STAFF & DIRECTORS
Staff & Directors | Birds & Animals | Facilities

LEADERS IN ANIMAL TRAINING AND PRESENTATION

Steve Martin
President,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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One of the best-known trainers in the world, Steve Martin has pioneered the art of training a variety of birds and animals through positive reinforcement. He is has been a master falconer for over 40 years and a parrot trainer for more than 45.

Steve's training experience includes hundreds of species of birds and mammals. He is a Trustee with the World Parrot Trust, a Core Team Member of The California Condor Recovery Team and has served as a behavior consultant for the Hawaiian Crow and Hawaiian Hawk conservation projects. He is also the founder of IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators) and has served as its President four different times. Steve spends approximately three quarters of every year traveling to zoological facilities around the world serving as a behavior consultant. He has now worked at over 60 zoological facilities in 14 different countries.

Steve is known for his commitment to conservation and education. Each year his company donates close to $100,000 to conservation projects, each show he produces has a strong conservation education message, and Earth Day is an official holiday at his company.

DonnaSue Evans
Vice President,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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DonnaSue has been with NEI for 8 years. After earning a degree in marketing at the State University of New York, she spent several years in retail management. She began presenting birds in Hawaii at the Honolulu Zoo in 1988 for a company based out of San Diego, California.

Her life took a detour to Washington State where she became involved as a volunteer with the Sardis Raptor Center. Gaining medical experience rehabilitating local bald eagle populations she moved to Florida to join the NEI team. DonnaSue is a member of The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, American Zoological Association, and Association of Avian Veterinarians.

Kevin O’Brien
Operations Manager,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Kevin joined Natural Encounters, Inc. in the spring of 2003 as Operations Assistant. After working for 16 years in retail management in Maine, Kevin returned to school and earned a computer science degree at Andover College in Portland, Maine. From there, he worked for 5 years in the banking/credit card industry as a department head in the technical support department and later was instrumental in establishing the electronic data systems department. In 2000, he and his wife Trish decided to leave the cold New England climate and settle in central Florida, where they live today. Kevin and Trish are currently owned by one cat (Nissa).

Rob Bules
Director of Animal Collections,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Rob came to Natural Encounters from Waterford, Pennsylvania in December of 1997. An avid outdoorsman, Rob has practiced the sport of falconry since 1994 and has shared this time with a number of different birds of prey. He has also worked with numerous psittacine species since 1983.

Rob is a member of such supporting organizations as NAFA (North American Falconers Association), FHF (Florida Hawking Fraternity), PFHT (Pennsylvania Falconry and Hawk Trust), IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators), AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association), and ABMA (Animal Behavior Managers Alliance). Rob shares his home with a Blue and Gold Macaw, and two Golden Retrievers. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time outdoors and practicing falconry.

Cari Clements
Director of Interpretive Programs,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Originally from San Diego, CA, Cari graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Biology and Psychology. After graduation, she returned to San Diego and worked as a field biologist on a number of endangered species projects. Her career training birds began when she moved to Portland, Oregon and spent 2 years working with the Oregon Zoo’s Birds of Prey Show.

Since joining the NEI team, Cari has produced and performed several free-flight bird shows across the country, instructed at NEI Training Workshops, and presented a paper at an IAATE conference. She is a member of IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators), WPT (World Parrot Trust), and AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association).

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with friends, hiking, birding and shopping! Cari shares her home with Buddy, a Dutch Blue Peachfaced Lovebird.

Cassie Malina
Director of Staff Development,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Originally from New City, New York, Cassie attended Pennsylvania State University and earned a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. There, she participated in field research on amphibians, neotropical migrant songbirds, catbirds, and fox squirrels. Cassie also worked as a zookeeper, rehabilitator, and park ranger at New York's Bear Mountain Zoo for two years. She joined the NEI team in April 1998.

Since joining the NEI team, she has produced and performed several free-flight bird shows across the country, instructed at NEI Training Workshops, presented papers at IAATE and AAZK conferences, and become Vice President of IAATE.

Cassie is an active member of IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators), WPT (World Parrot Trust), and ABMA (Animal Behavior Managers Alliance). Cassie shares her home with a Black and Tan Coonhound (Oliver), and two cats (Jasmine and Hendrix). In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, wildlife photography and art, as well as... you guessed it... birdwatching!

