Staff Members

Scott Hendrickson - Conservation Husbandry Specialist

About Scott Hendrickson – Conservation Husbandry Specialist

Scott is a Conservation Husbandry Specialist for theTurtleRoom. Scott has been working with reptiles and amphibians since childhood. His keen interest in chelonians started early and he was lucky enough to have parents that donated their time taking Scott looking for herps in the field, scouring every pet shop in the New York area and visiting zoos, museums and aquariums. Scott was inspired by the writings and work of Gerald Durrell at a young age and recognized the value of assurance colonies and captive breeding as an active ex-situ conservation tool. Scott has a degree in Biology and worked as a wildlife educator at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ.

Some of Scott’s current projects include Sternotherus carinatus, Cuora amboinensis kamarona, Cuora flavomarginata, Rhinoclemmys punctularia, Kinixys homeana, Malacochersus tornieri, Chelodina longicollis, Chelodina mccordi, Chelodina parkeri, and Pelusios nanus. His group of C. flavomarginata is part of the TSA Taxon Management Group for the species.

Scott is a member of The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, the TTPG, and the TSA. His avocation is to do his part in the conservation of endangered chelonians. Scott is also a founding board member of The Anxiety and Depressions Initiative, a 501c3 organization that promotes the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle while living with anxiety, depression and related disorders.

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Kevin Minto - Video Production Coordinator

About Kevin Minto – Video Production Coordinator

Kevin is the Video Production Coordinator for theTurtleRoom. He is responsible for creating and producing (with the help of other team members) the educational content that you see on theTurtleRoom’s YouTube channel and also provides support to the Senior Director. Kevin was introduced to turtles at a very young age from his older brother who kept them as pets. Growing up there were always turtles in and out of the house. Having spent twenty years filming and editing skateboarding, he now brings his passion for film to chelonians. Kevin primarily works with Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin ssp.) and North American Box Turtles (Terrepene sp.). Kevin’s passions outside of turtles are his family, skateboarding, biking, kayaking, hiking and film. Kevin lives in the Northeast with his wife, two daughters, three dogs, and their bale of turtles.

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Michaela Wiersema - Staff Writer, Senior Keeper

About Michaela Wiersema – Staff Writer, Senior Keeper

Michaela has been an avid reptile enthusiast for as long as she can remember and has been keeping multiple species for more than a decade. Her passion for chelonians in particular began about ten years ago when she was gifted with a newly hatched Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina). This fueled a love for Terrapene that eventually expanded to many other species. She currently works with Indotestudo forstenii (Forsten’s Tortoise) and Manouria emys emys (Asian Brown Forest Tortoise), and has worked with over thirty other species. A guest speaker at several reptile events and regular REPTILES magazine author, she loves to share her passion for chelonians with others. Michaela is pursuing a career as a medical doctor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and is also a dedicated marathoner and horse trainer.

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Casey Leone - Field Project Manager

About Casey Leone – Field Project Manager

Casey serves as as a Field Project Manager for theTurtleRoom, focused on running the Terrapin Conservation Initiative. Casey has been a zoo keeper and agriculture specialist at Six Flags Safari, working with many different species both marine and land. Using positive reinforcement, animal training plays a large role in her position at work. She is able to work hands on with a wide array of species that include Giant Anteater, Giant Aldabra Tortoise, Barn Owl, and many more. With her background in horticulture, Casey will also be designing and maintaining a large garden, using recycled material, to both feed and enrich the lives of many different species at the safari. At home, she is second in command at Garden State Tortoise, with her husband Chris. Her current project is raising Chelonoidis nigra and Aldabrachelys gigantea. Together they maintain over 50 different species and subspecies of turtles and tortoises from around the globe.

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Lisa Enders - Treasurer

About Lisa Enders – Treasurer

Lisa is a CPA with over sixteen years of public accounting experience and a Master of Taxation degree Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. She is currently the Tax Innovation Leader for a large regional public accounting firm in Pennsylvania. From 2013-2019, she was the Treasurer of a local organization with an annual budget of more than $600,000.

