Our Team

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Team

It Takes a Village

Meet ours!

John

Chief Executive Officer

John received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Rutgers University in 2016 and has been building and running educational organizations and zoos ever since. His passions included ecological philosophy, public speaking, and community organizing.

Beth

Director of Animal Care

Beth graduated from Kutztown University where she studied biology with a focus on organisms and ecology. While pursuing her degree, she worked for various state parks and the University of Delaware IPM extension program. In her free time, she works as a part time illustrator and hangs out with her isopod colonies.

Gunnar

Director of Education

Gunnar graduated from American University with a degree in elementary education and a minor in special education. After graduating, he taught fifth grade science, reading, and social studies for three years. He enjoys hiking, watching and playing sports, and his corgi, Leo.

Gabby

Administrative Director

Gabby graduated from Clarion University with a bachelor’s in environmental biology, minoring in environmental sustainability. She has special interests in botany and entomology. Since graduating, she has managed nurseries for several years. Outside of work, her hobbies include all forms of “grandma crafts” and spending time with her rescue cats.

Sruthi

Chief Technology Officer

Sruthi has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University, blending a strong technical background with a genuine love for animals and nature. Curious and people-oriented, she enjoys exploring new restaurants in her free time, and never misses a chance to stop and say hello to every dog she meets along the way. She believes the little joys matter, and can never say no to an ice cream, no matter the season.

Wendy

Director of Community Relations

Wendy holds a Master of Science degree. She is a communications expert, voice artist, and former TV producer and outreach organizer. She has worked with organizations like the National Institutes of Health, Kurtis Productions, Ford Motor Company, ABC and NBC News, Time Telepictures TV (EXTRA), Washington National Cathedral, and more. Among her achievements is co-producing Taming the Wild Horses for PBS's The New Explorers science documentary series. Wendy loves animals and music, spending her free time with her family and pets.

Educators and Animal Care Team

Andrew

Educator

Andrew has a diverse educational background, earning three degrees from two different institutions, including an associate’s degree in Arabic from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland. He earned his teaching credentials working for an American non-profit in Hanoi, Vietnam, teaching English, coding, and digital media literacy to Vietnamese middle and high school students. He enjoys travelling, having visited over 40 countries, as well as weightlifting, watching Premier League soccer

Victoria

Educator

Victoria graduated from the University of Arizona (Go Cats!) with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She has a professional background in education in Southern Arizona, as well as Title IX schools in South Florida. Growing up as a Maryland native, she loved to play outside to flip rocks looking for rollie-pollies, help the worms get back to the soil after a good rain, and catch toads by the creek. Through VillageEdu, Victoria is able to combine her experience with her passion for all things creepy crawly. She is honored and excited to be able to provide engaging educational programs back to the very same “village” that raised her!

Richard

Educator

Richard has a degree in Psychology with a minor in Education from Florida International University. He's passionate about philosophy and conservation, loves comics and travel. Having spent 6 years teaching high school social sciences he's excited to bring an engaging, interactive experience to the next generation of animal lovers!

Skyla

Educator

Skyla graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor's of Science in psychology with a focus on child development. She has a diverse professional background, having worked in fields ranging from energy drink marketing to ABA therapy. However, Skyla's true professional passions lie in animal conservation and education. She spent time as a volunteer at the Dallas Children's aquarium and has travelled the world to work on a variety of endangered animal sanctuaries. When she isn't hanging out with animals, you can find Skyla either reading a book or writing one.

Ron

Educator

Ron graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelors of Science in General Biology and a minor in Spanish Language, Cultures, and Professional Contexts. In his free time, he enjoys making music, sailing, and scrolling iNaturalist. He is passionate about inspiring future generations to be fascinated by nature and thoughtful in the ways they engage with their environment.

Leo

Animal Care

Leo has spent years culturing captive arthropods from dozens of taxa, with an emphasis on crustaceans, millipedes, beetles, and ants. He previously ran a business breeding and selling captive arthropods, and has had the opportunity to learn from and work with numerous experts in invertebrate husbandry. He is also experienced in keeping aquatics, birds, and reptiles. When not working with or researching animals, he’s usually hiking, kayaking, or illustrating.

Ryan

Animal Care

Ryan has spent the past 10 years of his life collecting, keeping, and breeding various arthropods, with a heavy focus on mantises, tailless whip scorpions, roaches, scorpions, and spiders. He works as an invertebrate and reptile caretaker and hopes to bring his years of experience to Village EDU. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys the gym, nature hikes, and taking care of his personal invertebrate collection with 70+ species.

Zoe

Educator

Zoe is finishing her degree in Environmental Science at the University of Maryland, where she has cultivated a strong passion for wildlife conservation. She has interned with the Bird House at the National Zoo and at a local wildlife rehabilitation center, gaining hands-on experience in animal care and conservation. With years of mobile zoo experience facilitating fun and educational animal encounters across a wide range of taxa, she is excited to expand her work to include arthropods. Outside of work and school, Zoe enjoys traveling to hike and cave, and spending time with her dogs and bird.

Carolina

Educator

Carolina obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2007 from Universidad del Valle in Cali Colombia. and a master’s degree in early childhood education in 2019 from Gran Canyon University in USA. Has worked in varied educational settings including public schools systems and in the kids club department of the Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line. She loves animals and the outdoors. Loves spending time with family and friends, hiking , ice skating, roller blading, dancing and watching good classic films. She is eager to be part of a project aimed to spread awareness, respect and love for animals and environmental conversation.

Amelia

Educator

Amelia graduated from George Mason University with a degree in environmental and sustainability studies, and a concentration in conservation. She has since worked in local and national parks, largely focusing on horticulture. She is passionate about natural resource conservation, and aims to share that passion with others. Amelia likes to spend her free time with her cat, often going on walks together or getting cozy with a good book.

Dylan

Educator

Dylan graduated from Carrington with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Biology. After college, he enjoyed a career as a tennis pro/coach. He enjoyed his time playing, and later on, he had the opportunity to work with some of the top athletes in the world. Through that experience, he discovered that his true passion lies in early-stage development, helping young children grow. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his pets, camping, traveling, and collecting sports memorabilia.

Darecksi

Educator

Darecksi graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Biology with concentration in biotechnology. She has always had a passion for conservation and marine biology, especially endangered species such as manatees and seals! She’s also a HUGE geek and loves cartoons, anime, movies, and you’ll often find her in cosplay at local conventions!

Elizabeth

Educator

Elizabeth is a Maryland native and believes education is one of the most powerful tools for conservation and is passionate about changing people’s perspectives on wildlife. With a deep love for wildlife and conservation, she completed an internship in wildlife rehabilitation, where she gained firsthand experience caring for injured native wildlife. Outside of work, she enjoys napping in nature and spending time with her pet snake “Pinot” and cat “Sunny Bunny”.