APWE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Jackie Navarro
Current location: Bonsall, California
Current job: Wild Wonders / Zoofari director and founder
Contact: wildwonders@earthlink.net
Jackie Navarro is a veteran of the wild animal world. Her personal safari began in 1989, taking her from California Polytechnic University into various roles such as zookeeper, zoo educator, trainer, behavioral consultant, presenter, and show producer and consultant.
Jackie has been affiliated with several zoos including Columbus, Charles Paddock, Santa Ana, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where she performed in front of thousands. These experiences combined with a need for grassroots wildlife education programs in southern California eventually led her to the formation of her own company, Wild Wonders, Inc. in 1991.
Currently, Jackie travels throughout the United States with her animal ambassadors charming children and adults alike through personal appearances, performances, media opportunities, and other related interactions. Jackie’s drive and determination, along with her contacts in the animal world are only a few of her great assets that have helped Wild Wonders to grow into one of the foremost wildlife education organizations in the west. She has a genuine love of animals, children and a desire to educate people about the natural world.
Jackie's company Wild Wonders is a ZAA accredited facility and a member of American Association of Zookeepers, American Zoological Association, California Association for the Gifted, California Kindergarten Association, International Zoo Educators, and Association of Professional Wildlife Educators.
Vice President
Ron De Armond
Current location: Indiana
Current job: Pella Wildlife Company owner and founder
Contact: ron@pellawildlifecompany.org
Ron is the founder and CEO of Pella Wildlife Company, a non-profit wildlife conservation organization that has a focus on education, propagation, and conservation. Beginning in 1983 Ron has worked with mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Programs have been developed for school age children, families at public libraries, and animals assisted therapy programs for seniors living in retirement homes.
Ron has created and done programs for the USFWS, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Iowa DNR, and county conservation boards. Visit www.pellawildlifecompany.org for additional information.
Secretary
Will Bruner
Current location: Denver, Colorado
Current job: Curator of Mammals and Birds at the Denver Downtown Aquarium
Contact: n2wildlife85@hotmail.com
My name is Will Bruner and I have been in the field of animal training and wildlife education for the last 16 years in four separate institutions.
I started my career at the Cincinnati Zoo as a bird trainer and educator. From there I moved to the Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA where I worked with a variety of mammals and birds and helped create both on and offsite educational live animal programs. After 4 years I left to pursue a career with marine mammals at the Indianapolis Zoo. After 2 years I realized how much I missed educating and accepted the challenge of managing and coordinating the zoo's outreach program, which I did for 5 years.
In 2007 I became the Curator of Mammals and Birds and the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, CO where I get to share my knowledge of both animal training and public education. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have had as many incredible experiences and interact with such amazing animals as I have and look forward to contributing my passion to more professionals through APWE.
Treasurer
Jessica Leigh
Current location: Vista, California
Current job: The Wildlife Company owner and founder
Contact: wildlifecmpny@aol.com
Jessica Leigh is the founder, owner, and director of The Wildlife Company located in Vista, California. Jessica and her company are dedicated to exposing people of all ages to the amazing animals with whom we share our planet. With their highly structured and themed programs, The Wildlife Company places special emphasis on the education of children and on the importance of conservation and animal welfare. Their shows, which may be seen at schools, libraries, and private parties, have touched the lives of countless individuals.
Jessica began her professional career with animals even before graduating high school. During her senior year she spent her afternoons fulfilling an internship position at the Minnesota Zoo. In that capacity, Jessica was fortunate enough to feed, train, and present shows with the park's 6 dolphins and was furthermore involved in the rearing of the zoo's two baby dolphins.
After high school, Jessica attended North Dakota State University to pursue a degree in zoology. However, she soon realized that a more hands-on approach to learning would be better suited for her quest to work with exotics. In 1995 Jessica was accepted into the highly competitive EATM (Exotic Animal Training and Management) program at Moorpark College. This one of a kind program allowed Jessica to work with variety of animals including camels, lemurs, macaques, gibbons, and ocelots, to name but a few.
