Mindy is a data management specialist working in the registrar’s office at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, where she helps manage records on all of the animals and biomaterials in NZCBI’s care. She previously worked as an animal caregiver for more than two decades with a variety of species including bears, big cats, primates, and small carnivores. With a Ph.D. in psychology focused on animal behavior and cognition, she has conducted behavioral and cognitive research with bears in an effort to improve their management in zoos. Mindy consults with a variety of NGOs, accredited and non-accredited zoos around the world, and state animal law enforcement to help assess animal welfare issues and educate caregivers on proper husbandry for bears and other species. Mindy is the vice president of the Bear Care Group, an international non-profit whose mission is to foster improvements in global bear welfare. She is also the studbook keeper for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) sun bear population, and a member of AZA’s Bear Taxon Advisory Group Steering Committee.