Assist with facilitating and leading orientation sessions for new animal care keepers and interns as apart of their onboarding process.

Primary responsibility is provide daily husbandry to assigned collection animals (lesser apes, new & old world monkeys, prosimians, and small mammals); clean animal exhibits and holdings; operant conditioning of collection for husbandry behaviors and providing enrichment; responsible for educating the public on the primate department's animal collection through keeper chats; perform daily record keeping on behavioral observations, diet consumption, and health concerns in ZIMS; participate in handling and restraint for medical procedures and animal transport; and supervise interns and volunteers assigned that day. Species worked with: Colobus Monkeys, Cotton Top Tamarins, DeBrazza Monkeys, Emperor Tamarins, Meerkats, Red Ruff Lemurs, Ring Tailed Lemurs, Siamangs, Spider Monkeys, White Cheek Gibbons, 3 Banded Armadillo

Primary responsibility was to feed, clean, and maintain assigned collection animals (domestic mammals, kangaroo, porcupines, tortoises, and birds); clean animal exhibits, holdings, and yards; shifted animals on and off exhibit; responsible for educating the public on the contact department’s animal collection through animal encounters and keeper chats; prepared food and water for collection animals by cutting and measuring diet portions; administered hoof and pouch care; monitored assigned animals closely with regards to general appearance, diet consumption levels, and condition of fecal matter; performed daily record keeping on behavioral observations, diet consumption, and health concerns in ZIMS; assisted in the raising of 0.2 neonate Red Kanagroo and 2.1 Nigerian Dwarf goats; participated in handling and restraint for medical procedures and animal transport; assisted Veterinarian staff in the treatment of collection animals; and supervised interns and volunteers assigned to me that day. Species worked with: Alpaca, American Milking Devon, Belted Galloway, Cape Porcupine, Alpine Goat, Toggenburger Goat, Nigerian Dwarf Goat, Juliana Pig, Miniature Donkey, Miniature Horse, Red Kangaroo, Twany Frogmouth, Galapagos TortoiseZoo Committees: Diversity, Green Team, Hummingbirds, and Pollinators.

Primary responsibility was to feed, clean, and maintain assigned collection animals (domestic mammals, kangaroo, porcupines, tortoises, and birds); clean animal exhibits, holdings, and yards; shifting animals on and off exhibit; responsible for educating the public on the contact department’s animal collection through animal encounters and keeper chats; prepare food and water for collection animals by cutting and measuring diet portions; administer hoof and pouch care; monitored assigned animals closely with regards to general appearance, diet consumption levels, and condition of fecal matter; performed daily record keeping on behavioral observations, diet consumption, and health concerns in ZIMS; assisted in the raising of 0.2 neonate Red Kanagroo; participated in handling and restraint for medical procedures and animal transport; assistedVeterinarian staff in the treatment of collection animals; and supervise interns and volunteers assigned to me that day. Species worked with: Alpaca, American Milking Devon, Belted Galloway, Cape Porcupine, Cotswold Sheep, Alpine Goat, Toggenburger Goat, Nigerian Dwarf Goat, Juliana Pig, Miniature Donkey, Miniature Horse, Red Kangaroo, Twany Frogmouth, Galapagos Tortoise

An active participant on the behavior subcommittee for the Prosimian tag with specific focus on Ruffed Lemurs in AZA accredited facilities.

AAZK Diversity Committee serves as a resource regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in AAZK and the animal care field as a whole. The primary focus will be on increasing the presence of underrepresented groups in the animal care profession, with an emphasis on animal care professionals, and promoting full inclusion in all facets of their career.

