn and be better. ... always willing to take a step back and say, wait, why are we doing it that way? And how can we do it better?
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