Our Staff

The Animal Educators

Our animal educators have a variety of backgrounds and experience. They each bring something unique with their love of animals!

A smiling individual is holding four ferrets

Alex

Role: Founder and Owner, Director of Accounting & Human Resources, Animal Educator
Native to: North Eastern United States
Favorite Activities: Dancing, Rock Climbing, and anything dinosaur-related.
History: Alex graduated with a Masters in Social Work in 2017. Alex has worked in a pet store, a natural history museum, and a variety of social work related jobs that include working with adults with developmental disabilities and crisis response. Alex hopes to be able to provide animal assisted therapy in the near future.

Pets on Wheels Volunteer: Alex is part of a pet therapy team with our qualified ferrets and parrots. Alex visits hospice patients, day programs for adults with disabilities, and charity events.

Victor

Role: Social Media Manager & Animal Caretaker
Native to: Colombia
Favorite Activities: Dance, Soccer (playing and watching), and cooking
History: In Colombia, Victor graduated from culinary school and worked as a model and a chef. Victor arrived in the United States in 2017 and has been working in construction. He enjoys playing soccer and watching his favorite teams.

Language: Spanish

A young woman is holding a grey bunny on her shoulder

Bethanie

Role: Animal Caretaker & Animal Educator since 2016
Area(s) of Expertise: Bunnies, Chinchillas, & Animal Training Techniques
Native to: East Coast of the United States
Favorite Activities: Learning new things, teaching her pets tricks, playing video games
History: Bethanie moved to the east coast when she was 12 years old. She has always had a passion for animals. She has a background in positive reinforcement training and she strives to better the lives of animals around her. She shares her home with a rescue bunny and a cat. At Ferrets and Friends, Bethanie provides animal care and fills in as an educator when needed.

A man looks amused as a boa constrictor wraps around his shoulder and rests on his head

Dre

Role: Animal Educator since 2016
Area(s) of Expertise: Invertebrates, Amphibians, Reptiles, Rats, and Animal Training Techniques
Native to: East Coast of the United States
Favorite Activities: Snowboarding, concerts, and exploring nature. His favorite animals to work with are the reptiles!
History: Dre worked with animals for over 5 years in a pet store setting before coming to Ferrets and Friends. He plans to go to school for art and photography. He spends most of his time making music, training his dogs, and working with his own collection of reptiles. At Ferrets and Friends, Dre is the most frequently requested educator due to his charisma and engaging presentation style.

A young woman smiles while holding one lizard to her chest while a chameleon rests on her head

Ali

Role: Animal Caretaker since 2017, Animal Educator 2017-2020
Area(s) of Expertise: Exotic Animal Health & Wellness, Veterinary Care
Native to: New England
Favorite Activities: Reading, cross stitching and crafting, traveling to see friends and family
History: Ali has always loved animals and currently works as a veterinary technician, where she gets to work with many different animal species. She currently has three cats and a rescue turtle. The Ferrets and Friends staff all agree that Ali has the most energy and is great with kids.

Donte

Role: Animal Educator since 2019
Area(s) of Expertise: Invertebrates, Amphibians, Reptiles
Native to: North America
Favorite Activities: Watching movies
History: Donte is currently attending school to study biology. His goal is to become a herpetologist.

Rebecca

Role: Seasonal Animal Educator since 2018
Area(s) of Expertise: Equine Care & Training
Native to: East Coast of the United States
Favorite Activities: Riding horses and teaching lessons
History: Rebecca has been assisting with our summer camp programs since 2018.

Upper Management

An orange tabby cat sits, appearing to be talking, with a mug in front of her and a stack of business books to her left

Peach

Role: CEO (Cat Executive Officer)
Native to: The Ferrets and Friends Zoo
Favorite Activities: Cat-egorizing office supplies, consulting expert ferrets, advocating for shorter sleep cycles
History: Peach had some concerns when she started managing the human team, but she feels she has found a balance between keeping her humans challenged and motivated.

Dexter

Role: CFO (Chief Feline Officer)
Native to: The Eastern Shore
Favorite Activities: Playing with the ferrets, watching the doves, and exploring.
History: Dexter is a blind siamese mix who left his previous home and joined Ferrets and Friends at seven years old. He quickly learned the rope and is excited to bring his own management style.