Thomas Owens
Dallas
Summary
Results-driven management professional with a proven track record of leading teams to success. Conservation, Animal Welfare, and staff development and inclusion are the pillars of the teams that Strong emphasis on fostering team collaboration, driving operational efficiency, and achieving measurable outcomes. Adept at strategic planning, process improvement, and cultivating a culture of accountability, inclusion, and excellence. Recognized for adaptability and consistently meeting evolving organizational needs.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Zoological Manager- Ectotherms and Birds
Dallas Zoo
09.2021 - Current
- Organize, coordinate, and establish priorities for the operation and husbandry of a large and diverse collection of Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates at an AZA accredited zoological facility
- Manage staff of 8 full-time Zoologists at various experience levels including Lead, Senior, Zoologist, Apprentice Zoologists
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
- Also, manage on-call zoologists as well as interns and volunteers
- Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.
- Developed and delivered trainings, focused on animal husbandry best practices, animal care and preventative health measures
- Maintained professional, organized, and safe environment for employees and patrons.
- Budget development and maintenance as well as purchasing
- Works with key personnel to elevate, measure, and document animal welfare
- Oversee animal propagation, sharing expertise with staff: responsible for implementation and monitoring of breeding protocols, ensuring that facilities and staff are well prepared prior to relevant breeding events
- Liaison with conservation partners for field conservation projects
Director of Operations
How Organic
11.2018 - 08.2021
- Oversee all operations of wholesale and retail USDA Organic-certified health and beauty products; responsible for budget management, production forecasting and planning, and product design and development while managing a team including international personnel
- Manage staff of6 Customer Service and Logistics professionals, provide training and direction related to customer relations and communication, order processing and shipping, and oversight of production; lead weekly team meetings to identify issues, develop solutions, and communicate production plan, and partner directly with Executive Teams to update them on operations
- Lead quality assurance actions for all products, participate in domestic and internationals production plant reviews and audits, work with vendors to understand quality standards, and partner with internal product team to test products in various conditions; ensure products delivered to customers exceed quality expectations, secure low return rate, and maintain customer satisfaction and trust
- Develop and deliver specialized training for staff, focus on internal operations and policies, product knowledge, customer service, and industry regulations; built a well-informed team, improved customer satisfaction and sales, and rooted product advantages from evidence from scientifically peer reviewed papers
- Create and analyze sales reporting, regularly review key performance indicators (KPI's), including sales, returns, shipping cost, and labor spend, and forecast future trends and sales levels to plan global buys; improved accuracy of reporting while enabling leadership to make data-driven decisions
- Support management of $1,000,000 Sales and Operations budget, develop and analyze customer forecasts, and monitor operations to plan monthly production and shipping; partnered with shipping and logistics providers to identify optimal packaging and routes to reduce costs
- Continually work with vendors and Executives to identify profitable and cost prohibitive products, partner with development teams to understand materials and production trends, and lead market research to identify ideal products and related price points; able to introduce multiple new products and lines into company offerings
- Developed and implemented new domestic sales infrastructure, implemented wholesale and retail operations nation-wide, identified ideal customer personas, created advanced forecasting reports to identify needed materials based on trends, and updated production schedules
- Oversaw daily operations across multiple departments, ensuring seamless coordination and efficient execution of tasks.
- Monitored budget and utilized operational resources.
Curator and Regional Field Program Director
Turtle Conservancy
07.2018 - 11.2018
- Led day-to-day operations and improvements of protection of turtle and tortoise habitats worldwide; developed education and awareness campaigns to the public to promote habitat preservation, oversaw captive breeding programs, and supported monitoring of illegal wildlife trade
- Worked directly with organizational leadership to review current animal operations and husbandry standards, conducted gap analysis to identify opportunities to optimize practices, and developed comprehensive solutions related to preventative medicine, disease screening, and prophylactic treatment, incorporated Association of Zoos and Aquarium guidelines and secured accreditation
- Developed and delivered trainings, focused on animal husbandry best practices, animal care and preventative health measures, public relations, leadership, and safety standards; able to develop effective team that continuously exceeded metrics related to animal protection, health, and safety
- Oversaw husbandry needs of all species at facility, assigned daily duties for each employee, managed hands-on training opportunities, served as liaison to animal care personnel, and maintained safety of all involved; ensured expectations were clear, consistent operations, and productive communication among teams
- Led continual outreach and engagement projects to develop novel learning opportunities for the public, created cross-trainings for staff to enhance animal management, and oversaw post-event follow up to gather feedback; able to establish and maintain positive working relationships with partner orgs and the public
- Served as key contributor and Institutional Representative for various Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Conservation programs, including breeding of critically endangered species, developed, and enforced compliant guidelines related to Population Management, Species Survival, and record keeping
- Spearheaded partnerships with other AZA institutions, ensured compliant involvement and participation in all Turtle Conservancy programs, and streamlined communication channels
- Worked closely with colleagues on interdisciplinary projects that combined art, history, science, or social studies themes into cohesive exhibitions.
