Lauren has been working professionally in animal husbandry since 2007 but began working exclusively with birds in 2011. She has since worked as a Senior Aviculturist at SeaWorld Texas, the Curator of Birds and Mammals at the Texas State Aquarium, and is currently the Associate Curator of Birds at Zoo Atlanta. She spent three weeks in South Africa responding to the lesser flamingo crisis in 2019, was frequently called upon to support the Texas State Aquarium’s Second Chances Animal Hospital during her three year tenure at that facility, and started as a shift lead at Wild Nest in April of 2021. She is currently a part of Wild Nest’s intern program to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Lauren has a background in and is a strong advocate for native wildlife. She was an officer (Secretary and Vice President) for the Coastal Bend Audubon Society in Corpus Christi, TX for three years, is a Georgia Audubon Society member and leader of their BirdFest field trip to Zoo Atlanta, and she has recently joined the free-roaming domestic cat initiative of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) North American Songbird (NAS) Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program.

Lauren has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, and a Master’s of Science degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi.