… grew up in Michigan where her parents fostered her love of nature with frequent camping trips and encouragement to explore the wildlife all around her (as long as she didn’t bring it inside!). Sarah earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology from Michigan State University. It was in graduate school that she had her first exotic, educational opportunity, traveling to Kenya to study the ecology of African wildlife. Experiencing such a hands-on, culturally and naturally immersive opportunity left her forever changed and inspired to make a career out of facilitating connections between people, wildlife, and wild places. She joined the Education Department of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in 2001 and is now the Education Program Manager. This position allows her to create opportunities for meaningful nature-based experiences for school groups both on and off-grounds and work closely with the Education Department’s animal ambassadors. The Cincinnati Zoo’s partnership with Earth Expeditions has also allowed her the opportunity to instruct AIP courses at the Cincinnati Zoo and GFP courses in Belize and Namibia throughout the years. Sarah is a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow and Certified Educator with National Geographic, a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation, and a Certified Interpreter through the National Network of Oceanic and Climate Change Interpreters. When she is not teaching or training human and non-human animals, she is playing in and exploring nature with her husband and children.
