Lara Croft

Strategic veterinary leader with 20+ years of experience driving innovation in animal health, welfare, and conservation. Proven success leading cross-disciplinary teams, mentoring staff, and cultivating partnerships with donors, researchers, and stakeholders worldwide. Skilled public speaker and advocate with the ability to translate complex science into compelling messages that inspire action and investment. Brings deep expertise in grantmaking, research oversight, and organizational strategy, with a consistent record of securing funding, shaping policy, and delivering measurable impact.

• Mentored veterinary students, interns, and residents across clinical rotations, providing case guidance, professional coaching, and performance feedback in zoological and clinical medicine settings.
• Cultivated trusted relationships with veterinarians, researchers, and institutional partners across >33 countries, supporting knowledge exchange and professional development.
• Supervised and coached diverse, multidisciplinary teams (up to 29 staff, $7.3 M annual budgets), fostering accountability, professional growth, and collaborative learning across both in-person and remote environments.
• Served as a liaison between leadership, veterinarians, and operational teams to facilitate communication, resolve challenges, and strengthen program outcomes.
• Presented clinical and scientific findings at professional conferences and delivered continuing education to veterinary colleagues and trainees.
• Directed advisory boards and collaborative working groups of subject-matter experts, facilitating structured discussion, consensus building, and knowledge sharing.

• Mentored and formally evaluated veterinary students, interns, and residents across clinical rotations, providing structured feedback on clinical reasoning, case management, and professional development
• Supervised veterinary externship programs, supporting student learning, clinical skill development, and professional growth
• Delivered lectures, case discussions, and clinical instruction during residency and professional roles
• Provided continuing education to veterinary professionals and multidisciplinary teams
• Supported development of clinical documentation, communication skills, and decision-making in trainees
• Contributed to training program development, protocols, and evaluation frameworks to support learning and operational excellence

• Global Humane Conservation Scientific Advisory Committee 2023 – Present
• American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV)- Member at Large 2023-2025, Conference Session Chair 2019, 2022, 2023, Member of Animal Health and Welfare Committee 2022 - Present
• Regular Reviewer for Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (JZWM)
• Morris Animal Foundation Fellowship Training Scientific Advisory Board Ad-Hoc Reviewer 2023
• Morris Animal Foundation and Revive & Restore Wild Genomes- Kelp Forest Ecosystems Scientific Review Board 2022
• American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM), Subject Matter Expert for ACZM Exam Standards Setting Committee 2021 - 2022
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM), Conference Session Chair 2014 and 2019
• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
• Wildlife Disease Association (WDA)
• Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), Vet Committee Chair 2017 - 2019

• Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM), Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine
• Colorado State Veterinary License, Colorado Veterinary Medical Board (Active)
• USDA Accredited Veterinarian (Category II)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration (Schedule II-V)

• Cristiano DJ, Varela KE, Anderson CE, Croft L, Crook E, Hanley C, Junge R, Montgomery D, Newland K, Rivera S, Rosenberg JF, Worden D, Yoshicedo J, Young S, Baker M, Beddo M, Carruthers M, Feldpausch A, Oltjen H, Deepanker T, Rekant SI, Cleary S, Kalinich CC, Liew A, Barton Behavaresh C, Ghai RR. A Synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks at Zoos, Sanctuaries, and Aquariums in the United States, 2020-2023. Accepted by JAVMA Feb 2026.
• Bashor L, Gallichotte EN, Galvan M, Erbeck K, Croft L, Stache K, Stenglein M, Johnson III JG, Pabilonia K, VandeWoude S. SARS-CoV-2 within-host population expansion, diversification and adaptation in zoo tigers, lions and hyenas. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 24. Accepted by Nature Communications Sept 2025.
• Gallichotte EN, Bashor L, Erbeck K, Croft L, Stache K, Long J, VandeWoude S, Johnson III JC, Pabilonia KL, Ebel GD. SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in lions, tigers, and hyenas at Denver Zoo. mSphere. 2025 Feb 25;10(2):e00989-24.
• Davis MR, Leger JS, Croft L, DiRocco S, Gearhart S, Osborn S, Schmitt T, Nollens H. Efficacy of Human Recombinant Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF, FILGRASTIM; NEUPOGEN®) in Neutropenic Cetaceans. J Zoo Wildl Med. 2021 Sep; 52(3):1042-1053.
• Croft L, Laughlin R, Manley M, Nollens HH. Water Temperature Fluctuations as a Key Driver of Cetacean Pox (Tattoo) Lesions in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Dis Aquat Org. 2020 Apr 30;139:69-79.
• Tyson Moore RB, Douglas DC, Nollens HH, Croft L, Wells RS. Post-Release Monitoring of a Stranded and Rehabilitated Short-Finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) Reveals Current-Assisted Travel. Aquat Mamm. 2020; 46(2): 200-214.
• Church ML, Priehs DR, Denis H, Croft L, DiRocco S, Davis M. Technique, postoperative complications, and visual outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract surgery in 21 penguins (27 eyes): 2011-2015. Vet Ophthalmol. 2018; 00: 1-10.
• Croft L, Napoli E, Hung CK, Gearhart S, Heym K, Wong S, Sakaguchi,D, Lin A, Pushner B, St. Leger J, Giulivi C. Clinical and biochemical characterization of thiamine deficiency in Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) maintained at a zoological facility. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013 Oct 15; 243(8): 1179-89.
• Colitz CM, Renner MS, Manire CA, Doescher B, Schmitt TL, Osborn SD, Croft L, Olds J, Gehring E, Mergl J, Tuttle AD, Sutherland-Smith M, Rudnick JC. Characterization of progressive keratitis in otariids. Vet Ophthalmol. 2010 Sept; 13: 47-53.
• Croft, LA, Graham, JP, Schaf, SA, Jacobson, ER. Evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging for detection of internal tumors in green turtles with cutaneous fibropapillomatosis. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2004 Nov 1; 225(9):1428-35

• American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 2025 (Poster) The Hidden Costs of the Dream Job: Identity, Burnout, and Belonging in Zoo Medicine
• Colorado State University Zoological Symposium, 2020 Manatee Medicine
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2019 A Cluster of Cases of Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) in a Family of Asian Small-clawed Otters (Aonyx cinereus)
• Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference, Orlando, FL, 2018 Cetacean Rescue and Rehabilitation
• Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), 2018 Cetacean Medicine
• Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), 2018 Day in the Life of an Aquatic Veterinarian
• American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 2017 General Anesthesia and Surgery to Treat a Mandibular Sequestrum in an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
• North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), 2017 4 presentations: Cetacean Medicine, Manatee Medicine, Penguin Medicine, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Marine Mammals
• Florida Association of Science Teachers Annual Conference, 2016 Together We Can Heal Ocean Life (Keynote Address)
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2016 Reduction in Cetacean Pox (Tattoo) Lesions with Water Temperature Elevations
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2014 Development of a New Formula for Hand-Rearing Orphaned Manatee Calves
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2011 Thiamine Deficiency in a Collection of Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2011 Ileocolic intussusception in a Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)
• American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) Annual Conference, 2006 Fish Therapeutics and Surgery (Wet Lab)
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2006 Sudden Mortality in Two Apparently Healthy Lined Seahorses (Hippocampus erectus)
• North American Veterinary Conference, 2006 Basic Fish Husbandry
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2005 Effect of Dietary Vitamin C levels on development of Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE) in Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus)
• Alameda East Annual Continuing Education Seminar, 2004 Ferret Endocrine Disorders
• International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Annual Conference, 2003 Evaluation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for Detection of Internal Fibropapillomas in the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)