Staff Members

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.

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.

Kevin is a Senior Developer for theTurtleRoom (tTR). His work includes developing software and computer tools, writing articles, and helping develop other educational resources. Kevin has a special passion for the turtles native to Africa and is the Communications Officer for the African Chelonian Institute.

Kevin received his Doctorate in Computer Science in 2019 from the University of Arkansas and also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in their Social Awareness and Intelligent Learning Lab. He has combined his passion for turtles along with his computer knowledge by initiating the development of theTurtleRoom’s data-keeping software called Digital Chelonian Log (DCL). Even when he isn’t working for ACI, tTR, or on his postdoc, Kevin is still reading articles or books about turtles. His greatest passion is to combine chelonian knowledge with Computer Science techniques to advance turtle conservation and education.