William is the proud Co-Founder of CritterFacts. He has been an entrepreneur for most of his life and thoroughly enjoys bringing ideas to life. The passion that he has for animals has grown exponentially since CritterFacts has come into his life. He spends his days submerged into everything wildlife and environmentally related and loves every minute of it!

Cara, started CritterFacts as a prank. She started it by sending William random text messages with facts about animals. Claiming that she wasn’t sending them, William eventually accepted this as a random subscription. At first, William wasn’t sure what to think, but eventually he was telling his friends and enjoying the knowledge. Thus, CritterFacts was born.

Dani Jensen completed a degree in Marine Biology and Psychology from CSUN. She has been in the animal care and husbandry field for the last 8 years. She is currently working as a founding aquarist at Aquarium at the Boardwalk, a brand new aquarium in Branson, MO that opened in late 2020. Dani grew up in Southern California. During her career she has worked with over 150 species of fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals. She has also worked at facilities all over the country including the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, Los Angeles Zoo, Cameron Park Zoo, Marine Mammal Center, Aquarium of the Bay, Oceans of Fun, Brookfield Zoo, and Discovery World. 

Emily Anne Martin completed her her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management at Humboldt State University in 2015. Since graduating, she has worked as a sage grouse research field technician for the University of Nevada Reno and as a biological science technician for the USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Service in Honolulu Hawaii. After discovering her passion for habitat restoration and ecosystem mitigation she now works as a crew leader for a local habitat restoration firm in Tigard Oregon. When she’s not working or spending time outdoors she engages in her favorite creative past-time: art!

Maggie Worden completed a degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Delaware Valley University. Throughout college and since graduation she has had many experiences working with animals. These experiences included, monitoring Loggerhead Sea Turtle nest in SC and taking on a role as an Environmental Instructor at Pocono Environmental Education Center in PA. While residing in upstate New York she spends her free time outdoors where she loves to go birding, hiking, and kayaking. Her dream job is to teach people about animals, the environment, and conservation issues.

From the moment she started her career, Tessa Cafritz knew she wanted to work with animals. Tessa wanted to share her love of nature by connecting people to the creatures she studied. From teaching about the snakes in Florida to interpreting what it feels like to shake an octopus’s hand in Alaska, Tessa has loved every adventure environmental education has taken her on. She hopes to inspire environmental stewardship in those around her and foster positive connections with nature and all of its inhabitants for years to come.

Victoria is a Black Bear Curator at Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee. ABR is a non-profit that works closely with state and federal agencies to care for injured and orphaned black bear cubs in a hands-off way for a return to their natural wild habitat. Tori also works on public outreach and education to increase the public’s awareness about co-existing with wild bears. Tori has a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Management from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI, and is looking forward to pursuing a graduate degree in the coming years. Tori has a background in environmental education and outreach and has also worked on multiple wildlife research projects. She joined CritterFacts in hopes to help spread the “behind-the-scenes” work of wildlife professionals and encourage more people to learn about the critical environmental work that goes on around them. And remember, a fed bear is a dead bear!

Instagram: @appalachianbearrescue

Twitter: @appbearrescue

Kayla Zagray graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology. She grew up caring for dozens of rescued reptiles and amphibians as part of her father’s Zoology Club at the high school where he teaches. Now a professional Environmental Educator and having completed two service years through AmeriCorps at the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center, she loves educating others about animals and conservation. Her favorite part of each day is caring for her menagerie of pets that includes rodents, reptiles, and farm animals.

Joshua Gruver is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Biology. He is a fisheries professional and has been performing fieldwork with salmonid species since 2016 and is passionate about salmonid habitat restoration. Joshua has spent time working for various state governments and private organizations. In his free time, he enjoys homebrewing, fishing, hiking, computers, video games, and sharing his passion to help protect, preserve, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.

Haley is a graduate of Delaware Valley University with a B.S. in Conservation and Wildlife Management and currently resides in Pennsylvania. Her experiences include volunteering at state parks, interning at a wildlife nature center, and a study abroad opportunity in Belize. In her free time, she likes to go hiking, learn how to identify different birds and trees, paddleboard, and watch Marvel movies with her cat. Her career aspiration is to conduct field research related to conservation and inspire community involvement in the environment.

Zach Fitzner has a background in biology and commercial paleontology. He’s previously interned as a writer for Mongabay and has contributed to earth.com, Alaska Magazine, The Desert Leaf, and other publications. He’s currently finishing his first book, Tears for Crocodilia, to be published sometime in 2021. When not writing or preparing fossils, Zach enjoys the outdoors with his wife Erin and their two dogs, Zari and Birdy.

Cheyenne is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Animal Science and The University of Texas at San Antonio with an M.S. in Environmental Science. Her graduate research focused on the impacts of non-native mammalian species on water quality within the Texas Hill Country. She is also an avid volunteer and has worked with local, state, and federal environmental agencies conducting biological assessments, participating in educational outreach events, and transcribing historical documents. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and making music.

Alexa is a marine ecologist, scientific educator, and avid adventurer aiming to inspire others to experience, enjoy, and care for the natural world. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology from the University of Tampa where her research focused on marine invertebrates. She just completed her Master’s degree in aquatic environmental science from Florida State University where her research focused on the health and diet of juvenile green turtles in the Bahamas. She has also held various positions leading environmental education and outreach programs. To learn more about Alexa, you can visit her website: https://www.alexaputillo.com.

Caroline Karnatz is pursuing a master’s degree in forestry and natural resources at the University of Georgia, where she specializes in terrestrial mammals and biodiversity. Before pursuing her master’s, she served as an interpretive ranger naturalist for the Georgia Department of Resources Parks, Recreation, and Historic Sites Division, where she provided environmental programming to over 5,000 visitors to the Georgia State Parks system. Currently, she is the president of the Environmental Education Club at UGA and provides environmental programming to local communities and schools. Caroline has a particular soft spot for North American carnivores—the bigger, the better—and is on a mission to spot each large American mammal in the wild.

Claire grew up in Washington State and credits the genesis of her love of nature to the annual summer camping trips to Mount Rainier she took with family and friends as a child. Claire has a degree in Environmental Policy and GIS. She currently works at an environmental lab in Seattle and plans to attend grad school within the next few years to pursue a degree in natural resources. When she’s not working, Claire loves to ski, bike, and make things.

Lauren is an Environmental Scientist, avid birder, and nature enthusiast from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. She is passionate about wildlife conservation and environmental protection. In her free time, she enjoys nature photography, camping and hiking, and reading and writing about the natural world.