2024 ZRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Monday, September 30 Pre Conference Trip- Springfield, MO
7:30am - 8:15pm Dickerson Park Zoo and Fantastic Caverns
7:45am Bus departs hotel (Begin loading at 7:30am)
10:45am - 2:00pm Dickerson Park Zoo (Free Time, Lunch On Your Own,Behind the Scenes)
2:30pm - 3:00pm Bus transfer to Fantastic Caverns (Begin loading at 2:15pm)
3:00pm - 5:00pm Fantastic Caverns
5:15pm Bus departs for hotel (Begin loading at 5:00pm)
3:00pm - 7:00pm Conference Registration Open

 

Tuesday, October 1 All Sessions/Workshops held at Hotel Phillips Kansas City
7:30am - 3:00pm Conference Registration Open
8:00am - 10:00am AnimalCare Software Workshop, Ian Ford, AnimalCare Software
10:00am -12:00pm Tracks Workshop, Tony Niemann, Tracks Software
12:00pm - 1:00pm Z-CAP Lunch
1:00pm - 3:00pm Z-CAP Workshop, Dr. Taylor Gilley
3:00pm - 5:00pm ZIMS Workshop, Kim Larson and Nannette Ruiz-Driver, Species360
6:00pm - 10:00pm Icebreaker- Boulevard Brewery
5:40pm Bus departs hotel (Begin loading at 5:30pm)
6:00pm - 9:45pm Boulevard Brewery
10:00pm Buses depart for the Hotel (Begin loading at 9:45pm)

 

Wednesday, October 2 All Sessions/Workshops held at Hotel Phillips Kansas City
7:00am- 8:00am ZRA Committee Breakfast Club
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 Exploring Cnidarian Biology: Deciphering the Molecular and Cellular
Logic of Development in Corals and Sea Anemones, Matt Gibson, Ph.D.,
Stowers Institute
9:30am - 10:00am Evaluating Your Zoo’s Participation in AZA/SSP Collection Sustainability,
Sherie Bradley, Houston Zoo
10:00am - 10:15am Break
10:15am -11:00am PPQ Permitting for Zoos & Aquariums, Ben Slager, USDA APHIS (virtual)
11:00am - 11:30am National Marine Fisheries Service’s Regulatory Insights regarding Captive Cetaceans and Pinnipeds, Jennifer Skidmore, Office of Protected Resources, Permits and Conservation Division NOAA
11:30am -12:00pm Animal Shipping and Delta Live Animal Desk, Dr. Nelva J. Bryant, Delta Airlines
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch 1:00pm - 1:45pm USDA Update, Peggy Shaver USDA/APHIS/Animal Care
1:45pm - 2:15pm USFWS & AZA Wildlife Confiscations Network, Kelly Ishmael, Wildlife Inspector, USFWS Office of Law Enforcement Rosemont, IL; Mandy Fischer, Association of Zoos & Aquariums; Ellen Dickinson, San Diego Safari Park
2:15pm - 2:45pm Planning A Successful Transport From the Ground (or Air) up!, Katie Buckner, SeaWorld Texas
2:45pm - 3:15pm A Rat’s Nest of Records, Ian Shelley, Maryland Zoo
3:15pm - 3:30pm Break
3:30pm - 4:00pm Zoo Monitor Update, Tony Niemann, Tracks Software
4:00pm - 4:30pm AZA Animal Program Update and Accountability Tracking, Lily Moore, CRA, Saint Louis Zoo
4:30pm - 5:00pm Conservation Research and Registrar Collaboration, Ian Ford, AnimalCare Software
5:00pm- 6:00pm Flamingle
6:00pm - 9:00pm ZRA Executive Board Meeting, Lyric Boardroom

 

Thursday, October 3 Zoo Day- Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium
8:30am Buses depart for Zoo (Begin loading at 8:15am)
9:00am - 6:45pm Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium
9:00am - 3:30pm Arrive at the Zoo/Group Photo/Welcome/Lunch/Tour the Zoo (Free time, Behind the Scenes & Animal Encounters)
3:30pm - 5:00pm Silent Auction/Auction Reconciliation
4:00pm- 5:00pm Cocktails & Appetizers
5:00pm - 6:00pm Dinner
6:30pm Buses depart for hotel (Begin loading at 6:15pm)

