Marc Dupuis-Desormeaux

Marc Dupuis-Desormeaux, President and CEO of Turtle Survival Alliance, is a conservation biologist and a leader with a passion for creating long-term solutions to protect endangered wildlife and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Marc joined the Alliance in 2023.  His goals for the Turtle Survival Alliance are to greatly expand its reach by partnering with stakeholders all over […]

Samantha Nottingham

Samantha brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a proven track record of leading multi-million-dollar campaigns, securing transformational gifts, building national donor engagement strategies, and managing high-performing teams. Before joining TSA in June 2025, she served as Chief Development Officer at Birch Family Services, a leading New York City nonprofit supporting […]

Heather Lambert

Heather joined Turtle Survival Alliance in October of 2023. She has more than 20 years of accounting experience with over 16 focused on nonprofits covering a variety of sectors from early childhood education to the Deaf community and extending to international programs. Originally from Cincinnati, OH she relocated to Tampa to satisfy her love of the sun, beach […]

Andrew Walde

Andrew Walde was an active Board Member of the TSA until 2017 when he resigned his Director’s position to become the TSA’s Chief Operating Officer.  Andrew now coordinates most of the TSA’s day-to-day business, as well as leads the field programs in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and North America.  He was formerly a Research Biologist […]

Dave Collins

Dave joined the Turtle Survival Alliance in July 2021 as Director of North American Turtle Conservation and Program Leader of the AZA SAFE: American Turtle Program. Dave holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the State University of New York at Albany and brings over 40 years of experience in Zoos and Aquariums. He began […]

Natalia Gallego-García, PhD

Natalia Gallego-García is a devoted conservationist and geneticist committed to utilizing cutting-edge molecular tools to steer global conservation efforts for threatened species. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, a Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolution with a specialization in computational biology, and a Ph.D. in Biology with a focus on conservation genomics. Before assuming […]

Carol Alvarez

Carol was born with a love for animals and has always gravitated to the “underdogs.” She was given her first pet turtle at age 7 and by age 9 she was training domestic animals, followed by exotics, and then working with wildlife. She worked for Dr. Seashole as a veterinary technician, followed by clinic manager, […]

Kirstyn Cardwell

Kirstyn Cardwell joined Turtle Survival Alliance as the Administrative Assistant in December 2023, then transitioned into her current role as the Development Coordinator. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Armstrong State University. From a young age, she has been passionate about helping animals and the environment. She has experience working in outdoor education […]

Clinton Doak

Clinton Doak has been interested in reptiles and amphibians for the majority of his life. Growing up in rural Michigan, his passion for herpetofauna started at an early age where he could be found in swamps and ponds looking for turtles. After receiving a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Zoology at Northern Michigan University, he […]

Finn Dooley

Finn originates from the mountains of Colorado, and is now based in Charleston. He is driven by his love of animals and desire to make a positive impact on the world. Bolstered by his background in business administration and finance, Finn joined Turtle Survival Alliance in March of 2024 to assist in finance and data […]

Elena Duran

Elena Duran joined Turtle Survival Alliance in the fall of 2023, working with the development team as the Communications Manager. Motivated by her love for the arts, she received a Master’s Degree in Arts Business from the University of Wisconsin School of Business, Bolz Center for Arts Administration in 2021. Elena has worked in marketing […]

AJ Fetterman

AJ moved from metro Detroit to join the Turtle Survival Center team as a Chelonian Keeper in February of 2023. He has had an appreciation for turtles and tortoises since he was young and has been a supporter of Turtle Survival Alliance for many years. He has spent several years gaining experience in the animal […]