Wouter Stellaard
Senior Animal Trainer,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Wouter started working with animals when he was fourteen years old. His first experience in the animal field was working in a rehabilitation facility (vogelopvang centrum damland). In Bergen nh (The Netherlands), Wouter worked in a variety of tasks including raising baby birds & washing oil-spilled birds.

When he was eighteen years old he and a friend started an animal ambulance (Dierenambulance Noordkennemerland) in Alkmaar (The Netherlands), his hometown. They provided transportation for animals in need. From that time on, the foundation grew to include over 50 volunteers and 5 ambulances. In 1998 he graduated with a degree in animal care from the MAS in Barneveld (The Netherlands).

In July of 1998 Wouter got accepted into the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College in California. During two great years of unforgettable experiences he did internships at Vancouver Aquarium and with NEI at the State Fair of Texas. After graduating in 2000 he spent his half-year of allowed work experience with Natural Encounters, Inc.

During this period he applied for his work visa, which he got in September of 2001 when he started working for NEI. Wouter is a fanatic field hockey player. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing sports, and just plain being Dutch. NEI would like to give Wouter a special thank you for all the incredible photos he takes of our birds with his digital camera. Credit goes to Wouter for many of the photos you see on our website.

Eric Esden
Supervisor,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Eric joined the NEI team in May 2004, after earning a Bachelor of Science in Zoology degree from the University of Vermont. Because of the lack of exotic animal opportunities in Vermont, much of Eric’s experiences revolve around domesticated animals.

During his college education, Eric held positions as an animal control officer as well as a canine trainer, teaching classes in various levels of obedience as well as agility. In addition to this, Eric found interest in small animal medicine working as a Veterinary assistant for a small animal clinic. Eric is a member of IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators), enjoys wildlife photography, and training his new boxer mix puppy, Bailey.

Chris Jenkins
Supervisor,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Chris’ work with animals began with a summer job at SeaWorld in his hometown of San Diego, California. With the encouragement of the trainers he met there, he attended the University of California, Davis, where he obtained a degree in Psychology to learn more about the ins and outs of animal behavior. After graduation, Chris volunteered as a keeper aide at the Sacramento Zoo until he decided to pursue a career with animals full time.

In May of 2002, Chris was accepted into the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College outside Los Angeles. Upon graduation, he began working for The Animal Guys, a wildlife education company specializing in the use of wild and exotic animals as live visual aids for biology lessons, where he gave hundreds of presentations to students at inner city schools across the greater L.A. area.

Chris came to work for Natural Encounters Inc. in May of 2005. Chris is a member of ABMA (Animal Behavior Management Alliance) and IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators). Despite working outdoors with animals for a living, Chris is an indoor kid at heart, counting movies, reading, and writing among his favorite hobbies. Chris and his wife Bethany share their home with three cats, Basil, Tybalt, and Jasper.

Jennifer Metzler

Supervisor,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Jennifer is originally from Virginia which is where she began working with animals at King’s Dominion Wild Animal Safari in 1987.  While there she had the great pleasure to work with a large variety of exotic animals including over 40 big cats.  In 1993 Jennifer moved to the North Carolina Zoo where she worked with lions, chimpanzees, baboons, and African hoofstock.  One of the highlights of her time there was assisting with the hand rearing of four chimpanzees and introducing them back into the family group.

In 1998 Jennifer moved to Central Florida where she began work as an animal keeper at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  She was a member of the opening team that was responsible for the introduction of the animals into their new habitats.  At Disney, Jennifer worked with a variety of African and Asian animals including tigers, lions, and cheetahs.  Jennifer assisted in implementing a felid training program and operant conditioning guidelines for the big cats and authored and presented a number of papers on the subject.

Jennifer joined the NEI team in August, 2008 where she greatly enjoys working with and enriching the animals.

Lindsey Morse

Supervisor,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Originally from Michigan, Lindsey graduated from Siena Heights University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.  After graduation she did a nine-month internship at a wildlife refuge with many different types of exotic animals, including big cats.  Following this internship, she started working as a keeper at the Toledo Zoo where she met up with Natural Encounters, who were producing a bird show there.  In 2003, she was hired to work at the show and was hired as a full-time trainer shortly thereafter. 