Jessica's completion of the EATM program left her fully prepared as a permitted wildlife educator to start her own business. In 1999, after two years of employment at a facility similar to the one she now owns and operates, Jessica founded The Wildlife Company. With the help of her coati, kinkajou, chinchilla, boa constrictor, and macaw, Jessica's new business did 31 shows in its first year. Now 7 years later, The Wildlife Company has a collection of over 40 animals and does over 300 shows a year.
Many of the animals maintained by The Wildlife Company have been rescues, confiscations from Fish and Game, owner-relinquished animals, and non-releasable native mammals. Proper care and enrichment for such a large and diverse group of animals has proven a full time job for Jessica, who over the years has been assisted by both full time employees and volunteers, all of whom have proven just as dedicated to their cause as Jessica herself.
Jessica's work doesn't end when her shows are done. Instead, she spends a great deal of her time working closely with numerous national and international organizations dedicated to the betterment of animal welfare and conservation education. She sits on the board of directors for the Association of Professional Wildlife Educators, an institution with goals to maintain the highest standards for wildlife education professionals. Additionally, Jessica was deeply involved in spearheading IAWA (The International Animal Welfare Association), which deals with legislative issues relating to exotic animal ownership.
In an effort to stay up to date on current developments in animal husbandry and behavior, Jessica, on behalf of The Wildlife Company, is a member in both the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and the ABMA (Animal Behavior Management Alliance). She even had the opportunity to take two trips to Africa, during which she was able to observe and photograph many of the animals she works so hard to protect in their natural, untainted environments.
The Wildlife Company, as it exists today, serves as a constant reminder to all that hard work and dedication go a long way in the pursuit of achieving one's goal. For Jessica, sharing her knowledge and understanding of exotic animals with others has become more than a passion, but a way of life as well. Despite the long road that has led her to where she is, Jessica is more than content in knowing that every day she is sending an important message to children and adults alike: a message about conservation, the animals themselves, and the vital role that we all play in insuring their continued survival.
ListServ Moderator
Jen Kotkin
Current location: Half Moon Bay, California
Current job: Science Curriculum Coordinator for Wildlife Associates
Contact: creeturefeeture@yahoo.com
Jen Kotkin is accomplished in curriculum documentation, program development and wildlife training. Currently the Science Currirulum Coordinator for Wildlife Associates, her duties include designing new programs for at-risk and foster youth, updating existing curriculum, and building new relationships with Northern California Bay Area schools to offer state of the art teacher workshops. Jen is also responsible for making sure Wildlife Associates school assemblies are aligned with the steate standards. No matter what the program being offered, Jen is making sure that is sparks the interest for a better understanding of the big picture in the science world.
Jen's current and previous positions have led her to sevaral opportunities and awards:
- TV news appearances: FIOS Channel 1, CNN, NJN, Channel 12 NJ, Korea TV for Ecospaces program
- FDA/NSTA Food Safety Workshop
- NSTA Conferences, regional and national
- NJAEE Conference
- Farm Based Education Conference
- Earth then, Earth now: Climate Chance conference
- APWE Listserv Moderator / Board Member
- National Wildlife Rehab Association symposium
- Wilderness First Response Certification
- National Environmental Educators Association Seminar
- Project Wild facilitator
Legislative Chair
Derek Small
Current location: Rochester, New Hampshire
Current job: Granite State Zoo founder and Executive Director
Contact: derek@gszoo.org
Derek is founder and Executive Director of the Granite State Zoo, a New Hampshire non-profit organization that exists with a mission to connect children and adults with animals and nature while demonstrating and inspiring responsible stewardship of our planet’s global biodiversity.
Holding a B.S. in Education from Plymouth State University, Derek has been active in exotic animal husbandry and rehabilitation since 1993, and has been working in the field of Professional Environmental Education featuring living wildlife ambassadors since 2002.
In 2004, recognizing a need in northern New England for a professional wildlife education firm that would complement and work cooperatively with the local Audubon and nature centers while providing schools and communities with a safe and reputable alternative to the unprofessional and often illegally-operating “animal companies” in the region, Derek established a tax-exempt limited liability corporation with the nationally-trademarked name Wildlife Encounters. Wildlife Encounters operated till May 2010, when it was dissolved and the Granite State Zoo today continues to provide the “Wildlife Encounters”-branded outreach services.