- Collaborated with artists and other institutions for diverse and enriching exhibitions, attracting a wider audience.
Lead Wildlife Care Specialist, Dept of Herpetology and Ichthyology
San Diego Zoo
07.2015 - 07.2018
- Managed daily operations of Wildlife Care Specialists caring for over 1,300 reptiles and 2000 plus fish; oversaw 15 Senior Wildlife Care Specialists, Wildlife Care Specialists, and Exhibit Attendants, provided mentoring and training, and guided performance management and career advancement
- Guided team through department and company reorganization, oversaw updates to team structure, evolution of job duties, changes to animal presentations, and implementation of new educational programming; able to maintain high employee engagement and minimize turnover
- Supervised Wildlife Care Specialist team, participated in hiring and onboarding process, provided ongoing training, developed scheduling, initiated regular1:1's to provide additional support, and oversaw conflict resolution; maintained quality of animal care with reductions in staff, decreased overtime, and nearly eliminated all workplace injuries
- Developed advanced knowledge and experience in care of one of the largest and most diverse reptile, amphibian, and fish collections in the world, including reproductive behavior patterns and physiology, aggression, injuries, and illness leading to successful breeding and propagation of species
- Maintained compliance with AZA regulations, improved creation and management of data and training documentation, ensured Wildlife Care Specialist knowledge and awareness of all requirements, and outlined standards for each enclosure, animal, and exhibit
- Developed training for Wildlife Care Specialists, focused on animal care and preventative health, animal husbandry, venomous snake capture and handling, conservation projects, and workplace safety standards
- Managed updates and improvements to department SOPs, audited operations to provide constructive feedback to staff, created more effective trainings and documentation, and encouraged environment of collaboration and support to encourage Wildlife Care Specialists to contribute to development; ensured all staff could competently care for animals in the absence of Primary Wildlife Care Specialist
- Coordinated media outreach with TV, radio, print, and online partners, served as spokesperson for department, actively presented interesting and engaging stories, and worked with leadership to ensure communication was in sync; featured on National and Local network news, NPR, and the BBC
- Responsible for checking animal and guest areas to insure both safety and compliance with organization, AZA, and departmental standards and then following through, when necessary, with work orders and working with other departments to make sure work was completed on time and on budget
- Contributed to a positive work environment through effective teamwork and open communication with colleagues across departments.
- Maintained compliance with all regulations pertaining to confidentiality, privacy, and documentation requirements within the caregiving profession.
Senior Wildlife Care Specialist
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
07.2001 - 07.2015
- Managed daily operations in various routes for over 1,300 reptiles and 2000 plus fish; mentored Wildlife Care Specialists and Exhibit Attendants, provided training, guided performance management.
- Guided team through department and company reorganization both as a mentor and a respected team member, oversaw updates to team structure, evolution of job duties, changes to animal presentations, changes to animal diets, and implementation of new educational programming and exhibit graphics; able to maintain high employee engagement and minimize turnover
- Developed advanced knowledge and experience in care of one of the largest and most diverse reptile, amphibian, and fish collections in the world, including reproductive behavior patterns and physiology, aggression, injuries, and illness leading to successful breeding and propagation of species
- Maintained compliance with AZA regulations
- Maintained strict record keeping procedures and communicated well with administrative staff such as registrars and ZIMS entry administrative assistants
- maintained adherence to protocols regarding conservation projects and workplace safety standards
- Participant in media outreach with TV, radio, print, and online partners, served as spokesperson for department, actively presented interesting and engaging stories, and worked with leadership to ensure communication was in sync; featured on National and Local network news, NPR, and the BBC
- Contributed to a positive work environment through effective teamwork and open communication with colleagues across departments.
- Maintained compliance with all regulations pertaining to confidentiality, privacy, and documentation requirements within the caregiving profession.