Since joining the NEI team, Lindsey has helped put together and performed in several free-flight bird shows across the country.  She has also worked as a trainer and performed animal shows for the L.A. Zoo, Universal Studios Hollywood, and the Phoenix Zoo.

Amy Robinson
Senior Trainer,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Amy's passion for birds and environmental education brought her to NEI after seven years at Zoo Atlanta where she was the Lead Trainer in the zoos wildlife theatre. While at Zoo Atlanta Amy was responsible for managing, training and presenting a diverse collection of birds. Programs included a year round free flight bird show, auditorium programs for school children, special events, television and media appearances. Amy also selected and trained staff, interns and volunteers. The Georgia House of Representatives recognized Amy in a Resolution for her outstanding contributions to the zoo keeping and environmental education field.

Her professional affiliations include AAZK, where she served as chapter Secretary and President. She is also an active member of IAATE where she serves on the Conference and Site Selection Committees.

Amy received her BA in Psychology from the University of Georgia. She moved to Florida with her two gorgeous akitas.

Brandon Porterfield
Senior Keeper,
Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Brandon, a native Floridian, joined the NEI team late in the summer of 2005. Brandon’s passion for birds and their care came at an early age when his mother got him a budgie parakeet. His passion was only enhanced by the wedding gift from his wife, a Quaker Parakeet named Tiki. That gift was the beginning of a new adventure.

Soon after receiving the Quaker, Brandon decided to start breeding birds as a hobby. As his new hobby grew, so did his knowledge, passion, and love for the birds. Brandon now runs his own breeding facility in his backyard with an astounding collection of over one hundred birds. Brandon’s passion for parrots drove him to accomplish his two major goals in life.

The first was to become a Certified Avian Specialist; the second was to work with the United States Fish & Wildlife through a breeding cooperative, to preserve an endangered species of lovebirds. He along with a few other breeders across the US were allowed to import these lovebirds from Europe to help with the species preservation & conservation.

Brandon now owns several pairs of this species. From that point on, Brandon made his main goal in life to raise awareness about avian conservation & preservation of all endangered species. He is excited to be apart of NEI to promote awareness of preservation & conservation of all avian species.

Becky Bearman

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Originally from a suburb of Chicago, Becky has been working with animals and parrots for over 18 years. She began by helping take care of the critters in her Dad’s pet store at age 10 and started hand feeding baby parrots at age 14. During her senior year of high school she was recognized by faculty with a service award for arriving early and staying late every day so she could assist in taking care of the school’s newly donated blue-front Amazon. While earning her BS in Biology at the University of Miami, she worked as an educator at Miami Seaquarium, volunteered with the marine mammal stranding team in the Florida Keys and with Zoological Wildlife Foundation as a trainer and enrichment coordinator, as well as gave her time as a volunteer dog trainer for the Humane Society of Greater Miami. During her summers off she interned with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Project at Mote Marine Lab, was a primate keeper and trainer at Parrot Jungle and Gardens, and completed an internship with the marine mammal training department at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. After graduating she went on to join the education team at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys and worked privately as a pet dog trainer. Most recently she worked as an animal trainer with primates, small mammals, parrots, reptiles and marine mammals at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ, taking a hiatus to move to Oxford, UK in order earn to her MSc in Primate Conservation. While overseas she worked as a consultant to Howletts and Port Lympe zoos regarding husbandry training with their primate collections  while her own research on training the baboons at Six Flags received an award from AZA after being presented at the 2008 conference in Milwaukee.

Bobby Brett

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Bobby was born and raised near Portland, Oregon and began working with birds and education programs when he was 15 years old. A school project lead him to volunteering at the Oregon Zoo’s Birds of Prey Program his freshman year of high school and his lifetime love of animals and nature grew. After graduating from high school and beginning college at Oregon State University, he was offered a Seasonal Staff position with the show program at the Oregon Zoo. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Bobby was given the opportunity to join the NEI team as a seasonal staff member in July of 2008. In September, while helping to set up for the World of Birds show in Dallas, TX, Bobby joined the NEI team as a Full-time Trainer.

Bobby is a member of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) and the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK). His interests include photography, hiking, birding, reading, cooking, watching movies, and hanging out with friends in his spare time. 

