Conservation biologist
Resume:
CURRICULUM VITAE
Karin R. Schwartz, PhD
Fox Point, WI 53217
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Conservation Biology
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
December 2014
Ph.D. Dissertation – Integration of In Situ and Ex Situ Data Management for Biodiversity Conservation Via the ISIS Zoological Information Management System ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4595-1873
Web of Science Researcher ID: X-1456-2019.
Master of Science in Animal Behavior (Olfactory communication) Biology Department
University of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri.
Master's Thesis - Individual Odors and Mate Discrimination in the Prairie Vole, Microtus ochrogaster Bachelor of Arts in Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
EMPLOYMENT
September 2020 to present Series Editor
Book Series - Biodiversity of the World:
Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
Elsevier Publishing Company
January 2019 to December 2020 Co-Editor
Book: Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation
In the Elsevier Book Series - Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA
June 2016 to March 2021 Scientific Coordinator for Ex-Situ Partners ConservationFIT (Footprint Identification Technique) WildTrack
Coordinate collaboration between zoos and WildTrack for ConservationFIT Program to develop FIT for jaguar, cheetah, and snow leopards June 2016 – Sept.2016 Intern Coordinator and Research Scientist Cheetah Conservation Fund
Otjiwarongo, Namibia
Jan. 2015 to present International Conservation Data Management Consultant Records-keeping processes and training in Species360 Zoological Information Management System
Jan.2013 - Dec.2013 Instructor
BIOL 318 Conservation Biology
George Mason University
Oct.2011 – Jan.2012 Conservation Fellow
Conservation and Research
Rare
Arlington, VA
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EMPLOYMENT (Continued)
Jan. 2008 – June.2011 Biological Database Manager
Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo
Chicago, IL
2008 - 2016 Affiliate Faculty
Co-Administrator of AZA Institutional Records-Keeping Course Master’s Program in Zoo and Aquarium Leadership
Department of Environmental Science and Public Policy George Mason University
1990-2007 Exhibits Registrar, Milwaukee County Zoo Animal Records, Federal Licenses, Permits, Animal Records Training LANGUAGES: English, Spanish
TRAINING EXPERIENCE
• Co-Administrator – Association of Zoos and Aquariums Institutional Records-Keeping Course, AZA Professional Training Schools, 1997 to 2017. Founder & coordinator for development of IRK course.
• Instructor – Animal Records Training Workshop, Tenth Congress of Asociación Latinoamericana de Parques Zoológicos, Acuarios y Afínes (ALPZA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 2001. Sponsored by Zoo Conservation Outreach Group and Zoo Registrars Association, the session was presented by Karin Schwartz, Adrienne Miller from Roger Williams Park Zoo and Ivan Rea from ISIS.
• Instructor – Animal Records Training session, Quito Zoo, Guayllabamba, Ecuador, 3-10.March.2001. Installed ISIS software, trained staff in use of software, set up records-keeping system, worked with keepers to implement system. Acted as mentor for records-keeping staff at Quito Zoo through 2008.
• Instructor for records training session, Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, Hawaii, 21-24 April 2003.
• Instructor – Records training session for South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAZARC), Coimbatore, India, 1-5.December.2005. Computer training workshop for 30 zoo professionals from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan.
• Instructor – Records training session in ISIS software with ISIS Asian Coordinator Kanako Tomisawa, Seoul Zoo, Seoul, South Korea, August, 2009.
• Instructor – Species360 Zoological Information Management System Educational Workshop for Korean Association of Zoos and Aquariums, held at Seoul Zoo, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 15-16.December.2016. Training workshop for 24 zoo professionals representing two KAZA member aquariums and five KAZA member zoos. Currently, only Seoul Zoo is a Species360 member.
• Instructor - Species360 Zoological Information Management System Training Workshop Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School, Millbrook, NY 7-10.February.2018
• Instructor – Species360 Zoological Information Management System Training Workshop Everland Zoo, Yongin, Republic of Korea, 10-15.October.2018. Trained animal managers, zookeepers and veterinarians for new Species360 institutional member in preparation for AZA Accreditation as an International institution.
