Meet the Camp Staff

Hello Everyone! I am Nicholas and I am excited for my 13th summer with Camp Zoofari. I cannot wait for campers to explore our new Galápagos habitats and explore all around the Zoo. Their passion for wildlife is infectious, and I love seeing how they connect to the animals here at the Zoo, all of the various Zoo staff, and how they take action to help save wildlife. I am also looking forward to our first ever end of season beach clean-up, to celebrate the end of our Sea Turtle Saving Summer!

My name is Kelly and this is my 15th summer with Camp Zoofari. Every summer I look forward to welcoming campers back to the Zoo- whether it’s your first year or seventh. I am excited to see campers participate in our Sea Turtle Saving Summer and see firsthand how we are working to save animals in the wild.

Hello everyone! My name is Melissa, and this will be my 13th summer with Camp Zoofari. I absolutely love this time of year, when our Zoo hosts hundreds of campers who all love animals as much as we do. I look forward to helping create memorable moments for our campers, including getting eye-to-eye with some of their favorite species. Thank you for sharing your child with us and we look forward to seeing everyone on August 5th for our Sea Turtle Saving Summer beach cleanup.

Hi everyone! My name is Lillie and this is my third summer with Camp Zoofari and my first year on the camp leadership team. I am so excited to interact with all of our campers and help facilitate an awesome season. My favorite part of camp is creating connections between campers and all the fascinating animals that call the zoo home, like Bobbi the sea turtle. I am extremely passionate about all things reptiles and am looking forward to celebrating our Sea Turtle Saving Summer!

My name is Adi and this summer I am most excited to learn more about ecology and the species we have here at the Zoo. My favorite animals are penguins!

My name is Ainsley, and I am excited to share animal stories with all of the campers this summer. My favorite animal is the Tapir.

My name is Amanda, and I am looking forward to touring the new Galapagos exhibit with my camp groups. I have a soft spot for rhinoceros and when I’m not at camp I have a variety of interests like gardening with native plants, swimming, birdwatching, photography, hiking and more.

My name is Amber and this summer I am excited to learn new information alongside my campers. When I’m not at the Zoo, I enjoy hiking, biking and camping.

My name is Amy, and I am looking forward to sharing my love of wildlife conservation with campers that have the same passion for animals. I love to visit the Giant River Otters and watch them play.

My name is Arani, and I am excited to meet all the campers and share my knowledge and love of nature with them. Outside of work, I like to go climbing with my friends or hang out with my dogs.

My name is Brenley, and I am looking forward to getting to know my camp groups this summer. I can’t wait to show them the One Ocean Tank in the Galapagos exhibit.

My name is Cailyn, and I am looking forward to making connections with all of my campers this summer. I enjoy doing a lot of outdoor activities, but my favorites are going to the river and beach.

My name is Caitlin, and I can’t wait to make memories with my campers this summer. My favorite animals at the Zoo are the Gorillas.

My name is Chris, and I am thrilled for another summer filled with daily discussions and engaging with the world we and are animal friends inhabit.

My name is Claire and this summer I’m excited to teach kids about what I love most! Animals! My favorite animals are a three-way tie between Virginia opossums, gorillas, and manatees.

My name is Dayanara, and I am excited to meet all of our campers and create fun and memorable moments this summer! I am looking forward to taking my campers through Galapagos.

My name is Deborah and I’m excited to share cool animal facts and conservation stories with our campers. I also can’t wait to see all the baby animals that have been born this year at the zoo!

My name is Fabiana and am excited to meet the campers this summer! My top two favorite animals are sea otters and capybara’s, and I can’t wait to take my camp groups through the Pantanal exhibit.

My name is Grace and I look forward to meeting my camp group and showing them what Camp Zoofari is all about. When I’m not at the Zoo, I love going on nature walks, off-roading and zip-lining!

My name is Jake and I am most excited to create a connection between our campers and the wildlife around them. My favorite animal is the Asian Elephant.

My name is Jay and I am excited to share more about the Zoo and the animals with my campers. My favorite animals are the primates, but I think the gorillas have my favorite exhibit.

My name is Jenny, and I am looking forward to exploring and guiding the campers around the different exhibits, especially the Galapagos. My favorite animals are black bears.

My name is Jessica and I am really excited about spending time in the Galapagos and learning about all the new animals alongside my campers.

