2025 ZRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Thursday, October 30^th

ICRM Exam Prep Workshop – Virtual

12:00pm – 4:00pm

ZRA Hosted ICRM Exam Prep Workshop – Virtual Pre Conference Event, ICRM Parts 2, 3, and 4 for Certified Records Analyst (CRA) Credential

Monday, November 3^rd

Pre Conference Trip – Florida Keys

8:00am – 5:30pm

Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat Cruise & Robbie's of Islamorada

8:15am

Bus departs hotel (Begin loading at 8:00am)

10:00am – 12:00pm

Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat Cruise

12:30pm – 1:30pm

Bus transfer to Robbie’s of Islamorada (Begin loading at 12:15pm)

1:30pm – 3:30pm

Robbie’s of Islamorada

3:45pm

Bus departs for hotel (Begin loading at 3:30pm)

5:30pm

Arrive at hotel

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Conference Registration Open

Tuesday, November 4^th

All Sessions/Workshops held at Miami Marriott Dadeland

7:30am – 4:00pm

Conference Registration Open

9:00am – 12:00pm

Z-CAP Workshop

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Z-CAP Lunch

1:00pm – 4:00pm

ZIMS Workshop – Kim Larson & Dr. Alicia Hahn, Species360

1:00pm – 4:00pm

Tracks Workshop – Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

1:00pm – 4:00pm

AnimalCare® Software Workshop – Ian Ford, AnimalCare® Software

5:30pm

Buses depart hotel (Begin loading at 5:15pm)

6:00pm – 9:30pm

Icebreaker at HistoryMiami Museum

9:30pm

Buses depart for hotel (Begin loading at 9:15pm)

10:00pm

Arrive at hotel

Wednesday, November 5^th

All Sessions held at Miami Marriott Dadeland

7:30am – 10:00am

Conference Registration Open

8:00am – 8:10am

Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:10am – 8:30am

State of the Association

8:30am – 9:30am

Talking Trash: How I Removed 35,000 Pounds of Trash from Miami's Mangroves – Andrew Otazo

9:30am – 10:00am

TRAFFICKED: Zoos and Aquariums Combatting the Illegal Wildlife Trade – Mandy Fischer, Association of Zoos & Aquariums

10:00am – 10:15am

Break

10:15am – 11:15am

Leadership and Advocacy for Records Professionals: Modern Pathways for Records Management Careers in Zoological Institutions – Rae Lynn Haliday, Saint Louis Zoo; Lillian Moore, Saint Louis Zoo; Breanna Benson-Pearce, Utah's Hogle Zoo; Shannon Richard, Saint Louis Zoo; Sarah Foote, Potter Park Zoo

11:15am – 12:00pm

An Overview and Update on the Avian Welfare Regulations for Exhibitors – Dr. Kelly Helmick, USDA/APHIS/Animal Care

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Efficiency Through Automation – Leslie Silvia, John Ball Zoo

1:30pm – 2:00pm

Always be Accreditation Ready – Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Multi-use Reciprocal Transport Permit Option for Meerkats – Katie Kimble, Sedgwick County Zoo & Aislinn Baltas, Association of Zoos & Aquariums

2:30pm – 3:00pm

Inspection Ready: Preparing Your Zoo for FWC & USDA Visits – Heather Tapia, Busch Gardens Tampa

3:00pm – 3:15pm

Break

3:15pm – 3:45pm

Contingency Rule Survey: Human Confidence vs. Animal Safety – Dr. Don Moore, DonEMoore Consulting LLC (virtual)

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Exploring the Registrar’s Role in Disaster Preparedness – Julia Wilder, Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, & Recovery (ZDR3) (virtual)

4:15pm – 4:45pm

ReSharking the Wild: The Collaborative Conservation Efforts of the StAR Project – Amie Bialo, Seattle Aquarium

4:45pm – 5:15pm

Diverse Teams Need Diverse Solutions (Multilingual Support and Other New Features in AnimalCare® Software) – Ian Ford, AnimalCare® Software