Lisa was introduced to turtles when she met her husband, Steve, and for the last 15+ years has continued to be lured in by the unbearably cute little hatchlings. Her favorite species are Geoemyda spengleri (Vietnamese Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle), Sacalia quadriocellata (Four-Eyed Turtle), and Sacalia bealei (Beal’s Eyed Turtle). In her spare time, Lisa enjoys spending time with Steve, reading, knitting, crocheting, gardening, and snuggling with their three cats.

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Rodney Lewis - Copy and Photo Editor

About Rodney Lewis – Copy and Photo Editor

Having helped establish the World Turtle News, Rodney has recently moved into the role of Copy and Photo Editor bringing together his strong communication skills with his love of photography. Rodney is particularly keen on street photography using the backdrop of London City where he works. He can be found on instagram as @justscreaming.

He currently performs Unix administration for the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences at King’s College London. A role that he enjoys immensely as IT support in the academic field allows him to build bespoke solutions and flex his IT problem solving muscles.

Unusually for a Brit, Rodney is a keen baseball fan and follows the New York Mets. Rodney lives in Chelmsford, Essex, UK with his wife Becky, two cats and the Hermann’s Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) Kaiju that sparked his love of Chelonia.

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Andrew Hermes, Board Member and Special Projects Assistant

About Andrew Hermes – Board Member, Special Projects Assistant

Andrew Hermes is the creator of Arizona Tortoise Compound where he is 100% dedicated to the captive care and breeding of over 40 different tortoise species/subspecies and also works with a handful of freshwater turtle species. Continuing to learn and better himself as a tortoise caretaker, Andrew is an active member in the tortoise community by contributing to many different tortoise organizations, rescues, forums, and captive tortoise breeding efforts. He participates in AZA Studbooks and SSPs, and has set up an adoption program to rescue and rehome native Arizona Desert Tortoises (Gopherus morafkai). For theTurtleRoom, Andrew fills several roles including Board Member and Special Projects Assistant. Articles written by Andrew can be found in REPTILES magazine, Radiata Journal, TortoiseForum.org, and ReptileApartment.com. Furthermore, Andrew is a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance, Turtle & Tortoise Preservation Group, and The Turtle Conservancy. Visit him and his amazing chelonians at arizonatortoisecompound.com.

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Chris Leone - Conservation Husbandry Specialist

About Chris Leone – Conservation Husbandry Specialist

Chris is a Conservation Husbandry Specialist for theTurtleRoom and owner of Garden State Tortoise. He has kept and bred turtles and tortoises for nearly 30 years. Chris is also an author, speaker and presenter concerning chelonian species and their care. He maintains long-standing relationships with fish and wildlife agencies, zoos, and organizations while handling many of New Jersey’s rescues concerning unwanted turtles and tortoises. Along with his wife Casey, he started the Terrapin Conservation Initiative, one of theTurtleRoom’s field programs. Chris is also the coordinator for the Western Hermann’s Tortoise North American Regional Studbook. Chris devotes much of his life to caring for these animals, traveling to educate others about them and remains prominent on social media.

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John Weir - The Pondcast Creator

About John Weir – The Pondcast Creator

John is the Creator and original Co-Host of The Pondcast, theTurtleRoom’s monthly video podcast. He has been a reptile enthusiast for his entire life, starting with Sunday trips to reptile shows with his father as a boy. John has worked with various species of reptiles throughout his life including many species of snake, gecko and turtles. Most recently he has worked with the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), Mata Mata (Chelus fimbriata) and Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria). Throughout life John has been very passionate about raising awareness for issues related to human interaction with all types of fauna, especially our little coldblooded friends. John’s other passion is basketball, and most times you run into him, you can be sure reptiles or a basketball court are nearby.

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