Congress of the Birds jobs and careers

About Congress of the Birds

We rehabilitate with release in mind. We are state licensed & federally permitted to care for all species of wild birds. Through providing both medical & rehabilitative care, our center treats over 1,000 avian patients annually & provides triage & stabilization for ALL species of wild animals. Our team of volunteers helps care for our avian patients & helps maintain our facilities. Sheida Soleimani (Founder & Executive Director) started rehabbing wildlife with her Maman, a political refugee from Iran, who was a nurse back in their home country. Unable to continue her nursing practice in the US, & wanting to continue to help & nurture, Maman began volunteering at a wildlife rehab center. Sheida was raised around the wild animals her mother would rehabilitate, & through this, grew to pursue it as a passion of her own. Sheida, an accomplished artist & professor, continued to volunteer as a bird rehabilitator through college & grad school, rehabbing wild birds out of the bathroom of her apartment. The birds became a primary source in her artwork, & after graduating with an MFA, she moved to RI to teach at RISD. In 2016, she received her state rehabilitation license & began rehabilitating wild birds out of the basement of her rental carriage house. The rest is history. In 2018, Sheida joined the faculty at Brandeis University & founded COTB in her home on Congress Ave in Providence. In 2020, Sheida received her Federal Migratory Bird Rehabilitation Permit. The Providence facility is a 24-hour triage center with a fully equipped clinic. Additionally, COTB received a large l& donation to allow us to have a ‘release center’ for our wild patients after their in-clinic care is complete. The COTB Land Center is located on 42 secluded forest acres dedicated to rehabilitation & release of birds & to providing opportunities for students to engage with wildlife up close, & to reflect their encounters via a variety of arts, education experiences, & education practices.