Cohort 1 Empathy Champions Share-Outs

Empathy Champions are Members or Affiliates who are active in the ACE for Wildlife Network, passionate about empathy work, interested in peer-to-peer outreach, seeking professional development opportunities to develop leadership, communications, partnership development, and advocacy skills, and are interested in recruitment in support of ACE for Wildlife Network goals. This new leadership program helps develop the skills of Network participants who are passionate about championing empathy for wildlife to new audiences.

This resource includes the video recording project share-outs, and materials for each of our cohort 1 Empathy Champions. You can read their project descriptions below:

• Cher Vatalaro’s (Lehigh Valley Zoo) project aimed to not only inspire students to become more impactful conservation leaders but provide them with opportunities to practice critical skills that will help them become successful science communicators.
• Erin Tone’s (Lake Superior Zoo) project focused on partnering with a local hospital to bring empathy informed animal programming to patients. In recognizing that empathy is a core tenet of the zoo and hospital’s work, Erin was inspired by the opportunities for this collaboration to bring joy and a sense of community through meaningful connections to animals and the natural world.
• Courtney Cordova (Henry Vilas Zoo) focused on creating empathy-based professional development for environmental educators in southern Wisconsin who collaborate with the Nature Everywhere Initiative. Courtney hoped that by centering empathy, curiosity, and relationship-building, this project strengthened the impact of environmental education across organizations. 
• Shana Kent (Alaska SeaLife Center) focused on developing empathy training tools and resources for wildlife tour operators in Seward, AK to enhance how they interpret about wildlife with an empathy lens. Shana hoped this project helped tourists better understand and experience Alaska’s ecosystems and responsibility we all have to making the world a better place.