My name is Jodie and I am looking forward on taking my campers through the Galapagos exhibit. I also love watching the Gorillas interact with each other, and can’t wait to share more about the Zoo.

My name is Joey and I excited about some of our new camp themes, and taking campers through the Galapagos exhibit. My favorite outdoor activity other than the zoo is golfing, coaching softball, and just relaxing in my yard.

My name is Julia and I most excited to learn alongside my campers as we visit all of the animals in the Zoo. Outside of work, I love to go horseback riding, skiing, and fishing!

My name is Julia, and I am excited about sharing animal stories with the campers and hearing their own stories as well. My favorite animals at the Zoo are Berani the Tiger and Khaos the Chimpanzee.

My name is Julss and I am looking forward to taking my camp groups through the Galapagos exhibit. My favorite outdoor activity is going to my home country and running around trails and visiting waterfalls. I enjoy running and staying active as much as I can.

My name is Kathleen, and I am looking forward to teaching my camp group about conservation and encouraging them to be more resourceful. My favorite animal is the Gopher tortoise and I love exploring outside and identifying bugs and plants.

My name is Kat, and I am excited about this season of Camp Zoofari and learning and getting inspired at the zoo! Sea Lions are favorite animal at the Houston Zoo.

My name is Katlyn, and I am excited about learning new things about the animals and getting to share the excitement of the Zoo with the campers! My favorite animal is the Sea Lion.

My name is Kay, and I am looking forward to learning more about animals this summer. My favorite animal at the Zoo is the flamingo and I love to go hiking.

My name is Kimberly, and I am looking forward to teaching and interacting with Zoofari campers and creating a fun learning experience for them. My favorite animal is the lion.

My name is Laken and this summer I am most excited to be teaching the next generation about conservation, animals and having fun. My favorite animal is the river otter.

My name is Lauren, and I am so excited to ignite the spark of interest in wildlife in future generations like Camp Zoofari did for me as a camper. Outside of work, I sail for my college team where I get to see manatees and dolphins swimming right alongside our boats.

My name is Lien, and I am looking forward to exploring the new exhibits and inspiring future animal scientists with cool animal facts. My favorite animal is the octopus, and my favorite exhibit is the Pantanal.

My name is Mady and this summer I am looking forward to teaching my campers more about the animals at the Zoo. I love all of the Big Cats at the Houston Zoo.

My name is Maia, and I am excited to share with our campers a love for the environment and all of the amazing animals at the zoo! My favorite exhibit at the zoo is probably a tie between the giant river otters and the orangutans.

My name is Marcus, and I am excited to spend the summer helping campers have an amazing camp experience. Chuckwallas are my favorite animals and outside of the Zoo I love spending time on the beach.

My name is Melissa, and I am very excited about the new Galapagos Islands exhibit and sharing it with our campers. The sea lions have always been one of my favorite animal experiences at the Houston Zoo.

My name is Melissa, and I am most excited to spend time at the zoo teaching my campers all about animals! My favorite exhibit is the reptile house! I really love tortoises, pythons and monitor lizards!

My name is Melissa, and I am living out a childhood dream getting to work at the Zoo this summer. I am excited to share my love of animals with the campers this summer, especially the gorillas.

My name is Micah, and I am excited to be at the zoo every day! I grew up going to the Houston Zoo and have so many memories there. My favorite exhibit is the South America Pantanal with the Giant River Otters and the new Capybara pups- it is so much fun and an amazing experience.

My name is Naydelin, and I am looking forward to connecting with my campers and fellow camp guides this summer. My favorite exhibit is the otters! I love going to see them anytime I’m at the zoo and they’re always so fun to watch!

My name is Sarah, and I am excited about teaching our campers about conservation awareness and helping the next generation understand how they can have a positive impact! I think all otters are otterly adorable.

My name is Taisa, and I am excited to have the opportunity to teach AND learn in a fun environment. My favorite animals are Tapirs, and outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and dancing!

My name is Theo and I am excited to teach the campers in my group this summer. My favorite animal would be our new cougars- Shasta and Louie. I am a big UH cougars fan. Go Coogs!!

My name is Vanessa, and I am looking forward to another summer at the Zoo. I love elephants and capybaras!

My name is Xavier, and I am excited to be at Camp Zoofari this summer. My favorite animal has to be the jaguar and my favorite exhibit is the Pantanal!