Animal Welfare

Mark is the manager of the Animal Welfare division of the City of Norman.  He was born and raised in Colorado. His parents raised him around quarter horses but he discovered his passion for reptiles catching bull snakes, toads and tiger salamanders. He received his Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University and decided to follow his passion for taking care of animals. He was a zookeeper for 3 years at Kansas City Zoo working with gorillas, African hoof stock, rhinos, monkeys and leopards to name a few. He then went to work at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a primate keeper for 3 years. Wanting to pursue management, he was Night Zoological Manager at both Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for 10 years. He enjoyed being a supervisor and decided to move up to the Assistant Curator role at the Oklahoma City Zoo. He quickly achieved Curator of Aquatics, Life Support and Marine Mammals where he was able to expand his repertoire considerably. He also oversaw the Dive Program as Dive Safety Officer and Emergency Response Team as Range Officer. He has been a zoo accreditation inspector for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for 3 years. His career has been dedicated to upholding excellence in leadership and the highest standards of animal care and welfare.

Mark has lived in Norman for 5 years and happily calls it home. He looks forward to working close to home as that has never happened in his career. He has been married for 25 year and has 15 year old twin daughters who go to Norman North. His hobbies include shooting sports, scuba diving, snow skiing, riding his motorcycle, mountain biking, experimental aviation, racquetball and working on his Master’s in Human Relations at OU.