2025 ZRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Thursday, October 30^th

ICRM Exam Prep Workshop – Virtual

12:00pm – 4:00pm

ICRM Overview: Application to Certification, Parts 2-4 (CRA) Session

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 & Nannette Driver-Ruiz, 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 – 10:00pm

Icebreaker

5:30pm

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

6:00pm – 9:30pm

TBA

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

AZA’s Wildlife Confiscations Network & Wildlife Confiscations Coordinator – 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; Sara Foote, Potter Park Zoo

11:15am – 12:00pm

TBA

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Two methods of creating “autofill” systems for repetitive paperwork flows – Leslie Silvia, John Ball Zoo

1:30pm – 2:00pm

Accreditation Ready software – Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

2:00pm – 2:30pm

New USFWS injurious wildlife 5-year, multi-use, reciprocal transport permit – 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 – Don Moore PhD, 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

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s shipment tracker – Mary Noell, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

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 and the Regulatory Affairs Coordinator – Aislinn Baltas, Association of Zoos & Aquariums

10:15am – 11:00am

Permitting requirements for sending wildlife into Florida or transporting – Kelly Smith, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

11:00am – 11:30am

Lincoln Park Zoo’s biofacts management policy – Adrienne Horrigan, Lincoln Park Zoo

11:30am – 12:00pm

Latest enhancements in AnimalCare® Software – Ian Ford, AnimalCare Software

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm – 1:45pm

TBA – Dr. Kelly Helmick, Senior Veterinary Medical Officer, Avian & Marine Mammal Specialist, USDA/APHIS/Animal Care

1:45pm – 2:45pm

Documentary needs for registrars coordinating acquisitions of confiscated animals or wildlife – Rachél Rogers; Dr. Kristin Napoli, USDA/APHIS/Animal Care; Supervisory Inspector Sylvia Gaudio, USFWS; Captain Derrell Jones, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

2:45pm – 3:00pm

Break

3:00pm – 3:15pm

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

3:15pm – 3:45pm

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

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Independent enrichment system utilizing employee-entered data in ZIMS – Kameron Roth, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance & Laurie Patel, Steinhart Aquarium

4:15pm – 4:30pm

Zoo Museum (ZooMu) Network update – Debbie Johnson, Brookfield Zoo & Tony Niemann, Tracks Data Solutions

4:30pm – 5:00pm

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

5:00pm – 5:30pm

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

5:30pm – 5:45pm

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