Lead both our Miami and our Nashville teams having up to 10 direct reports encompassing an account operations specialist, design experts, and studio ambassadors; was directly responsible for the growth of sales performance M.O.M. and Y.O.Y. in both markets(both markets had a 80%-190% growth over comp) by strategically using our technology platforms (Salesforce, Groove and Magneto) to drive design expert's books of business; opened and closed pop-up studio; excuted local event execution for trade accounts; supported the recruiting team by helping faciliate 2nd and 3rd screenings for all possible new candidates; was the training General Manager for my region assisting in the on-boarding process of new leaders and follow up training to ensure that they were supported in their roles specially I assisted in the on-boarding and training of our new general managers for Atlanta GA., Austin, TX., Charlotte, NC., Scottsdale, AZ., and Washington D.C.

Oversaw complete operations of assigned stores to ensure profitability of each location; had up to 30 direct reports encompassing both hourly and salaried employees such as sr. assistant managers, assistant managers, retail supervisors, stock supervisors & associates; opened & closed assigned stores; supervisory duties included for all stores such as interviewing, onboarding, scheduling, training, performance management, merchandising, and ordering; maintained well documented financial controls and accountability; partnered with airport personnel to meet objectives to ensure compliance with both federal and state regulations; worked with the home office buying team to ensure stores had the right assortment per store concept to drive sales and profitability; competitive shopped outside retailers to ensure airport locations where in line with pricing; received and managed all invoices from local vendors to ensure inventory balanced and invoices were paid on time; opened 4 new stores; was the acting district manager while my direct supervisor was out of the business; assisted in training and on-boarding new store managers or newly promoted store managers; facilitated the badging process according to the Transportation Security Administration’s policies and procedures set forth by the United States Government for all employees reporting to me.

Assisted the senior district manager with support to a $20+ million district covering 4 states; assisted with training new store managers on merchandise presentation; lead merchandise presentation special projects; spoke weekly on district conference calls regarding merchandise priorities; supported new stores with store setup process and the training of new store teams; opened 4 new stores ranging in size from 5k to 18k square feet; shared district training opportunities that I observed while doing store visits with key merchandise presentation SSC business partners to help the entire chain; approved assigned stores quarterly/seasonal floor plans based on store layout and company direction; ensured base store represented the highest standards of merchandise presentation at all times.

Oversaw all aspects of operations and merchandising for a 8,000 square foot $1.1+ million store having up to 50 direct reports encompassing sr. assistant managers, assistant managers, and team members; facilitated the interviewing, onboarding, training, scheduling, and performance management of those direct reports; was regularly walked by corporate partners to identify areas of opportunity for the entire chain; successfully turned a low volume store into a profitable location within 3 months of my tenure; was able to have growth in key metrics month over month by ordering specific categories resulting in the store being one of the highest volume small square footage furniture stores in the entire chain.

As one of two full-time senior assistant managers in a 12,000 square foot 2.5 million dollar flagship location, it was my responsibility to drive business results through effective coaching and motivation of the entire team; opened and closed the store adhering to company polices; ensured promotions and floor sets were executed on time; was the manager who received trucks and participated in the processing and planning of freight; participated in weekly flagship walk-throughs with corporate partners about the needs of the business to ensure company standards and directives were being met; determined hiring needs and reviewed with store manager; conducted quality interviews and hired appropriate candidates for team member and assistant manager positions; ensured the new hire checklist was completed for each employee (I9 & W4) in addition to training checklists; ensured all employee personal files were created and contained the required documents; promoted 3 team members to assistant managers; ended the 2016 fiscal year being the 7th top volume store (blue chip store) in the entire company out of 400.

Managed several locations in the middle Tennessee and East Tennessee markets ranging in volume from 450k to 900k having up to 7 direct reports encompassing first asssitant managers, second assistant managers and sales associates; It was my responsibility to make sure daily store duties were taken care of accurately and efficiently; provided superior customer service to all customers; prepared bank deposits and register tills; completed plan-o-grams; responsible for approving payroll; created store schedules for the entire team based on a certain amount of hours allotted each week and a labor base; built store workbooks for each week according to budget and last years numbers; was responsible for daily sales goals; bonused for quarter 3, quarter 4 and the year in 2015 with a 17% increase on quarter 4 and a 8% increase on the year; moved up 391 spots in the company from the year before; was the manager in charge of visual merchandising; and was the training specialist having two part-time managers move up to full-time in other stores.

