Category: Speakers

Kevin holds a BS in Zoology from the University of Maryland.  The highlight of his career has been his involvement with conservation efforts in Panama with the Panamanian Golden Frogs, including being one of the last people to see the species in the wild (2009).
If Kevin wasn’t working at the zoo he would be a woodworker/craftsman.

My connection with the Maryland Zoo (then the Baltimore Zoo) started in 1986, when I joined the Junior Keeper teen volunteer Program.  I left Baltimore for Bowdoin College in Maine, where I earned a B.A. degree with a double major in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. I also spent a semester with the School for Field Studies in Nairobi, Kenya. I spent eight years in a sales career before returning to Baltimore and taking a job managing the Zoo’s volunteer program. I have been here over 18 years, and the highlight of my career is seeing over 1,400 teen volunteers go on to wonderful young people grow up to be conservation advocates. If not working at the Zoo, I would probably be an anthropologist (or running a cheese shop, which really is the dream.)

I started at the Zoo as a volunteer in 2001, and being hired to work with the Zoo’s animal ambassadors was the start of my career.  I had some wonderful experiences with animal ambassadors, like attending NFL games with the Ravens’ mascots, and taking animals to the David Letterman show. In my current position as Assistant General Curator, my animal experiences are less public, but just as rewarding. The most recent experience that stands out for me is helping to hand raise an abandoned chimpanzee infant.
If I didn’t work as a zoo keeper, I would enjoy working as a landscape gardener.

Ellen Bronson, DVM, DACZM, graduated from the Freie Universitaet Berlin with a degree in veterinary medicine.  After graduation, she completed multiple training programs, including a one year internship in small animal medicine in Indiana, a two year internship in zoo medicine at the Maryland Zoo, and a three year residency in zoo medicine at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. She started as a staff veterinarian at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in 2006. She became a board-certified specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine with the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) in 2007. She is currently the Senior Director of Animal Health, Conservation, and Research at the Maryland Zoo, and oversees the veterinary and nutrition programs, as well as field conservation and research endeavors at the zoo. Her field experience and interests center especially around the human-domestic animal-wildlife interface, in species ranging from Maryland black bears, bog turtles, snowy owls, and Bolivian river dolphins. Her current position is her absolute dream job, but if she didn’t work at the zoo, she would be a full-time field researcher in some remote corner of the globe!

lise Bernardoni is currently the Director of Engagement at Canopy Strategic
Partners. In this role she helps mission-driven organizations, including zoos,
aquariums, botanical gardens, conservation organizations, and other public green
spaces, to create a better future for the planet. Elise was the Assistant Director for
Education Programs at Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ), the non-profit support
organization for Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC. Elise began her
career at FONZ in 2006 as an intern and has been with the education department
for 14 years. She and her team oversaw a large education portfolio including
school programs, camps, children’s classes, overnights, birthday parties, and a
teen volunteer program. She also managed several special programs and projects
including strategic leadership for education and learning, an internal conservation
grant that distributes $100,000 annually to the National Zoo’s keepers and
scientists, and the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment’s National Zoo Day.

Elise is an active advocate for zoos-based conservation organizations. She is an instructor for two professional development courses offered through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): Conservation Education:
Effective Program Design and Managing for Success: Career Development. Elise is a member of the National Capital Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, and served as chapter president from 2013 – 2017.
She is currently the national education co-advisor for the Felid Taxonomic Advisory Group, which manages all populations of cat species in AZA accredited zoos’ care.

Elise holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Arts in Teaching; Museum Education from The George Washington University. She is passionate about helping young people see their role in conservation and at conservation organizations no matter their personal or professional background. Elise is a native of Connecticut, where she spent a lot of time camping, playing outdoors, and tending to her menagerie of pets. Elise enjoys traveling, kayaking, and spotting wildlife before her partner when out in nature.

Jax is a charismatic and innovative conservation biologist who is passionate about increasing community involvement and environmental education.  He has created national environmental initiatives, organized large volunteer teams, worked to rebuild forests, and spoken to diverse stakeholder communities. He is especially committed to increasing participation within Citizen Science projects and increasing forested habitat for migratory species.

Currently, Jax protects the Chesapeake Bay by increasing canopy cover. Within his position as Assistant Director, Jax has created national upcycle programs, Leave No Trace trainings , and begun the orginazation’s first environmental committee. While working for the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, he guided landowners to foster better ecosystems on their own properties and worked with Title I schools around the country to implement scientific tools for research. During his graduate studies at the University of Rhode Island, Jax directed conservation efforts with the Nature Conservancy to protect genetic heritage of mammals on surrounding islands. He has developed a wide and unique set of skills, perfect for tackling large conservation issues.

Alan Byrd began his tenure as Dean of Admissions at George Mason University in November 2020.  With over 20 years of experience in enrollment management and community engagement, Dr. Byrd has a long, successful track record of leading, planning, and coordinating student recruitment and retention initiatives. He brings a team-oriented, data-driven recruitment approach to Mason that prioritizes exceptional service and commitment to student success.

Prior to Mason, Dr. Byrd was the chief enrollment officer at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He led UMSL to several new milestones for enrollment growth, diversity of the student body, the academic profile of incoming students, and graduation rates. Removing financial barriers for students was central to his work in St. Louis, where he developed innovative financial aid programs such as the “UMSL Grant” and “Finish Your Degree Scholarship” that reduced the average student loan debt at graduation by 12% and earned UMSL national recognition as a top 100 institution for social mobility according to U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Byrd received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UMSL. He earned a B.A. in Communication and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Southeast Missouri State University.