Debbie started her zoo career at Sea World of Florida in 1986 in the Aviculture Department.

While there she assisted in the opening of the new Penguin Habitat (Rockhopper, Gentoo, Chinstrap, King, Macaroni, and Adelie) and the new alcid habitat (Tufted Puffin, Atlantic Puffin, and Common Murre), as well as working with a diverse collection of birds from flamingos to psittacines (parrots and their relatives).  In 1993 she started at the North Carolina Zoo as the bird supervisor, overseeing the Aviary, the avian breeding and holding facility, and the new alcid habitat in the North America section that opened in 1995. In 2009 she was promoted to Curator of Birds.  

Program Description: Birds at the Zoo:  Reducing window collisions, conservation projects around the world, and what to expect now that the aviary has closed.

In addition to the day to day management of the bird collection, tracking bird window collisions at the zoo and finding ways to decrease the number of collisions has been a major focus area for her.

The presentation will cover bird window collisions at the North Carolina Zoo and methods they have used to decrease collisions. She will also give an update on bird habitats at the North Carolina Zoo and avian conservation projects they are involved with.