SEATTLE, Wash. – The Seattle Aquarium welcomes Lisa Hartman as its new Vice President of Animal Care.
“Lisa’s experience in marine conservation will be invaluable for our team,” said Dr. Erin Meyer, the Chief Conservation Officer at the Seattle Aquarium. “We are thrilled to leverage her distinctive expertise with our mammals, invertebrates and fish here in Seattle.”
Hartman is the former husbandry director of the Alaska SeaLife Center based in Seward, Alaska. She has also helped lead the Center’s Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation efforts for three accreditation cycles.
At SeaLife Center, Hartman was charged with overseeing fish, invertebrate, avian, and marine mammals. She also led the Center’s wildlife response team and partner collaborations for sea otter placements internationally and domestically. The SeaLife Center also specializes in training partners to rescue marine animals injured by oil spills.
“I’m very excited to join the talented team at Seattle Aquarium working to protect our oceans and further conservation efforts both locally and internationally,” said Lisa. “The Seattle Aquarium is positioned to make substantial contributions in conservation with its regenerative plan, species recovery work, and ocean policy work to drive support for environmental protections.
In September 2017, Hartman was part of the multi-facility collaborative effort which garnered media attention for the work to help save Tyonek, a stranded and critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga calf. Her efforts have also been featured on Nat Geo Wild’s series Alaska Animal Rescue and profiled in Alaska’s local media. The Nat Geo series features dedicated first responders, veterinarians and animal caretakers from the Alaska SeaLife Center, the Alaska Raptor Center and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to respond to animals in need.
“I have worked in the aquarium and marine conservation world for 26 years, predominantly focused on Gulf of Alaska and Arctic marine mammals,” Lisa said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to work and learn more about Indo-Pacific species that will inhabit the Ocean Pavilion and support our one world ocean.”
Hartman emphasizes that connecting people to marine conservation is crucial to building empathy for marine life and the ocean they call home.
“The Seattle Aquarium brings people together to imagine what is possible for our ocean’s future,” said Hartman. “We all have a chance to make a difference whether we are working to save an animal, a species or a marine ecosystem. Connecting people to that mission is what Aquariums like Seattle do best.”
About the Seattle Aquarium:
Founded in 1977, the Seattle Aquarium is a conservation organization working to regenerate the health of Earth’s one ocean. We work among global leaders to advance animal wellbeing, marine and ecosystem science, public policy, field conservation, education, and species recovery programs that benefit the ocean. Help support the Aquarium’s mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.
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