HUNTERSVILLE – The board of trustees of Carolina Raptor Center has named Jim Warren, the center’s chief operating officer for the past five years, its new executive director.

“Jim has been an invaluable leader within the organization for over five years,” Board Chair Forrest Frazier, said in a news release. “We are pleased that he has accepted our offer and look forward to his continued leadership.”

A Mount Holly native and graduate of Appalachian State University, Warren has served in leadership positions with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center.

The rehabilitation hospital at the raptor center admits more than 700 birds a year and released more than 65 percent of those birds back into the wild. The Raptor Trail entertains more 40,000 visitors a year, and center staff and volunteers engage more 35,000 science students in formal and informal education programs.