AIP Faculty

Directors

Chris Myers

...received his Ph.D. in ecology from Vanderbilt University and is now a professor of Zoology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University. His research areas include community-based conservation, participatory science, and national education reform. Chris is the founding Director of Project Dragonfly and served as Editor-in-Chief of Dragonfly magazine--the first national magazine to feature the investigations of children. Project Dragonfly has reached millions of children through award-winning print media, teacher programs, and the Emmy-Award winning national PBS children’s television series,DragonflyTV. He has written more than 60 professional articles and has directed projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization for Tropical Studies, and other agencies. Chris directs Earth Expeditions and the Global Field Program, served as a Fulbright Scholar in Thailand, and taught environmental education at Yale University.

Lynne Born Myers

... is a founder and co-Director of Project Dragonfly, where she oversees national exhibits, participatory media, and learning programs. She served as the founding editor for Dragonfly magazine and now leads the development of national exhibits for Wild Research and Saving Species. These two NSF-funded projects are designed to engage millions of families at zoos, aquariums, and other public learning institutions throughout the U.S. Lynne also writes fiction and nonfiction books for children with her husband, Chris, including McCrephy's Field (Houghton Mifflin), Forest of the Clouded Leopard (Houghton Mifflin), and Galapagos: Islands of Change (Hyperion). Lynne received her B. Phil. from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University. She has developed conservation partnerships in many countries for Earth Expeditions, and works on a variety of research and education projects addressing human relationships with nature.

Jamie Bercaw Anzano

... is Director of Communications and Research at Project Dragonfly at Miami University, where she instructs international and web-based graduate courses and serves as a graduate advisor. When Dragonfly began more than 15 years ago, Jamie served as an editor for Dragonfly children's magazine. She has since worked on a number of Dragonfly initiatives to implement inquiry-driven reform in formal and informal learning environments. Prior to her work at Dragonfly, Jamie wrote hundreds of articles as a newspaper reporter and magazine writer. She has a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University in journalism and a master's in environmental science with concentration in environmental education from Miami University's Institute of Environmental Sciences. Her interests lie within the intersection of theory and practice and in helping educators and other professionals explore ways to use inquiry to improve human and ecological communities. Jamie has explored many countries throughout the world, but she particularly enjoys rediscovering her backyard with her two young sons.

Jill Korach

... has worked in Project Dragonfly since 2004. She serves as the Assistant Director of Earth Expeditions' Field Program instructing several of our international courses. She is also the Program Manager for the Wild Research Program. Jill earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis where she focused on tropical rainforest ecology. She earned her Master's from Miami University's Institute of Environmental Sciences concentrating in conservation biology. Her interests lie in ethnobotany and she strives to bring focus to the dependence and interconnectedness of people and plants as a way to re-connect us to our environment. Jill accredits her love of the natural world and global perspective to her extensive local and international experiences – and to getting a chance to climb trees as a child.

Kevin Matteson

... is the Assistant Director of Masters Programs for Project Dragonfly at Miami University. Since 2002, Kevin has researched ecology, pollinator conservation, and entomology in heavily developed urban landscapes in both Chicago and New York City. For his doctoral research, conducted at Fordham University, Kevin utilized high-resolution GIS datasets to evaluate landscape factors influencing the diversity of bees and butterflies in community gardens of East Harlem and the Bronx. In addition to teaching at the undergraduate- and graduate-level, Kevin has served as an educator in a variety non-traditional settings including bilingual art-based science education in the Bronx and student-led programming while at the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Society. Kevin has also engaged in scientific outreach through work as a scientific consultant and blogger for an urban citizen science program (www.greatpollinatorproject.org) and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Urban Ecosystems Ecology section (www.esa.org/urbanecosystem/) of the Ecological Society of America. He currently resides in Yellow Springs, Ohio with his wife and two young children.

Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo

Agnes Kovacs

... is the Manager of the School, Groups, and Teacher programs at the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo. She began there in 2007. In this capacity, Agnes oversees Connections classes for school groups, teacher workshops and graduate classes, field trips, and the award winning Levels of Engagement program. Approximately 225,000 students come through these programs annually. Agnes serves as an Arctic Ambassador with Polar Bears International and has twice facilitated the PBI Leadership Camp in Churchill, Canada. Agnes loves gardening, hiking, golfing, and the ocean. Her master's degree is in Education.

