Conservation Education and Science
NATURE EXCHANGE

CONTACT US

We would love to hear from you. Drop us a note or say hello next time you visit. You are our guest in the Lacerte Family Children's Zoo! Email us at natureexchange@dallaszooed.com, and let us know how we can make the most of your visit.

Come meet the Staff! Introducing the Interpretive Staff of the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo:

  • Rick was born into a military family and has lived in eight different states within the United States and in Turkey. Since collecting his first rock at age three, (which he still has) he has never lost his passion for collecting cool rocks. A geology degree from Centenary College and graduate studies at Miami University (Ohio) led to work searching for oil in Louisiana and Arkansas and teaching Earth Science in Louisiana and Ohio. Rick met a Texas lady on a white-water rafting trip in Colorado, married her, and moved to Dallas in 1998. A career as Mr. Mom followed when he and his wife welcomed the birth of twin boys. Returning to work, Rick joined the Dallas Zoo in 2003. Rick is an active member of the Dallas Paleontological Society, the Dallas and Oak Cliff Gem and Mineral Societies, and the North Texas Conchological (Seashell) Society.
  • Lisa has been working as a naturalist/educator for the past ten years with the goal of getting people to appreciate their everyday environment. Lead interpreter in the Nature Exchange is the perfect job. Lisa started her career leading hikes at the Dallas Nature Center, she then moved to the Dallas Museum of Natural History where she was privileged to work with some great general naturalists including Chuck Finsley and the late Brian Barnett. For the last four years, Lisa has been working in the Nature Exchange. Although her degree is in acting, Lisa comes from a multi-generational science family featuring mainly a geologist with an astronomer thrown in.
  • Gerald was born in Fort Worth, TX, the same year as the Lake Lewisville Dam completion. After moving to Lewisville at the age of three, Gerald and his brothers spent countless hours hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and exploring their new surroundings. To this day, Gerald still enjoys exploring the great outdoors. His other hobbies include art and attracting wildlife to his own backyard.
  • Melissa is the youngest member of the LFCZ team. She has always had a passion for zoos and is currently an undergraduate student studying biology. When she doesn't have her nose in a textbook, Melissa enjoys learning about mythology, aquatic animals and listening to her traders' amazing stories.
  • Vicki is a writer, teacher and mom. Her plays have been produced Off-Off-Broadway and across the country. She loves hanging out with the Zoo’s ponies, reading stories in the Discovery House, and performing educational shows in the amphitheater.