 

Friday, October 4 All Sessions/Workshops held at Hotel Phillips Kansas City
7:00am- 8:00am ZRA Committee Breakfast Club
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 - 10:00am The Evolution of Wellbeing Assessments at the Columbus Zoo, Katie Flesch, Columbus Zoo
10:00am - 10:30am Preparing a Large Institution for an AZA Accreditation Cycle, Alex Lovern, Georgia Aquarium
10:30am - 11:00am Where We're Going We'll Need Roads: Improving the Transports of Tomorrow, Dr. Brittany Rizzo and Mark McMahon, Wild Ride Animal Transport, LLC
11:00am - 11:30am The How and Why for Transitioning Paper-based Animal Records to an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS), Rae Lynn Haliday, MBA, CRM/CIGO, FAI, Saint Louis Zoo
11:30am - 12:00pm Biological Samples, Biofacts and Research Data Management, Adrienne Horrigan, Lincoln Park Zoo
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:00pm - 1:30pm Sustainable and Ethical Animal Acquisitions (in Aquarium Settings), Amie Bialo, Seattle Aquarium
1:30pm - 2:00pm Fostering a Positive Compliance Culture at Georgia Aquarium, Kristy Edelen, Georgia Aquarium
2:00pm - 2:30pm What’s the Role of Registrars in Biodiversity Conservation, Andrea Echeverry-Alcendra, Indianapolis Zoo
2:30pm - 3:00pm AI Advancements in Zoo Registration: Streamlining Operations for Conservation Impact, Kaylin Dunn, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Parks; Tony Niemann, Tracks Software
3:00pm - 3:15pm Break
3:15pm - 3:45pm Importing Non-human Primates & CDC Quarantines Panel, Jen Joseph, Dallas Zoo; Dana Bae, Mesker Park Zoo; Jayne Hardwick, Nashville Zoo; Isabelle Menard, Zoo de Granby; Dr. Sarah Taetzsch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease (CDC)
3:45pm - 4:15pm Streamline Your AZA Accreditation with ZIMS, Kim Larson, Species360
4:15pm - 4:45pm Tools for Data Collection and Workflow Management, Laurie Patel, Steinhart Aquarium
4:45pm - 5:15pm Zoo & Aquarium Internships Panel, Karly Hurst, Zoo Miami; Laurie Patel, Steinhart Aquarium; Natalie Johnson, Kansas City Zoo; Jen Joseph, Dallas Zoo; Sarah Colman, Saginaw Zoo; Lindsey Herron, Birmingham Zoo
5:15pm - 5:30pm Closing Remarks/Preview of 2024 ZRA Annual Conference, Annual Conference Leadership Team
6:00pm - 8:00pm Annual Conference Committee Training
6:00pm - 10:00pm Kansas City First Friday (Optional Event)

 

Saturday, October 5 Post Conference Trip- Kansas City, MO
9:30am - 5:00pm The Roasterie, Char Bar, and Gangster Bus Tour
9:30am Bus departs from Hotel (Begin loading at 9:15am)
10:00am - 11:30am The Roasterie
11:30am Bus transport from The Roasterie to Char Bar (Begin loading at 11:15am)
12:00pm - 2:30pm Char Bar (lunch on your own)
2:30pm Bus transport from Char Bar to Union Station Gangster Bus Tour (Begin loading at 2:15pm)
3:00pm - 4:30pm Gangster Bus Tour
5:00pm Streetcar to hotel

 

Friday, October 18 ICRM Exam Prep Workshop (Virtual)
8:00am- 12:00pm ICRM Overview: Application to Certification, Parts 2-4 (CRA) Session
*The 2024 ZRA Annual Conference Program is pre-approved by ICRM for 14.5 certification maintenance points (CMPs). If you hold an ICRM credential, contact PDC leadership for pre-approval code.

 

 

If you have any questions please contact the Program Chair:

 

Sheri Bradley: sbradley@houstonzoo.org