Education
B.S. - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TNManagerial and Care Development programs - undefined
San Diego Zoo U
San Diego, CAProfessional Development Program - Population Management I: Data Acquisition and Processing
AZA
Wildlife Care Specialist Training School - undefined
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego, CASkills
- Animal Care Plan Development
- Sustainability
- Biodiversity Conservation
- AZA Compliance
- Partnership Development Skills
- Workflow Streamlining
- Risk Management
- Oral and Written Communications
- Team leadership
- Time management
- Verbal and written communication
- Complex Problem-solving
- Staff training and development
- Staff management
- Goal setting
- Documentation and reporting
- Relationship building
- Strategic planning
- Operations management
- Cross-functional teamwork
- Project management
- Performance management
- Policy implementation
- Conflict resolution
- Schedule preparation
- Performance evaluations
- Expectation setting
- Emergency response
- Decision-making
Accomplishments
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop Team and individual project tracking spreadsheets.
- Achieved complete restructure of the venomous training program and safety protocols by completing a large scale project with multiple objectives with accuracy and efficiency.
- Documented and resolved an inadequate snake bite alarm system which led to design, installation, and implementation of a complete and brand new system that texts all individuals that need notification if a snake bite emergency does occur, added 3 more stations to increase accessibility to staff, and increased speakers to eliminate dead zones.
- Collaborated with team of 20 toxicologists in the development of an evaluation process for the selection of the appropriate antivenoms to maintain in the inventory at the Dallas Zoo.
- trained and mentored team of 8 staff members with little to no venomous handling experience to a high level of competency and documented the whole process through a newly designed system to track objective training across the entire team.
Certification
- Certified Interpretive Guide, National Association of Interpreters
- PADI Open Water Diver,2017
LANGUAGES
Spanish - Elementary
Japanese - Elementary
Awards
North American Regional Studbook Keeper and Species Survival Plan Coordinator, awarded positions for Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota), North American Regional Studbook Keeper and Species Survival Plan Coordinator, awarded positions for the Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans), Secretary of the Chelonian Taxon Advisory Group Steering Committee- since 2022, Vice-Chair of the Home's Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys homeana) since 2024
Affiliations
- Chelonian Research Foundation since1997
- Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles since1998
- Turtle Survival Alliance- Partner since2003
- International Reptile Conservation Fund since2006
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums since2008
- IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group since2008
- IUCN/SSC Viper Specialist Group since2016
Publications
- Sleepy Giants, Owens, T.C., Zooneoz,10/03, Cover Article
- Ultraviolet Light and Reptiles, Adkins, E., T. Driggers, G. Ferguson, W. Gehrmann, Z. Gylmesi, E. May, M. Ogle, T. Owens, Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery, Vol.13, No.4,27-37,2003
- Endangered Relic: An Introduction to One of the Most Endangered Lizards in the World, the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma h. charlesbogerti), Owens, T.C. and B. Lock, Reptiles,10/06
- Ex-Situ: Captive Husbandry and Reproduction of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma h. charlesbogerti), Owens, T.C., Iguana, Vol.13 Num.3
- Possible Parthenogenesis in the Two-striped Garter snake (Thamnophis hammondii), Fontaine, J. and T. Owens, Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society,540,2019
- Veterinary Observations and Biological Specimen Use after a Massive Confiscation of Palawan Forest Turtles (Siebenrockiella leytensis), Charles J. Innis, Thomas Owens, et al., Chelonian Conservation and Biology,21(1),46-62,06/20
- Captive Husbandry, Reproduction and Growth Rates of the Gorongosa Girdled-Tail Lizard (Smaug mossambicus) (Squamata:Cordylidae) at the San Diego Zoo, Fontaine, J, Sadler DVM, Ryan, and T. Owens, Herpetological Review,54(3),2023
Timeline
Zoological Manager- Ectotherms and Birds
Dallas Zoo
09.2021 - Current
Director of Operations
How Organic
11.2018 - 08.2021
Curator and Regional Field Program Director
Turtle Conservancy
07.2018 - 11.2018
Lead Wildlife Care Specialist, Dept of Herpetology and Ichthyology
San Diego Zoo
07.2015 - 07.2018
Senior Wildlife Care Specialist
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
07.2001 - 07.2015
Managerial and Care Development programs - undefined
San Diego Zoo U
Professional Development Program - Population Management I: Data Acquisition and Processing
AZA
Wildlife Care Specialist Training School - undefined
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Certified Interpretive Guide, National Association of Interpreters
- PADI Open Water Diver,2017
B.S. - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The University of Tennessee
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