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ORGANIZATIONS AND OFFICES HELD
• Zoological Registrars Association
Board of Directors - 1996-1998, 2001-2003
Training Committee – Chair: January 1995 to 2006
International Committee - October 1994 to 2006
Conservation Management Committee – 2002 to 2006
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums
1978 to 2003 – Professional Affiliate member
2003 – 2008 – Professional Fellow
2008 – present – Professional Associate
AZA Committees
o Cheetah Species Survival Plan® (SSP) – Data Management Advisor, 1999 to present
o Tapir Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) – Data Management Advisor, 1999 to present
o Tree Kangaroo SSP – Data Management Advisor, 1999 to present o Monotreme and Marsupial TAG – Data Management Advisor, 2006 to present o Okapi SSP, 2008-2011 - managed EthoTrack database for a behavior study o Okapi SSP, 2008-2011 - managed EthoTrack database for a behavior study o Institutional Data Management Advisory Group (IDMAG) – member, 1999 to 2014, IDMAG Steering Committee, 2002 to 2006 o Animal Data Information System Committee – September 2009 to 2012 o Diversity Committee – 2008 to 2012
o Field Conservation Committee – 2010 to 2012
o Biomaterials and Banking Scientific Advisory Group – 2017 to present
• Zoo Aquarium Association (Australasia region) - Member, 1998 to 2012
• South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation (SAZARC) - Member 2005 to 2012
• Registrar Advisor - Development of Guidelines for Data Entry and Maintenance of North American Zoo and Aquarium Animal Databases, 1997 to 1998
International Species Information System Science and Technology Advisory Committee (ISIS STAC) Registrar representative, 2000 to 2007.
Chair of ISIS STAC subcommittee on Animal Data Standards (ADSS)– 2001 to 2004. Established global data entry standards and worked on the development of data entry standards for the new Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS).
Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) Core development team – 2002 to 2010. ZIMS data standards workshops-Chicago (2003); Perth Australia (2004); Rotterdam, Holland (2005).
Data Management and ZIMS advisor to the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia – 2016 to present
Advisor for the International Cheetah Studbook – 2016 to present
IUCN/SSC Conservation Planning (Breeding) Specialist Group – member 2000 to present
CBSG Team to facilitate Western Pond Turtle Population and Habitat Viability Assessment, Olympia WA – November 2012
Development team for IUCN Wildlife Disease Risk Analysis online training course (2019)
IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group – 2008 to present
4th International Tapir Symposium, Xcaret, Mexico 2008. Facilitator - Ex Situ Conservation Working Group, Outcome - TSG Strategic Plan 2008-2010
Field Research Volunteer – Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative, Pantanal, Brazil 2012
7th International Tapir Symposium, Houston, USA 2017 Methods & Documentation Working Group - TSG Strategic Action Plan 2018-2020 4
ORGANIZATIONS AND OFFICES HELD (Continued)
• IUCN Otter Specialist Group – December 2019 to present
Data Management Specialist for Ex Situ populations
IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group – May 2009 to present
Conservation Translocation Specialist Group (name change 2017)
Reviewer for 2013 RSG Guidelines for Re-introductions and Other Conservation Translocations.
Reviewer for 2016 IUCN Guidelines for Management of Confiscated Species
IUCN/SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group
Development team for Wildlife Disease Risk Assessment Online Training Course
Milwaukee County Zoo Diversity Committee – 2003 to 2007
• Arcoiris Committee (Diversity Committee) – Chicago Zoological Society 2008 to 2011
• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Manager, Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) 2009 to 2011
Society for Conservation Biology – 2010 to present
American Association for Advancement of Science – 2009 to present
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Community – 2013 to present
Amphibian Ark Conservation Needs Assessment Online Tool – wrote help topics with Kevin Johnson, Manuel Beterams, & Belén Proaño (Amphibian ARK & IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group
Badgerland Striders Running Club (Wisconsin) – Sustainability Captain - 2019 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon . Developed an Environmental Plan to implement use of compostable cups at 13 Aid Stations along the 26.2 mile route, developed a Sustainability Team to count and weigh bags of cups, worked with an industrial compost company to process 350 lbs. of cups instead of going to landfill.
