Dr. Tracey Tuberville brings over 30 years of deep expertise in the ecology, management, and recovery of long-lived reptiles to the Turtle Survival Alliance Board of Directors. Her relationship with the TSA comes full circle; in 2001, Tracey was on the front lines participating in the massive turtle confiscation that originally catalyzed the formation of the Alliance. Since then, she has watched the organization evolve into a premier global force for field-based conservation and is thrilled to formally guide its mission.
Tracey currently serves as a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL), an institution she has been dedicated to in various research capacities since 1993. Her work primarily leverages rigorous, experimental science to optimize conservation translocations and reintroductions as practical tools for population recovery. Heavily invested in the future of the field, Tracey has mentored 18 graduate students and dozens of field technicians, translating academic inquiry into active, on-the-ground conservation success.
A widely respected voice in herpetology, Tracey has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed scientific papers and co-authored the book Turtles of the Southeast alongside Kurt Buhlmann and Whit Gibbons. Her research interests span across applied conservation, using ecological genetics (microsatellite markers) to decode turtle behavior, and understanding the impacts of environmental contaminants through ecotoxicology. Her career is anchored by long-term, collaborative partnerships with a diverse matrix of public and private stakeholders.
Tracey holds a Bachelor of Science from Furman University, as well as a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development and a Ph.D. in Ecology, both from the University of Georgia. She previously served as an Adjunct Scientist for the Riverbanks Zoo and a Natural Areas Conservation Planner for the Virginia Department of Conservation.