ELIZABETH (BETSY) HERRELKO
Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Herrelko is the Animal Welfare and Research Manager at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. She focuses on advancing animal welfare science with an emphasis on animal management and how animals think. Betsy leads the Animal Welfare and Animal Care and Use Committees to ensure compliance with regulations and facilitate best practices for all species at the zoo, is responsible for overseeing research within Animal Care Sciences, and consults across animal care units on applied practices. She joined the Zoo in 2012 as the David Bohnett Cognitive Research Fellow studying cognitive bias (a measure of emotional affect) in apes. Prior to the Smithsonian, Betsy earned her master’s degree from Hunter College (New York) and her PhD from the University of Stirling (Scotland). In addition to traditional dissemination of information methods in academia, Betsy also communicates her science story through natural history documentaries. Her work with primates has been featured on the BBC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Channel.
ELIZABETH (BETSY) HERRELKO
Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Herrelko is the Animal Welfare and Research Manager at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. She focuses on advancing animal welfare science with an emphasis on animal management and how animals think. Betsy leads the Animal Welfare and Animal Care and Use Committees to ensure compliance with regulations and facilitate best practices for all species at the zoo, is responsible for overseeing research within Animal Care Sciences, and consults across animal care units on applied practices. She joined the Zoo in 2012 as the David Bohnett Cognitive Research Fellow studying cognitive bias (a measure of emotional affect) in apes. Prior to the Smithsonian, Betsy earned her master’s degree from Hunter College (New York) and her PhD from the University of Stirling (Scotland). In addition to traditional dissemination of information methods in academia, Betsy also communicates her science story through natural history documentaries. Her work with primates has been featured on the BBC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Channel.
Mark Patrick McGuire joined Edison Electric Institue (EEI) in 2020 as a senior attorney. He manages the association’s clean energy and infrastructure portfolio. Patrick holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and a B.S. in History from Northeastern University. He is an active member of the Rhode Island and Massachusetts bars and came to EEI after working at the Association of Clean Water Agencies on the Clean Water Act and before that as Associate Legal Counsel at the Narragansett Bay Commission in Providence, Rhode Island.
Allison is the Assistant Director of Outreach Events and Programs in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. A proud (almost) double Patriot, she is both a George Mason and Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) alumna. Allison earned her B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in Spring 2023 and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Strategic Communication. Outside of work and graduate school, you’ll find her at rock concerts, on a yoga mat, nurturing her plant collection, or finding the best new brunch spots in town.
Laura attended MIT where she earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. She worked for 7 years at Lockheed Martin as a Mechanical Test Engineer, building, testing and launching commercial satellites. During that time, she earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 1999, Laura started a Lean Sigma consulting business with clients in the appliances, automotive, advertising and healthcare industries. During that time, Laura also started teaching Physics at the local Purdue University campus. She found a love teaching high school and obtained her teaching license. She loves teaching Aviation, Engineering, Physics and Environmental Science and will be at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, KY this fall.
Lillian (she/her) works as a Wildlife Field Technician gathering research data for conservation management projects. She is currently working on a grassland in Illinois tracking Bobwhites and Black Racer snakes as well as conducting vegetation surveys and bird counts. Her past projects include trapping and tagging Bobwhites to study habitat use also located in Southern Illinois, and a small mammal mark and recapture project to study population distribution on GrandFather Mountain in North Carolina. Lillian graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology. She is a 2016 WYSE alumna and a former JFA. When not working Lillian enjoys cooking, hiking with her dog and cat, and hanging out at the rock climbing gym.
Donna is the Senior Legal Policy Advisor at the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) which include states and tribes implementing the Clean Water Act as co-regulators with the federal government. She served as Jurisdiction Team Leader in the U.S. EPA’s Office of Water from 1998 to 2020 working on a variety of issues, with a recent focus on the Clean Water Act. Prior to EPA, Donna worked for the U.S. Congress of Technology Assessment and in private law practice. She has a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard, a MPP from the UC Berkeley a JD cum laude from Georgetown Law School, and an L.L.M in Environmental Law summa cum laude from GW Law School. She has been an adjunct professor of environmental law at GW Law School since 1996. In her free time, she is a professional potter and an unprofessional horse trainer.
As the Curator of Large Carnivores (and Kids’ Farm) at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Craig Saffoe is responsible for the overall care and management of 18 species and more than 50 individual animals. He works with a team of animal keepers to not only care for, but facilitate breeding with most of the Zoo’s large carnivores – which includes one of the most critically endangered species (Sumatran tigers) managed at the National Zoological Park. Craig started his career as an intern in 1994 and worked his way up to Animal Keeper, Biologist and now Curator. In that time, he has been a part of many successful teams including the team that managed, bred and successfully produced the first two cheetah litters ever born at the Smithsonian. Craig now leads a team that has been incredibly successful at breeding large carnivores – boasting multiple successful litters of lions and tigers and yes bears….Oh my!
Michael Latimer attended WYSE in 2012 and later studied Environmental Science with a concentration in Conservation at George Mason University, graduating in 2017. During his time at GMU, he interned with the Washington Scholars Program and studied abroad in Belize to learn about ecosystems. He also attended the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, working with endangered birds.
Serena is a recent graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she earned her M.S. in Biology. Serena holds a B.S. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from George Mason University where she worked in Admissions as a Telecounseling Supervisor and Mason Ambassador, and completed a semester at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. After graduation, she spent time on a farm in upstate New York, studied elephant behavior in Florida, and even worked in a bakery before joining Lincoln Park Zoo for a reptile behavior study. Her master’s thesis focused on human-wildlife co-occurrence in Homer, Alaska. Serena is passionate about wildlife behavior, conservation, and helping others explore career paths in the environmental sciences. She’s so excited for WYSE 2025 and can’t wait to meet this year’s amazing Delegates!