We are excited to return to an in-person gathering to learn, connect, and be inspired together!

The ACE for Wildlife Network has not been in the same physical space together since early 2020. For many of us, this will be the first time meeting Network Members with in person. We hope that this Empathy Summit:  

• Strengthens the ACE for Wildlife community, catalyzing connections that extend beyond the event;
• Provides attendees with resources and tools to feel empowered to further empathy related projects at their home organizations; and;
• Showcases the expertise that exists within our Network and connects attendees working on similar topics.

The Summit will be occurring at Fremont Abbey Arts Center in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. ACE for Wildlife will have a block of rooms at the StayPineapple University Inn for conference attendees. This hotel is ~1.9 miles away (9 minute drive, 17 minute bus, 40 minute walk) from the venue and is located in the University District neighborhood.

Are you an ACE for Wildlife Affiliate?

If so, please use the following booking link to reserve your rooms. If you are interested in extending your stay on either end of the Summit days, please call Pineapple Reservations at #866-866-7977 and reference the booking code 230208WOOD.

Are you an ACE for Wildlife Member?

The Advancing Empathy team at Woodland Park Zoo will handle your room booking during the Summit dates. Please email us at empathy@zoo.org to notify us if you wish to extend your stay in Seattle and if you have any questions.

Dr. Jennifer Atkinson is an Associate Professor of environmental humanities at the University of Washington, Bothell. Her seminars on Eco-Grief & Climate Anxiety have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, Seattle Times, NBC News and many other outlets. Dr. Atkinson is currently working on a book titled An Existential Toolkit for the Climate Crisis, which offers strategies to help young people navigate the emotional toll of climate breakdown. She leads public seminars on climate and mental health in partnership with youth activists, psychologists, climate scientists and policy makers. Her podcast “Facing It” also gives people tools to channel eco-anxiety into action.

Courtney Cordova, Henry Vilas Zoo – Developing Effective Empathy Messaging: The Value of User Testing 

Shanna Hillard, Zoological Society of Milwaukee – Catching Feelings: Evaluating Empathy for Animals with Emotion Wheels 

Kelsey Raffel, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory – Online Adult Interpretive Volunteer Training

Sarah Brenkert, Seattle Aquarium – Polar Opposites: The Power of Semantic Differentials  

Liz Gilles, Minnesota Zoo – Which Empathy Practices Were Most Effective? A Quick Dive Into our Data

Tierney Ball, Zoo Boise – ACE Bucket Challenge: POV You’re Training Your Staff About Empathy 

Suzanne Akerman loves sharing her passion for animals with audiences in her role as a Staff Biologist at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. Along with her team, she creates and performs in dynamic live animal shows in addition to providing daily care for 40 species of ambassador animals. To obtain this dream job, Suzanne taught middle school for a year, and then dedicated many years of part-time work to Wild Wonders, as well as worked as a preschool teacher and animal handler for Magdeburg Zoologischer Garten in Germany for a little more than a year. She has two M.A.’s, one in Education and one in Biology.

Adam Winegarden is the Empathy Behavioral Coordinator at the Racine Zoo. He fills a hybrid role as both a zookeeper across many areas of the zoo, and a resource for keepers to go to with training questions. He is actively working to integrate empathy-driven language and practices into the full scope of Racine Zoo’s animal care program.

Allyson Dredla is the Wetlands Lead at ZooMontana in addition to being the zoo’s Animal Training & Enrichment Coordinator and serves on multiple committees. A graduate from America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, she has been in the industry for almost a decade and throughout her career has had the opportunity to work with animal ambassadors in both the TV/film industry and the zoological industry. Coming from San Diego Zoo Safari Park to ZooMontana has allowed her to navigate the ever-changing paths between large and small facilities and their surrounding communities. She values inspiring her passion for wildlife in others by showcasing quality animal care and interpersonal relationships with zoo visitors

Janelle Lundin is the Animal Care Manager of Behavioral Husbandry and Ambassador Animals at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA. Janelle received her Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Santa Cruz, California, which is also where she began her career working with marine mammals. From dolphins to elephants, birds to reptiles, Janelle is passionate about using positive reinforcement training and behavior modification to help keepers and animals thrive.

Melia Paguirigan is the Empathy Collaborative Specialist at Woodland Park Zoo. In this role she focuses on building long term relationships with community leaders and organizations to co-design culturally relevant, empathy informed programming that is responsive to community interests and priorities.

Courtney Cordova is the education specialist at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison Wisconsin. She oversees the interpretive programing including in person and written interpretation. She has taken the lead on a grant funded interpretive master plan program looking at how to incorporate empathy in to the framework of interpretive planning, and how to inspire empathy in guests in every interpretive interaction. In addition to her work at the zoo she is also the assistant education advisor for the AZA Orangutan SAFE program and is the secretary and treasurer of the National Association for Interpretations interpretive media section.

Isabelle Bieser is the Manager of Innovation & Community Engagement at the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. She leads the empathy for wildlife initiative at ZSM as well as managing other grant-funded programs ranging from school programs to summer camp access. Bieser’s work involves seeking community input on the design of our empathy related work and programs.

Jasmine Williams is the Connections Program Manager at the Seattle Aquarium. Born and raised in Seattle, WA she received her bachelor’s from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. Jasmine is passionate about building authentic mutually beneficial relationships with community using an equity lens and creating inclusive environments for all to thrive. At the Seattle Aquarium she works to connect wildlife conservation and historically oppressed communities most impacted by environmental degradation through meaningful conservation engagement opportunities.

Committee Member Social Hour

Location: Big Time Brewery 

Time: 5:30-8pm

This is a committee member only event and attendees must RSVP. Email empathy@zoo.org with any questions.

8:30am: Doors open and check in

9:00am: Formal Welcome

9:20am: Icebreaker

10:00am: ACE for Wildlife Network Project Showcase

11:20am: Dr. Jennifer Atkinson: Coping with Eco-Anxiety and Grief.

12:20pm: Lunch

1:10pm: Meaning Making on Collective Impact Data Collection, Catalyze Evaluation & the Steering Committee

1:35-3:40pm: Concurrent sessions

• 1:35-2:35pm: Meaning Making on Collective Impact Data Collection PT 2
• 1:35-2:35pm: DEAI & the ACE for Wildlife Network: Setting a Foundation w/the DEAI Working Group
• 2:50-3:40pm: The Empathy Training Toolkit w/the Strategic Learning Committee
• 2:50-3:40pm: Empowering Voices in the Empathy Conversation w/the Membership Committee

3:55pm: Closing statements from Day 1

4:10pm: Dismissal

Social Hour

Location: Woodland Park Zoo’s Zoomazium

Time: 5:30-8:00pm

8:30am: Doors open

9:00am: Formal Welcome

9:20am: Break to transition

9:25am: Panel: Empathy & Community Engagement

9:25am: Conservation Action Working Group: Joint Initiative Planning Session on Pollinators

10:40am: Panel: Effective Empathy Practices in Animal Ambassador Programs

12:00pm: Lunch

12:45pm: World Cafe of Network Questions

2:20pm: Closing statements from Day 2

2:30pm: Official dismissal

2:30-4pm: Optional time at Woodland Park Zoo