Assisted the mammal department by rotating between the carnivore, east mammal, and great ape areas with a wide variety of mammalian taxa with regards to large and small carnivores, great apes and lesser apes, old world monkeys, and two-toed ungulates; maintained animal exhibits and holdings; observed chimpanzee and gorilla introductions; observed operant conditioning on pregnant female gorillas, formulated enrichment ideas; prepared animal diets; and completed an intern project.Species worked with: African Lion, Bengal Tiger, Malayan Tiger, Baboon, White Handed Gibbon, Red Wolf, African Painted Dog, Bobcat, Blue Monkey, Chimpanze, Gorilla, Red River Hog, White Rhino, Black Bear, Alpaca, Peccary, River Otter

Provided superior customer service by assisting customers with their shopping needs; was accountable for store cash and other financial assets, reconciled cash register drawers, preparing deposits, and ordered changes from the bank as directed by the Store Manager; was in charge of coaching employees on customer service skills; assisted with the general maintenance and appearance of the store by ensuring a safe and pleasing environment for both customers and associates; was the acting Store Manager when the Store Manager was not on duty; and in addition, was responsible for creating a store schedule for all associates based on a certain amount of hours each week.

Assisted the great ape department maintain their collection of great apes, old world monkeys, and suidaes; maintained animal holdings and exhibits; prepared a.m. and p.m. diets; prepared a.m. and p.m. medications; prepared enrichment and completed two research papers on the social dynamics of chimpanzees and gorillas.Species worked with: Blue Monkey, Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Red River Hog

Assisted the critter encounter staff in facilitating their collection of exotic mammals and birds; contributed to animal enrichment and daily reports; shifted animals; and provided educational information and discussions with zoo guests during their visit to Critter Encounter. Species Worked with: Nubian Goats, Mixed Breed Goat, Nigerian Dwarf, African Pgymy Goat, Yellow Billed Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Ocellated Turkey, Spectacled Owl, Clouded Leopard, Red Kangaroo, Alpaca, Dromedary Camel, Bactrian Camel, Toco Toucan, Bennett’s Wallaby, Mini Horse, Miniature Donkey

Assisted the anteater department maintain the largest captive collection of xenarthra’s in North America; maintained animal holdings and exhibits; shifted animals between holdings; prepared a.m. and p.m. diets; was able to closely monitor animal’s behavior to look for any indications of health issues, and was able to record animal behavior when observed.Species worked with: Giant Anteater, Southern Tamandua

Assisted the critter encounter staff in facilitating their collection of exotic mammals and birds; assisted the historical farm staff maintain their collection of domesticated mammals; also contributed to animal enrichment and daily reports; provided educational information and discussions with zoo guests during their visit to Critter Encounter and the Historical Farm.Species worked with: Mule, Milking Devon Cow, Galloway Cow, Walking Horse, Nubian Goats, Mixed Breed Goat, Nigerian Dwarf, African Pgymy Goat, Yellow Billed Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Ocellated Turkey, Spectacled Owl, Clouded Leopard, Red Kangroo, Alpaca, Dromedary Camel, Bactrian Camel, Toco Toucan, Bennett’s Wallaby, Mini Horse, Miniature Donkey

Assisted the critter encounter and hoof stock staff in facilitating their collection of exotic mammals and birds; contributed to animal enrichment and daily reports; and provided educational information and discussions with zoo guests during their visit to Critter Encounter. Species worked with: Eastern Bongo, Red River Hog, East African Crown Crane, Eland, Ostrich, Zebra, Nubian Goats, Mixed Breed Goat, Nigerian Dwarf, African Pgymy Goat, Yellow Billed Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Ocellated Turkey, Spectacled Owl, Clouded Leopard, Red Kangroo, Alpaca, Dromedary Camel, Bactrian Camel, Toco Toucan, Bennett’s Wallaby, Mini Horse, Miniature Donkey