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.

Anthony was the "Best of 2017" Editor's Choice for "Chelonia Personality of the Year" by The Reptile Report. As the Senior Director of theTurtleRoom, Anthony oversees educational efforts, including video and audio media production, like The Pondcast. Anthony has also written a book on the Geoemyda genus, published by Living Art Publishing as part of their “Turtles of the World” series, and several articles in magazines such as including REPTILES, The BATAGUR, Testudo (Italian), and RADIATA (German).

Anthony has a B.A. from Rhode Island College and works in management for VCA Animal Hospitals. He lives in the Northeast with his wife, Shannon, and daughters, Cambria and Maddalena. He and his family are often on the move, giving turtle presentations at schools, nature and science centers, herpetological societies and conferences.

Chris is the Director of Animal Husbandry 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.

Kevin is an Educational Resource Developer for theTurtleRoom. His work includes writing articles, developing software and computer tools, 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 is currently a post-doctoral fellow 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.

Robbie Robinson

Robbie has always loved animals and developed a passion for turtles early in life. During high school, he kept and bred a number of different turtle species. However, over the past several years he has cut back on the number of turtles he keeps to focus on a few select species — primarily Kinosternon flavescens which he has been keeping for just over 12 years now. Robbie has a B.S. in Biology and is currently in his last year of Medical School. Robbie is a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance and Turtle & Tortoise Preservation Group as well as TurtleForum.com.

Steve is the President, Executive Director, and Founder of theTurtleRoom (tTR), a husband, teacher, athlete, and musician. He has well over a decade of experience with turtle husbandry and has worked with more than 45 different species. As President and Executive Director, Steve has overall strategic and operational responsibility for tTR’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution/achievement of its mission and goals. He also takes on leadership and assistant roles on individual projects within the four departments of tTR; it would be impossible to list them in such a short bio. Steve completed his Master of Education Degree in Mathematics in 2018 and holds two Bachelor of Art Degrees in Music and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (the equivalent of a third Bachelor’s degree). When Steve is not working on projects for tTR, he can be found teaching, relaxing with his wife Lisa, watching sports, playing music, or building Star Wars LEGOs.