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State of Endangered Species 2008

Speakers' biographies

Joan Embery

Conservation Ambassador, Zoological Society of San Diego

Joan Embery serves as the Conservation Ambassador for the Zoological Society of San Diego. She speaks to organizations across the United States to promote conservation and support for wildlife programs. Joan has appeared on hundreds of television programs, hosted two series (Animal Express and Animals of Africa) and the PBS specials Challenge to Wildlife and The Baby Panda, and has written four books. Joan has trained and handled some of the world’s most rare and unusual animals, from aardvarks to zebras and elephants to hummingbirds, for her programs. Joan has led tours around the world to share with travelers the natural world, its splendor and challenges. A San Diego native, Joan studied zoology and telecommunications and received a bachelor of arts degree in communication. In 2004 Joan created her own nonprofit foundation, The Embery Institute for Wildlife Conservation, with the mission of connecting people to wildlife and conservation issues and the role each individual plays toward ensuring healthy environments. She serves on many boards focusing on the environment and wildlife conservation.

Allison Alberts, Ph.D.

Director of Conservation and Research
Benirschke Director’s Chair
Zoological Society of San Diego

Dr. Allison Alberts serves the Zoological Society as director of Conservation and Research. Dr. Alberts was awarded bachelor of arts and doctorate degrees in biology from the University of California, Berkeley and San Diego, respectively. She also completed the tropical ecology course of study at the Universidad de Costa Rica, Organization for Tropical Studies. Dr. Alberts is an adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University and serves on the Environmental Working Group of the San Diego Community Foundation. She has published over 160 papers and abstracts, including two books. With a special interest in reptiles, she has conducted research on the critically endangered iguanas of the Caribbean and Fiji, as well as projects on several native California lizards and snakes. Among her many honors and awards, Dr. Alberts’ work has been recognized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (National Research Service Awards), the American Association of Museums, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She has served the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as co-founder and co-chair of the Iguana Specialist Group from 1997-2007, and is president of the International Iguana Foundation.

Alicia Frances King

American Bird Conservancy
Director, Bird Conservation Alliance

Alicia King is the director of the Bird Conservation Alliance, a network of organizations with a shared interest in the conservation of wild birds. Through the Alliance, millions of birdwatchers and concerned citizens are united with conservation professionals, scientists, and educators to benefit bird conservation efforts. The Alliance's goals are to work together to prevent further bird extinctions, to reverse declines in bird populations, and to assure the protection and management of sufficient habitat to effectively conserve populations of the full range of native, wild bird species for the future. The Alliance serves as a forum for organizations to exchange information and ideas regarding current issues in bird conservation, assists its members in conducting collaborative advocacy, and provides resources to assist its members in their bird conservation work.

George Durner

Senior Polar Bear Researcher
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center

George Durner is a research zoologist and project leader for polar bear studies with the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, and has been conducting research on polar bears in Alaska since 1991. He holds a bachelor of science degree from East Stroudsburg University, a master of science degree from Frostburg State University, and is currently a doctoral candidate with the University of Wyoming. His research has focused on the movement patterns of polar bears and how polar bears respond to temporal and spatial variation in their environment, particularly how polar bear distribution is determined by the composition of sea ice. He has also described and mapped polar bear maternal denning habitat, delineated polar bear populations in Alaska, and performed survival studies of female polar bears and their dependent young.

JoAnne Simerson

Senior Animal Keeper, Polar Bear Researcher
San Diego Zoo

JoAnne Simerson has worked for more than 30 years with exotic animals, specializing in animal behavior and management. In addition to her work with the San Diego Zoo, where she has spent the last two decades, she also volunteers with Polar Bears International, collaborating with field researchers and observing these Arctic bears in the wild. She holds degrees in animal health technology and behavioral science and has been involved in conservation projects that include work with California condors, beached marine mammals, mandrills, drills and several bear species. Ms. Simerson is also an advisory council member for behavior management of Polar Bears International.

Terrie Williams, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz

Dr. Terrie M. Williams is a professor of biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has been studying large mammals for over 30 years. She obtained her doctorate in environmental and exercise physiology from Rutgers University in 1981 and completed her post-doctoral studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Conservation Research Division of the Zoological Society of San Diego. She was director of the Valdez Sea Otter Rescue Center following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and co-founder of the Center for Ocean Health at Long Marine Lab (UCSC) where she held the first endowed chair in ocean health. Her research expeditions have taken her around the world to study the survival strategies of Weddell seals in Antarctica, Steller sea lions, sea otters, and killer whales in Alaska, as well as cheetahs, lions and elephants in Africa. Her primary question is how do large animals survive in a rapidly changing world? Recognizing that the key to survival for both humans and animals is food, she and her colleagues have used miniaturized instruments carried by wild animals to record the hunting strategies of both marine and terrestrial predators. With her team, she is working with aquariums, zoological parks, research scientists and wild animals across the globe to ensure healthy environments for both people and wildlife.

Nicola Nelson, Ph.D.

Program Manager, Conservation Biology
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington

Dr. Nicola Nelson works to learn about and conserve endangered tuataras and other reptile species in New Zealand. Her current work focuses on developing efforts to conserve these species while trying to understand how climate change is affecting their reproductive population. Dr. Nelson obtained her doctorate in zoology from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and received one of the Zoological Society of San Diego's Millennium Postdoctoral Fellowships in 2002. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Fulbright Alumni Initiative Award in 2004 and the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Offeld Fund in 2005. Dr. Nelson has published more than 30 works on reptiles and is a member of a number of scientific organizations including the Society for Conservation Biology, the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust and the Department of Conservation Tuatara Recovery Group.

Stuart Sandin, Ph.D.

Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego

Dr. Stuart Sandin is a research scientist with the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He works on problems of coral reef ecology, addressing questions specific to the conservation of this imperiled ecosystem. Since joining CMBC in 2004, Dr. Sandin has actively developed a research program in the remote central Pacific, including work on some of the most pristine coral reefs remaining on the planet. His goals are to apply ecological insights that are uniquely gained from these pristine locations toward the development of management strategies in the Pacific and beyond.