United Nations Association of the United States of America – 2019 to present REVIEWER EXPERIENCE
• Chicago Zoological Society Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT)
Endangered Species Fund grant proposals – 2008-2011
• Zoo Biology – 2008-2011
• Journal of Threatened Taxa – 2009 to present
• Conservation Genetics – 2017 to present
• Animal Conservation – 2019 to present
• Ecological Management and Restoration –2021 to present AWARDS
• Zoological Registrars Association Marvin Jones Award – October 2000. In recognition of outstanding achievements, professionalism and leadership in developing and administrating national animal records training programs, including the AZA Institutional Records-Keeping Course.
• AZA Margaret A. Dankworth Management Award – Scholarship to attend the 2004 session of AZA Professional Training Program: Managing for Success – Career Development
• Tenth Year Instructor’s Award for teaching in AZA Professional Training Programs – February 2007
• Dissertation Completion Grant Award, George Mason University, Spring 2014 5
CERTIFICATES and COURSES
• AZA Professional Training Schools
Studbook I, AZA Conservation Academy, St. Louis, MO
Managing for Success: Career Development, Wheeling, WV
Population Management II, Omaha, NE
• IUCN/SSC/Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
Facilitation Skills Course, Omaha, NE
Vortex Training Workshop, Chicago, IL
Facilitating Species Conservation Planning Workshops
Assess to Plan Training Workshop, CPSG 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting
• IUCN Red List Online Training Course
• FutureLearn One Health Online Course – University of Basel
• George Mason University
Ecology, Population Ecology, Environmental Policy, Overview of Biodiversity Conservation, Management of Wild Living Resources, Natural Resource Law, Conserving Endangered Species
• Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Species Monitoring and Conservation: Terrestrial Mammals
Non-invasive Genetic Techniques in Wildlife Conservation
• ESRI
ArcGIS Cartography
• Statistics
ANOVA
Multiple Regression
Meta Analysis
SKILLS
Experience with the following programs:
Word, Excel, Access, Quicken, Power Point, R
International Species Information System Software (obsolete): ARKS4, SPARKS, MedARKS
Species360: Zoological Information Management System (Husbandry, Medical, Studbooks)
Population Management: SPARK-Plug, Mate Rx, PopLink, PMx, ZIMS for Studbooks
Population and Habitat Viability Analysis: Vortex
Conservation Action Planning: Conservation Measures Partnership’s Open Standards - Miradi
Monitoring: Distance, Mark, Presence, Anabat, ArcGIS
Behavioral Monitoring: EthoTrak
Conservation Footprint Identification Technology
Blackboard – course management system for communication with students, maintaining and posting grades, posting assignments, monitoring discussions, posting resources (syllabus, references), giving exams
Virtual meetings – Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeetings, Skype Editing and reviewing skills for scientific publications:
Copy editing – spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, format for content, figures, references
Content review for high scientific merit and professional quality
Management of book publication development
PUBLICATIONS
1. Schwartz, K.R. 2009. Captive Population Management – Facilitating Endangered Species Conservation. Proceedings of the 2009 South East Asian Zoos Association Annual Conference, Seoul, S. Korea 2. Schwartz, K.R., G. Favata, A. Miller, L. McDuffie. 2010. Gearing Up for a Global Future: The Institutional Records-Keeping Course. Connect September 2010: 8-11 3. Pramuk, J., F. Koontz, M. Tirhi, S. Zeigler, K. Schwartz, P. Miller (eds.) 2013. Western Pond Turtle
(Actinemys marmorata) Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Workshop Report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN 6
PUBLICATIONS (Continued)