Jennifer Marvel-Gillono

... comes to us from Portland, Oregon where upon receiving her Master's in Education degree from Portland State University she spent ten years teaching at an Environmental Magnet School. She has an extensive background in connecting children to science through the use of hands-on, field-based inquiry learning. Her philosophy is that children are natural born scientists who need to be given time and opportunity to explore their curiosities and ideas. At the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo, Jennifer manages the award winning Levels of Engagement Program, supervises part-time Connections instructors, and assists with the Advanced Inquiry Program.

Ricardo Stanoss

... joined the Brookfield Zoo in 2006 as the Director of Education and International Training. He graduated as a D.V.M. at the University of Buenos Aires in 1991. Previously, Ricardo was the Assistant Director of the National Audubon Society International Programs, and Associate Director of Education at Miami Metrozoo. Fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese, Ricardo has experience in environmental leadership training, strategic planning, organizational management, fundraising, and communications. As Director of Education and International Training, Ricardo is responible for developing, implementing, and directing a comprehensive program to establish formal and informal public education initiatives and training of conservation professionals to develop human capacity to lead conservation efforts in Chicagoland and worldwide.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Cory Christopher

... is the Graduate Program Manager at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Cory earned a master's degree in Ecology from the University of Georgia, where he specialized in Mammalogy, and he received his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Cincinnati, specializing in the ecology of herbivores and invasive plants. His fondness for all things natural and his willingness to get incredibly muddy comes from spending most of his childhood running through the hills and streams of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills where he was raised. In his downtime, you can usually find him running, traipsing around in the woods, or eating cupcakes. He speaks French very poorly, but loves traveling and has a stunning personality.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Christine Korhnak

…is an Education Manager at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where she creates new educational opportunities for a wide range of audiences and works with a stellar team to present existing programs ranging from school field experiences to camps to AIP. She holds a degree in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz (Go Slugs!), where she focused on Marine Biology and Oceanography in the hopes of growing up to be Jacques Cousteau. She has nearly 20 years' experience in zoo education and was recently named as a member of the AZA's Conservation Education Committee. Christine likes to travel and is passionate about helping people connect their six degrees of separation to environments they may never experience firsthand. She is still drawn to the ocean and loves to sail. After a recent snorkeling experience during a Belize Earth Expeditions trip, she is now dreaming of putting a salt water tank in her home… one big enough to float in.

Katie Corr

…is all about Project Dragonfly. Aside from completing her own M.A. in Zoology through the GFP, she also coordinates and leads Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's branch of Dragonfly's Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP). She loves helping students to discover the power (and fun!) of inquiry while exploring local environments. She strives to connect people to their surroundings and to help them discover their own voices for positive change. Katie loves traveling, at home and abroad and is always up for a good road trip, especially one that includes her dogs. She has a B.A. in environmental studies from Hiram College where she focused on environmental education and incorporating sustainability messaging into rural schools. She likes running and reading (though not at the same time) and is a soccer enthusiast.

Vicki Searles

... is the Curator of Education at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where she also serves as a member of the exhibit design team responsible for including scientific and cultural information in state-of-the-art multi-species naturalistic exhibits. She holds a degree from the School of Natural Resources at the Ohio State University, where she studied wildlife management with an emphasis on behavioral science. Beginning in 1990 she has been a participant in international workshops including workshops in Peru, Venezuela, and South Africa. As president of the Executive Board for the Cleveland Regional Council for Science Teachers, her conservation education program, largely inquiry-based, connects students and volunteers in the United States with students, scientists and animals around the globe.

Denver Zoo

Molly Maloy

... is the Teacher Professional Development Coordinator at the Denver Zoo as well as Co-lead on the Zoo’s Botswana Conservation Education project. Molly has a master’s degree in Environmental Education and always knew zoo education and conservation was the path for her. Molly began her zoo career at the Baltimore Zoo where she was the Keeper Encounter Coordinator and then left the East Coast to head to the Denver Zoo to become a trainer at their Wildlife Show. Molly left the Zoo for a year to pursue a job in Zambia where she met her husband and bribed him to move to Denver and live with her so she could return to the Denver Zoo. Molly has been at the Denver Zoo for 14 years and with each year that passes, her passion for wildlife (especially hornbills and wombats), global conservation and education is reinforced every day. When not at work, Molly spends her time with her husband Pete and their 2 year old son Charlie. Traveling to Africa for both work and pleasure is a huge part of Molly’s life as is enjoying eating three times her body weight in chocolate.

