Bart Shepherd Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, CA, US

San Francisco Bay Area

As Senior Director, I: - Lead a team of >50 personnel responsible for plant and animal care and wellbeing, water quality testing, veterinary care, quarantine, animal sustainability programs, animal/guest safety, institutional record keeping and permitting.- Am responsible for leading the team managing the top rated guest attractions at the.

• As Director of Steinhart Aquarium, I:
• Lead a team of nearly 50 personnel who manage all plant and animal husbandry, in-house and field volunteer/staff SCUBA diving, water quality, veterinary medicine, animal/guest safety, collection inventory and permits.
• Am responsible for maintaining and improving the top 2 rated guest attractions at the California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium and the Rainforest).
• Lead strategic planning for the division, with the other PE&E directors, focusing on leveraging key unique aspects of the California Academy of Sciences for measurable outcomes related to science education, youth.
• Contribute to the team responsible for developing and implementing a rolling 5-year calendar of new major exhibits, exhibit rentals and renovations and upgrades to existing exhibits.
• Provide management and oversight for more than $4.2 million in annual operating expenses, as well as additional funds related to capital improvements, conservation initiatives and major new exhibits.

• Responsible for recruiting, training and retaining all husbandry and dive operations staff for the grand reopening of the California Academy of Sciences. During this time, staffing level increased from 8 full time.
• Developed and implemented a performance-based career track for husbandry staff, including position hierarchy and detailed steps and accomplishments that are needed for staff to move up through the hierarchy.
• Instilled a culture of high performance and accountability by establishing high standards and actively addressing underperforming staff through a variety of performance management techniques.
• With a team of contractors, project managers and Academy employees, successfully opened the Steinhart Aquarium and Rainforest exhibits in the new California Academy of Sciences facility – including more than 160.
• Contributed to the development of the institutional collection plan and all Steinhart Aquarium and Rainforest exhibit content.
• Developed one of the most diverse zoo and aquarium collections in the world: more than 38,000 specimens representing over 1,000 species of live plants and animals.

• Established and managed a team-oriented group of staff biologists, interns and volunteers, including all hiring, daily supervision, scheduling and performance evaluations.
• Actively promoted a work environment that balanced high quality animal care with the needs of the Aquarium and the Academy’s guests, members and donors.
• Participated in general Aquarium and Academy planning, and specifically in the development, creation and installation of new exhibits and their life support systems.
• Developed a temporary quarantine and holding facility to support animal acquisition for the new California Academy of Sciences facility, including a 1000 square foot coral propagation and grow-out laboratory that was.

• Staff supervisor on weekends, holidays and during curator absences.
• Leadership role in “Transition Team” executing relocation to temporary facility.
• Worked extensively with designers, life support engineers, consultants, architects and scientists to develop exhibits and LSS for temporary site and new Academy of Sciences.
• Responsible for care of exhibits highlighting live corals, freshwater fish and aquatic plants, as well as a breeding/holding facility for freshwater fish and plants.

• Extensive work with the husbandry and propagation of corals and marine fishes.
• Active role in development team for temporary VENOMS exhibit featuring 30 species.
• Responsible for care of more than 40 displays featuring tropical marine organisms.
• Collection duties including gathering algae, intertidal invertebrates, and fish.
• Husbandry experience with reptiles, amphibians, marine fishes, and invertebrates.

• Facilitated undergraduate research projects investigating biomechanics and maneuverability in freshwater and marine organisms.
• Trained undergraduates in use of computers, high-speed video analysis and electromyography.
• Constructed and maintained aquaria housing marine and freshwater fish and invertebrates.

• Husbandry for exhibit gallery and holding areas housing temperate and tropical marine fish, invertebrates and loggerhead sea turtles.
• Responsibilities included water chemistry, animal collections and LSS maintenance.
• Assisted with data collection for marine mammal and sea turtle stranding programs, including necropsy, tissue samples and morphometrics.

Ba, Art & Art History

Activities and Societies: F.H.C. Society, Sigma Nu Fraternity

Ms, Biology (Biomechanics)