Made up of mainly zoo and aquarium professionals, the Advancing Conservation through Empathy (ACE) for Wildlife Network brings together motivated individuals and organizations to strengthen how accredited institutions create, use and evaluate practices to foster empathy for wildlife and people, leading to conservation actions.
Our founding region is made up of 20 AZA accredited zoos and aquariums in 7-states (Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin), and we have Network Affiliates throughout the United States and internationally. The Network was created in 2019 based on the foundational work done by Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium, and Woodland Park Zoo
ACE Network Associates:
Marta Burnet, Director of Advancing Empathy
Marta Burnet (she/her) discovered the power of empathy for wildlife at a bat talk at a campsite in a Montana state park and has been passionate about this work ever since. She has spent the last five years focused on fostering empathy for wildlife first at Seattle Aquarium and now at Woodland Park Zoo, where she leads the Advancing Empathy team. Marta has a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington, where she focused on the diffusion of innovations, and an MA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She got her start in grant development and management over 20 years ago in international community engagement and advocacy, then higher education, and has truly found her home in wildlife conservation. In her free time, you can find her attending musicals or walking in the woods…where she is probably (quietly) singing musicals.
Emily Bernhardt, Empathy Network Specialist
Emily (she/her) has a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Michigan State University and started working in the zoo field the day the U.S. declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic (no other first day on the job will quite compare). Prior to her time working in zoos, Emily was a muddy and sunburnt outdoor educator in the South Carolina salt marshes and tracked down spotted hyenas as a field research assistant. With a penchant for misunderstood animals, Emily is always looking for ways to get other people excited about n(e)ature! When she’s not working, you can find Emily planning her next backpacking trip, rock climbing, or throwing pottery in her quest to create the perfect bread bowl.
Sydney Dratel, MA. Empathy Grants Specialist (she/her)
In 2016, Sydney made her way from New York to Seattle to study at the University of Washington, earning her MA in Museology. Prior to joining the staff at Woodland Park Zoo, Sydney spent three years building and managing the grants program at the Holocaust Center for Humanity. In her role as Empathy Grants Specialist, she loves building relationships with grantees and helping them gain the skills and capacity to thrive. Outside of work, Sydney likes petting her cat Violet, frequenting the farmers market, going to the library, and drinking all the coffee Seattle has to offer.
Sarah Panciroli, Advancing Empathy Coordinator
Sarah Panciroli (she/her) moved from North Bend to Seattle in 2017 to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology at the University of Washington. During her schooling, she developed a deep passion for sea creatures while working at the Burke Museum fish collection as a lab assistant. Prior to joining the zoo, Sarah worked as an Environmental Educator and discovered her love for connecting people to nature and promoting environmental stewardship in communities. Outside of work, Sarah volunteers as a Habitat Interpreter at the Seattle Aquarium, and enjoys spending time in her garden.
Laurel Abbotts, Grants Manager
Laurel Abbotts (she/her) manages the Learning & Innovation department’s portfolio of grant funded projects. She started out as a process engineer with a degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Washington but quickly transitioned to focus on project management, specifically at organizations working to make the world a better place. She has 10 years of experience overseeing projects in manufacturing engineering, zoos/aquariums, and public health research. She’s excited about learning and complex problem-solving. When she’s not building a spreadsheet for work, she’s probably making one to help her plan out next year’s garden or she’s trying to teach her 12-year-old dog new tricks.
Theo Bamberger, Evaluation Specialist
Theo Bamberger (they/them) chased a love of big trees and cloudy weather from Southern California to Seattle where they earned their M.Ed. in Science Education at the University of Washington. They love studying how people think, learn, and come to care about the environment and have explored the topic through various social science research projects, primarily with the Social Ecology Lab at Stanford University where they earned their B.S. in Earth Systems. As an Evaluation Specialist at Woodland Park Zoo, Theo explores how empathy is being implemented both at the zoo and across the Network, and they are always excited to talk about data. When they’re not geeking out over a good graph, Theo is often playing sousaphone in one of their two brass bands, creating nature-themed art, or hanging out with their goofball cat, Gizmo.
Mary Jackson, Manager of Audience Research & Evaluation
Mary (she/her) has been working in informal conservation learning spaces for over 20 years. Her earlier experiences working in field ecology, ornithology, and environmental education catalyzed her curiosity about the development of people’s relationships with nature and ultimately led her to the field of evaluation and social science research. Since then, Mary has led numerous evaluation projects focused on topics such as behavior change, science identity, and the role of empathy and other emotions in connecting to wildlife. When she’s not thinking about data, she enjoys camping in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and exploring the culinary world by binging on videos from YouTube chefs.