Staff Members

Derek joined theTurtleRoom staff in March 2020 as part of the Social Media team where he assists with content posting. He is liaison for inquiries submitted to theTurtleRoom and recently branched out into writing.

Derek has always passionately advocated for saving native turtle species. He created his own turtle rescue operation from his home in 2017 called TheTurtleFellow. His mission was to help aid his local community with any turtle-related issues. Finding emergency veterinary care, answering pet turtle questions, or simply moving an angry snapping turtle are examples of Derek’s volunteer commitment.

After joining theTurtleRoom, Derek feels he is more equipped than ever and is grateful to have joined a family of friends with the similar goal to save our native turtles! He presently resides in West Virginia where he keeps a Leopard Tortoise, Eastern Painted Turtles, and Box Turtles. He looks forward to being more involved with the captive husbandry side of theTurtleRoom as well.

Zachary works as a Social Media Educator for theTurtleRoom (tTR) and also cares for several animals in tTR’s assurance colonies. His passion for reptiles started as a small boy in front of the television watching and admiring the legendary Australian herpetologist, Steve Irwin. Throughout middle school, he would feed and care for a biology teacher’s Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), Eastern King Snake (Lampropeltis getula), and various large South American Cichlids. Boyscout camping trips filled many of Zachary’s childhood weekends and scouting for native Georgia turtles was always first on his list of things to do!

Chelonians truly became his focus in high school when he read a book about turtles which greatly increased his appreciation for them and where he learned about their true plight in today’s world. In addition to a growing group of chelonians, Zachary is also passionate about amphibians and has many exotic salamanders under his care.