5:30pm – 6:30pm

Flamingle

6:00pm – 9:00pm

ZRA Executive Board Meeting

Thursday, November 6^th

Zoo Day – Zoo Miami

9:00am

Buses depart for Zoo Miami (Begin loading at 8:45am)

9:30am – 7:30pm

Zoo Miami

9:30am – 5:00pm

Arrive at the zoo, welcome, group photo, lunch, free time, & behind the scenes tours

4:30pm – 7:30pm

Open bar

5:00pm – 6:30pm

Silent Auction/Auction Reconciliation

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Dinner

7:30pm

Buses depart for hotel (Begin loading at 7:15pm)

8:00pm

Arrive at hotel

Friday, November 7^th

All Sessions held at Miami Marriott Dadeland

7:30am – 8:00am

Annual Business Meeting Check-In

8:00am – 9:15am

Annual Business Meeting & Recognition Ceremony

9:15am – 9:30am

Break

9:30am – 9:45am

AZA Government Affairs Committee Update – Lynn McDuffie, Disney’s Animal Kingdom

9:45am – 10:15am

Introduction to AZA Government Affairs – Aislinn Baltas, Association of Zoos & Aquariums

10:15am – 11:00am

Maintaining Compliance with Florida’s Import and Transport Regulations – Kelly Smith, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

11:00am – 11:30am

Establishing an Institutional Biofact Management Policy – Adrienne Horrigan, Lincoln Park Zoo

11:30am – 12:00pm

Modernizing Logistics and Transaction Tracking at the

Cincinnati Zoo – Mary Noell, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm – 1:30pm

USDA Inspection Prep at Denver Zoo – Jessica Grote, Denver Zoo

1:30pm – 2:00pm

2:00pm – 3:00pm

Air Transportation for Animals from a Pilot Perspective- Cheryl Pitzer, FedEx

Compliance with Documentary Needs of Animal or Wildlife Confiscations – Rachél Rogers; Dr. Kristin Napoli, USDA/APHIS/Animal Care; Supervisory Inspector Sylvia Gaudio, USFWS; Wildlife Inspector Assistant Cyrene Schweitzer, USFWS; Senior Investigator Robert O’Horo, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

3:00pm – 3:15pm

Break

3:15pm – 3:30pm

Vendor Spotlight: Tracks Data Solutions – Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

3:30pm – 3:45pm

Zoo Museum Data Sharing Update – Debbie Johnson, Brookfield Zoo & Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

3:45pm – 4:15pm

The Greatest Crate. Your Guide to Luxurious Travel Accommodations for All Your Animal Friends – Brittany Rizzo, Mark McMahon, & Deniele Brown, Wild Ride Animal Transport LLC

4:15pm – 4:45pm

Independent Enrichment Tracking and Analysis Program Utilizing ZIMS Data – Kameron Roth, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance & Laurie Patel, Steinhart Aquarium

4:45pm – 5:15pm

Tracking Change in the North: Polar Bears, Belugas, and the Future of Arctic Ecosystems – Dr. Stephen Petersen, Assiniboine Park Conservancy (virtual)

5:15pm – 5:45pm

Caring Without Crashing: Preventing Burnout in Animal Care Roles – Amie Bialo, Seattle Aquarium

5:45pm – 6:00pm

Closing Remarks & Preview of 2026 ZRA Annual Conference

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Annual Conference Committee Training

Saturday, November 8^th

Post Conference Trip – Palm Beach, Florida

8:00am – 7:00pm

Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society and Lion Country Safari

8:00am

Bus departs hotel (Begin loading at 7:45am)

9:30am – 12:00pm

Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society

12:15pm – 12:45pm

Bus transfer to Lion Country Safari (Begin loading at 12:00pm)

1:00pm – 5:00pm

Lion Country Safari

5:15pm

Bus departs for hotel (Begin loading at 5:00pm)

7:00pm

Arrive at hotel