Derek is most well-known regionally for his high-energy educational presentation style and ability to adapt to, interact with and educate effectively at nearly all ages and education levels. Calling on a depth of knowledge in wildlife biology, ecology and other fields, his presentations are often said to have a “Disney-movie” quality in that on the surface they appear target kids – yet possess a wealth of information, messaging and even humor for adults as well!
Now working under the guidance of the Granite State Zoo’s Board of Directors, Derek oversees the daily care of approximately 120 animals representing nearly 70 different species of wildlife, a seasonal high of 15 full and part-time staff & interns, and the annual delivery of nearly 1600 “Wildlife Encounters” classes, shows & exhibits – while also being heavily involved with the planning-phase of New Hampshire’s new “green” public zoological facility & sustainable-living center!
Social Networking Coordinator
Leeanne Garrett
Current location: Fishers, Indiana
Current job: Research Assistant at Covance Laboratories, Inc.
Contact: leeanne.garrett@gmail.com
Leeanne began her work in wildlife education during college when, for three years, she led overnight camp programs for scout troops and school groups at Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 2006 she was accepted into the Walt Disney Company's professional internship program as an education presenter at the Animal Kingdom. There she led conservation-themed activities at the Kids' Discovery Club stations throughout the park and also did informal interpretation talks with guests. After completing the internship, Leeanne returned to Michigan and worked for awhile at a local nature center before moving away from the education realm and into a job at Covance Laboratories.
For the next three years Leeanne worked as an in-life technician for Toxicology and Safety Pharmacology research studies at Covance. Although away from the public, Leeanne still maintained her contact with animals -- in the lab she worked with rats, mice, hamsters, rabbits, pigs, dogs and monkeys. Two years ago she transferred to a different Covance location and is now working outside of Indianapolis as a research assistant in Receptor Occupancy studies.
Over the past several years Leeanne has taken online graduate-level classes in Environmental Education and Interpretation through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She also volunteers at a therapeutic horseback riding facility, working with students of all ages and of all types of mental, physical and emotional disabilities. One day soon she hopes to have the opportunity to guide her career back to public environmental education.
Membership Coordinator
Jenny Curtis
Current location: Port Orange, Florida
Current job: Wildlife Tree, Inc. founder and director
Contact: info@wildlifetree.com
Jenny attended California State University Long Beach for Zoology before entering the world of exotic animals. Working in the zoo and education field, she graduated Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (EATM) in 2011. She gained hands-on experience working with wildlife at The Butterfly Project at Moorpark College, where Jenny helped to propagate and release endangered California butterflies. After graduating EATM and moving from California to Florida, Jenny founded Wildlife Tree, Inc., a non-profit corporation striving to educate people about wild and domestic animals. Her knowledge of biology, combined with presenting children’s programs, training exotic animals, and educating the public about environmental issues have helped Jenny, and Wildlife Tree, rise in the wildlife education field.
Student Liaison
Danielle Swopes
Current location: Simi Valley, California
Current job: Student in the EATM Program
Contact: danielleswopes@gmail.com
Info coming soon! :)
Past President
David Kleven
Current location: Texas
Current job: Animal Edutainment, Inc.
Contact: critterman@animaled.com
Dave Kleven co-founded Animal Edutainment, Inc. in 1990. He is a graduate of Moorpark College (aka “America’s Teaching Zoo”) in the Exotic Animal Training and Management program. Dave worked as a docent at Como Zoo in St. Paul, MN. While attending America's Teaching Zoo, Dave gained valuable experience interning at Los Angeles Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, Monkey Jungle, and Universal Studios in Hollywood.
Animal Edutainment’s animal care facility is home to over 65 non-releasable animals that were orphaned, injured, surplus, or cast-off by previous owners. These animals now act as ambassadors for their species in educational programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
In 2002, Dave was an integral part in starting APWE and even served an interim period as President.
Honorary Members:
Nicki Boyd
Jack Hanna
Rob Yordi
Susan Kleven