Dushanbe Zoo, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Black Pine Animal Park, Albion, Indiana

Profiles:

U.S. Participants

Lori Gagen, Director of Development, Black Pine Animal Park

Lori began volunteering at Black Pine in 1995 at the park’s gift shop, and in 2006, she joined the permanent staff as Director of Development. In addition to generating new sources of funding, she also is Black Pine’s webmaster, assists the Senior Zookeeper with daily husbandry routines, develops new educational programs, promotes park programs and events, and coordinates the volunteer program. A diverse background in administration, customer service, and information technology provide Lori with the many hats necessary when working in a zoo with only three paid staff members.

Jessica Price, Senior Zookeeper, Black Pine Animal Park

Jessica, who began volunteering at Black Pine when she was just 14 years old, was inspired to choose a career path working with animals. Later, as a volunteer at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, her duties included day-to-day zookeeping, training and supervising volunteers, and educating zoo visitors. Since returning to Black Pine, Jess manages the entire animal husbandry program for over 47 exotic and endangered species, manages the park’s enrichment and student intern program, supervises more than 40 volunteers on a daily basis, and maintains all animal healthcare records. She graduated with a B.S. in Zoo Science from Friends University in Kansas.

Joshua Price, Operations Manager, Black Pine Animal Park

Joshua, who came to Black Pine with 13 years of operations experience from the Sedgwick County Zoo, oversaw the rebuilding of Black Pine during the tk-2007 relocation project. Currently, he designs and oversees the construction and maintenance of animal habitats and service buildings at the park.

Roger V. Kovacs, Software Lead, NEXCOM Project, ITT Industries

Roger is passionate about bringing computer technology to youth around the world by providing mentoring, management, consulting, training, administration, and financial support for projects in collaboration with his peers in other countries. His area of greatest interest geographically is Tajikistan. Roger volunteers as President and Manager of daily operations of Khujand Computer Technologies, whose mission is to facilitate the training of computer technology to teens throughout the world, and he also donates his time at the Allen County Public Library as a math and science tutor. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for 30 years during which time he received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Masters of Engineering from the Space Operations University of Colorado.

Non-U.S. Participants

Nazaraly Sattorov, Director, Dushanbe Zoo Park

Nazaraly has a history of working across borders; he has participated in exchanges at Moscow and Uzbekistan zoos, which helped to broaden the experiences he gained as a senior researcher at the Veterinary Science Research Institute, a researcher the Central Asia Institute of Foot and Mouth Disease, and as the Deputy Director of the Republic of Tajikistan’s Science Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Veterinary Science and Inspection. He currently oversees all zoo operations as director of the Dushanbe Zoo. Nazaraly studied veterinary science at the Agrarian University of Tajikistan and is in the process of earning his graduate degree in Moscow.

Victor M. Ibragimov, Director, Youth Opportunities NGO

Victor creates modern computer educational centers for public schools and universities and develops computer-based education programs in the Tajik language to assist Tajik youth in the development of their intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural abilities. As a part of this work, he coordinates an international electronic-based pen pal program between Tajik students and American students from Fort Wayne, the correspondence from which initiated the MCCA project. He also heads up the School Days Tajik Linux Users Group, which procures Tajik and Russian translations of educational computer software for local schools. Victor holds a diploma in International Management from the Institute of Enterprise and Service in Dushanbe.