Corey Derryberry

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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After 18 years growing up in Lima, Ohio, Corey began pursuing his love of the natural world by studying zoology at Ohio Wesleyan University.    After graduating in 2004, he began sharing his passion as an instructor for the Elam Environmental Center, teaching programs for elementary and junior high children from around the Columbus area.   He soon joined Show Staff at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where he developed his love of animal training both performing in shows and as part of outreach programs at local schools.

Corey first worked with the Natural Encounters staff as an intern at the Birds of the World Show at the Texas State Fair in 2007.   He soon relocated to Florida and began working for NEI in January 2008.

Corey is a member of The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, The American Ornithologists’ Union, and The National Audubon Society.   He spends much of his free time playing music and buying books at a faster rate than he can read them.

Miranda DeVries

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Born and raised in Midland, Michigan Miranda graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Zoology and a minor in English. After graduation Miranda worked as a zookeeper for Binder Park Zoo where she worked with a variety of African hoofstock and farm animals. In 2006 Miranda and her husband Josh relocated to central Florida with their beautiful Siberian Husky, Jake. Miranda joined the NEI team in the summer of '06. In her free time Miranda loves to go to movies, go out on their boat with her husband and shop for their baby due in December. 

Courtney Festa

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Courtney grew up in Atlanta where she volunteered and interned at Zoo Atlanta when not on the road competing in horse shows nation wide. She then attended The College of Charleston where she interned at the South Carolina Aquarium in her spare time. She later transferred to Sante Fe Community College to undergo their Teaching Zoo program. Upon graduation Courtney became a member of our NEI team in order to purse her passion for animals.

Megan McConnell

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Megan, a Pittsburgh, PA native, began her experiences with animals while working at a kennel during her high school and college years.  She graduated from Allegheny College in May 2007 with a BS degree in Neuroscience with her main interest and focus being on animal behavior. 

During her college years, Megan did several internships at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.  She worked in the carnivore department as well as the children's zoo and education department.  During the summer of 2006, Megan had her first experience with the Natural Encounters team at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh where she participated in the free-flight bird show.  After finishing college, she did an internship with NEI at the Birds of the World Show at the State Fair of Texas.  Following this internship, Megan moved to Florida and joined the NEI team in January of 2008. 

In her free time, Megan enjoys hanging out with friends, trips to the beach, SCUBA diving, watching movies, being a devoted Steelers fan, and shopping! 

Jared Morgan

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Jared was raised in upstate New York where he went to State University at Oswego for zoology. During this time he had an internship at the Ross Park Zoo where he was able to confirm his desire to work with animals. Jared then transferred to the Santa Fe Zoo Animal Technology program in Florida. After graduating he went to work in the Education department at Sea World and then to the bird department at the Lowry Park Zoo. Jared was happy to be able to combine his passions for education and birds by joining the team at Natural Encounters in 2007.

Karen O'Donnell

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Karen grew up in Overland Park, Kansas.  She graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Wildlife Biology.  During her time at KSU, Karen spent a lot of time at Sunset Zoo, where she was employed as a zoo educator and volunteered as an animal keeper. 

When she graduated in 2004, Karen moved to Orlando, FL, and began an internship with the education department of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which eventually lead her to a full-time job as an animal keeper with the Primate Team at DAK.  She spent almost four years working with primates, including gorillas, mandrils, colobus monkeys, white-cheeked gibbons, siamangs and cotton-top tamarins.

In February of 2008, Karen attended the NEI Animal Training Workshop for Professionals.  Shortly after that amazing week of learning and training, Karen joined the NEI team.  Karen is enjoying her new path in animal care/training, and is constantly learning from her co-workers and the birds she works with.

In her free time, Karen enjoys reading, running, acting, going to movies, eating any carbohydrate she can find and spending time with her beautiful (and fat) cat, Luca.

Sean Thomas

Trainer,

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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Sean grew up in Los Angeles, CA, and until recently his experience with bird shows was limited to what he had seen at zoos and on television.  Not knowing exactly what he was in for, Sean came to Florida to join the NEI team in February, 2008. 

Sean immediately started to learn more about birds and to get a better understanding of their care, but it wasn't until a night when he was out and saw a man with his pet bird and saw the bad shape that the bird was in that he began to realize the connection that he had made to the animals that he was working with.  Sean looks forward to taking his love for animals and using it to learn everything he can about the behavior of birds and other animals.  In his free time, Sean loves to shop for clothes and is an avid collector of shoes and hats.

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