Kathy Russell

Director

Kathy recently retired from Santa Fe College where she was the General Curator of the Teaching Zoo for 37 years. During this time, she mentored over 1500 students in the zoo and aquarium field (58 graduating classes). During her time at the zoo the variety of animals increased, raised the bar on animal care to exceptional care and wellbeing, maintaining the highest standards to continue the zoo’s accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). She was active in some AZA animal programs designed to help species in zoos and aquariums as well as their counterparts in the wild. These included the Hawk headed Parrot Species Survival Plan where she was the studbook keeper and the program coordinator. She was also the studbook keeper and program coordinator of the Perdido Key beach mouse Species Survival Plan. She is still active with the Perdido Key beach mouse program, which is now an AZA SAFE program, Saving Animals From Extinction.

In addition to these two programs, she was also the coordinator of the Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan. In her retirement she remains very active with the Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo programs by being an advisor for the Species Survival Plan as well as the secretary and sustainability working group co-lead for the Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo AZA SAFE program. She continues to be an instructor for one of AZA’s professional development courses, Avian Leadership and Management that is taught once a year. 

After retiring she began volunteering with Alachua Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build and started on her first house this past January. At home she spends time with her family and dogs. She has always enjoyed being outside. Since her retirement she has been able to spend more time biking, hiking, gardening, reading, kayaking, and bird watching fill her days. She lives only 5 miles from the Santa Fe River and walks her dogs several times a week at any of the 3 entrances to the Santa Fe River Preserve and Oleno State Park.