Lisa Dabek

Dr. Lisa Dabek has conducted groundbreaking research on tree kangaroo reproductive biology and behavior starting in the 1980s. She has been actively involved with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program (AZA TK-SSP) since its inception in 1991. She founded and directs the award-winning and globally recognized Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program in Papua, New Guinea. She has been a contributor to the AZA Tree Kangaroo Husbandry Manual as well as numerous tree kangaroo workshops, summits, and meetings. She is based at the Woodland Park Zoo as their Senior Conservation Scientist.

Peter Valentine

Professor Peter Valentine is a long-time member of James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, where he was for many years Head of the Department of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography (later the School of Earth and Environmental Science). He is an acknowledged expert on world heritage areas. He has served on the Australian Heritage Council, worked with the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area since its inception, most recently as Chair of the Wet Tropics Management Authority, and has been involved with the Natural Resource Management body for the Wet Tropics (Terrain), including serving as director for eight years. He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas, where he served on the international steering committee, and he was editor of the Best Practice Guidelines series for six years. He is currently President of the Tree Kangaroo and Mammal Group (TKMG), an Australian regional tree kangaroo conservation organization, and is Conservation Officer and Tablelands Convener for Birdlife Australia’s Northern Queensland branch. He has been involved with IUCN Protected Areas and community-based conservation for his entire career. He has spent time at various universities around the world including the University of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA, as a professional associate at the East-West Center looking at the role of ecotourism in conservation and at the University of Montana, Montana, USA, where he worked on wilderness management.

Jacque Blessington

Jacque Blessington was the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program Coordinator from 2004-2015 and is currently the program advisor. She was co-editor and contributor of the most recent AZA Tree Kangaroo Husbandry Manual. She also coordinated and contributed to eight tree kangaroo workshops, summits, and meetings, including international events in Germany, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

Karin R. Schwartz

Karin R. Schwartz is a conservation biologist with expertise in data management processes for maintaining threatened species in managed facilities and a data management advisor for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan® (SSP), Cheetah SSP, Monotreme and Marsupial Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), and Tapir TAG. At the international level, Karin is an active member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Conservation Planning, Conservation Translocation, Tapir, and Otter Specialist Groups. Currently, she is the Scientific Coordinator of Ex Situ Partners for ConservationFIT, a project by WildTrack, to develop algorithms for non-invasive Footprint Identification Technology from footprint photos for cheetah, jaguar, snow leopard, and puma in zoological facilities. FIT can then be used to monitor these threatened big cat species in the wild through their footprints.