4. Schwartz, K.R. and N. Flesness. 2014. On the origin of species information systems: An evolutionary perspective. pp. 100-106. In: McGregor Reid, G. and G. Moore (eds.). From Royal Gifts to Biodiversity Conservation: The History and Development of Menageries, Zoos and Aquariums. Chester Zoo, UK. ISBN-13: 978**********
5. Schwartz, K.R. 2014. Integration of In Situ and Ex Situ Data Management For Biodiversity Conservation Via The International Species Information System’s Zoological Information Management System. Doctoral Dissertation. George Mason University. Fairfax, VA: ProQuest/UMI. ISBN: 978********** 6. Schwartz, K.R. October 2015. ZIMS gone wild! A One Plan Approach to data management for species conservation via the ISIS Zoological Information Management System. Poster session at the Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation Conference, Denver, CO. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20028.13442 7. Schwartz, K., M. Gusset, A. Crosier, L. Versteege, S. Eyre, A. Tiffin, A. Kotze. 2017. The role of zoos in cheetah conservation: Integrating ex-situ and in-situ conservation action. In: Marker. L., L. Boast, A. Schmidt-Küntzel (eds.). Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation. Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. Academic Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 8. Cristescu, B., A. Schmidt-Küntzel, K. Schwartz, C. Traeholt, L. Marker, F. Ezequiel, K. Leus, K. Traylor- Holzer. 2017. A review of Population Viability Analysis and its use in cheetah conservation. In: Marker. L., L. Boast, A. Schmidt-Küntzel (eds.). Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation. Academic Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ISBN: 978**********
9. Schwartz, K.R., E.C.M. Parsons, L. Rockwood, T.C. Wood. 2017. Integrating in-situ and ex-situ data management processes for biodiversity conservation. Front. Ecol. Evol. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00120 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2017.00120/full 10. Schwartz, K.R. November 2018. ZIMS gone wild! A One Plan Approach to data management for integrated species conservation programs via the Species360 Zoological Information Management System. Poster session at the Second International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference, Chicago, IL DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36191.71846
11. Jakob-Hoff, R., K.R. Schwartz, F. Lopes Rocha, J. Copsey. 2019. Disease Risk Analysis Training Course Development Working Group Report. In: Proceedings of the 2019 CPSG Annual Meeting, CPSG. http://www.cpsg.org/sites/cbsg.org/files/DRA%20Online%20Training%20Course%20Development%20W orking%20Group_FINAL.pdf
12. Schwartz, K. and Z. Jewell. September 2019. ConservationFIT: AZA big cat footprints contribute to conservation monitoring in the wild. 2019 AZA Annual Meeting Proceedings, New Orleans, LA https://www.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/schwartz9.pdf 13. Dabek, L., P. Valentine, J. Blessington, K.R. Schwartz (Eds.). 2020. Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA. Tree Kangaroos - 1st Edition (elsevier.com) 14. Schwartz, K.R., O. Byers, P. Miller, J. Blessington, B. Smith. 2021. The role of zoos in tree kangaroo conservation: connecting ex situ and in situ conservation action. In: Dabek, L., P. Valentine, J. Blessington, K.R. Schwartz (Eds.). Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA 15. Blessington, J., J. Steenberg, K.R. Schwartz, U. Schürer, B. Smith, M.A. Richardson, R. Jaffar, C. Ford. 2021. Tree Kangaroo Populations in Managed Facilities. In: Dabek, L., P. Valentine, J. Blessington, K.R. Schwartz (Eds.). Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA 16. Valentine, P., L. Dabek, K.R. Schwartz. 2021. What is a Tree Kangaroo? Evolutionary History, Adaptation to Life in the Trees, Taxonomy, Genetics, Biogeography, and Conservation Status. In: Dabek, L., P. Valentine, J. Blessington, K.R. Schwartz (Eds.). Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA
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