Linking Zoos to the Wild: Our Role Extends Beyond the Front Gate.

Jeff holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Biology from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville.  He received his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Missouri – St. Louis.  Jeff’s dissertation was based on his work in Armenia where he is investigated the spatial ecology, genetic diversity and population structure of the Armenian Viper.

Jeff is a native of the St. Louis metro area.  His zoo career started 30 years ago.  From 1987–1991 he was a reptile keeper and head keeper in the Herpetarium at the Saint Louis Zoo.  He moved to the Sedgwick County Zoo in 1991 where he served as curator of herpetology.  Jeff returned to the Saint Louis Zoo in 1995 as associate curator of herpetology and aquatics and was promoted to curator in March 1996, a position he held for 21 years.  Jeff also served as Director of both the Center for Conservation in Western Asia and the Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation for the Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute.

He is a member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Field Conservation Committee, an advisor to the AZA Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee, and serves as a member of AZA accreditation site visit teams. 

Jeff also served as an adjunct assistant biology professor at the University of Missouri – St. Louis where he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses and served on graduate student committees.