Phoenix Zoo

Gabrielle (Gabby) Hebert

... is the Director of Visitor Experiences for the Phoenix Zoo, the place where her love for environmental education began back in her undergraduate days as a summer camp instructor. Gabby has a BS in Conservation Biology from Arizona State University and a freshly earned Master's in Environmental Education and Communication from Royal Roads University. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Association for Environmental Education and will serve as the organization’s president in 2013. Developing the capacity of educators to most effectively reach their audiences is a passion for Gabby, and her recent master’s thesis focused on using professional development to explore the emotional needs of environmental educators. In her free time Gabby loves to bike, garden, and cuddle with her four feline children.

Ruth Allard

... is the Executive Vice President for Conservation and Visitor Experiences at the Phoenix Zoo, where she oversees the Zoo’s involvement in regional and international conservation efforts and the Zoo’s educational programming team. She holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with an emphasis on applied conservation biology, as well as a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Arizona. She has conducted studies on butterfly learning and sea turtle nesting behavior, which helped her realize that she prefers science communication to basic research. Prior to her arrival at the Phoenix Zoo, Ruth spent 10 years working in the Conservation and Science Department at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. While there, she discovered a love for connecting people and building community through conservation and education partnerships.

San Diego Zoo Global

James Danoff-Burg

... is Director of the Conservation Education Division at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. With his energetic team of top-flight educators, he helps enhance the success and sustainability of the conservation projects conducted by San Diego Zoo global researchers by ensuring public participation and support. He and his staff help popularize conservation success stories through local and national education and outreach efforts, online campaigns, and local conservation education efforts for the 120+ field conservation projects that SDZG does in 35+ countries around the world. James is an insect community ecologist with research and teaching interests in reducing the negative effects of human activities on biodiversity through conservation education. He holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Kansas. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vermont, a Samuel Research Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and finally a researcher and professor at Columbia University for 14 years before coming to SDZG in 2011. He is yoga teacher as well as an accomplished triathlete and ultramarathoner and as such is often thought of as slightly unhinged. Of the seven instruments he plays poorly, the ukulele is his favorite, mainly because it translates as jumping flea.

Robin Keith

... is the Conservation Program Specialist in the Conservation Education Division at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Robin holds a B.S and M.S. in Biology from San Diego State University, where she studied the evolutionary biology of arachnids. Since joining the San Diego Zoo Global in 2007, Robin has focused on community engagement in conservation. She has helped develop a national teacher workshop in conservation research, and is excited to partner with Project Dragonfly to grow San Diego Zoo Global’s (SDZG) professional development programs. Robin manages SDZG’s Advanced Inquiry Program Master’s degree and assist in coordinating and instructing the new Hawai`i Earth Expedition. Robin also works closely with the Institute’s field conservation programs, and is currently developing a community-based conservation education plan for the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program. She feels very lucky to be able to share her passion for biodiversity and conservation with students, teachers and community members, both locally and worldwide.

Woodland Park Zoo

Jenny Mears

... is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Woodland Park Zoo, where she facilitates educator professional development, including the Advanced Inquiry Program master's degree for educators, as well as stewardship opportunities for the greater community. She received a B.S. in Urban Horticulture and a B.A. in Art from the University of Washington, as well as her Master of Arts in Zoology from Project Dragonfly's Global Field Program. Jenny has a great interest in and passion for community mapping as a means of local and global understanding and collective action, and she was proud to have started a community mapping project in a village in Borneo for the culminating project of her master's degree.

Katie Remine

... works as the School and Community Engagement Supervisor in the Education Department at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, where she develops and presents conservation education for educators of K-12th grades, supervises on-site and outreach school programs, and facilitates programs that engage community members in conservation actions. Katie is a huge believer in the potential of international experiential learning to foster a sustainable global community! She spent a year in Iceland as an exchange student, and then received a degree in Biology and a minor in African Studies from Colorado College (with two semesters of study abroad in east and southern Africa). She completed her MSc degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Management through Imperial College London.