Our Team
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Jami J. Jensen – Founder
Jami has been involved in non-profits most of her life. With a degree from Pepperdine University in Administrative Management with an emphasis on Not for Profit Business, Jami honed her business acumen by working for her family’s multiple businesses. Jami’s love of animals led her to open up seven pet stores in Southern California, which she ran until 1991. Jensen then moved to Colorado to raise and train Warmblood horses for competitive jumping.
Besides overseeing the Zoology Foundation, Jami currently sits on several boards including the Jenesis Foundation, a non-profit organization that aspires to improve the quality of life for our nations young people by investing in opportunities for youth to realize their full potential.
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Meg Schenk – General Manager
Meg has been a licensed veterinary technician for 23 years and up until 2018, all of those years have been spent in equine practice. As a life-long animal lover and advocate, she is excited to apply her experience and skill set to a wide range of different animal species.
Meg has traveled to Central America five years running as part of the Equitarians/Project Samana group that provides veterinary care to working horses and donkeys. Additionally, she is an active supporter of 4H, serving the community as the Market Goat Superintendent for Douglas County the last four years. She enjoys spending her free time riding with her husband and enjoys practicing Natural Horsemanship techniques to improve her horsemanship.
Meg resides in Sedalia with her family and an entertaining menagerie of horses, goats, chickens, and a former street dog from the Dominican Republic.
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Anna (AJ) Smith – Animal Care Technician
AJ has been passionate about animals and the environment since she was little. She grew up in Colorado with a canyon and open space practically in her backyard, cultivating an interest in the natural world. When she was 10, she got her first snake, sparking a love of ectotherms from then on. She knew that she wanted to work with animals in the field or in captivity, earning a BS in Biology from UCCS in her pursuit. Her goal has always been to teach people about animals they are often scared of and show that while not furry, they’re still very loveable! She started by getting neighborhood kids comfortable with her first snake, and hopes to continue helping people learn about animals and the natural world.
Between keeping a large variety of pets, from mammals to insects, and working at a doggy day care while in college, AJ has a wide degree of experience with animal care. While cold-blooded critters hold a special place in her heart, working at the Zoology Foundation has provided an exciting chance to learn about and care for an even wider variety of animals.
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Brad D. – Animal Care Technician
With a degree in mathematics and a Master’s in Engineering, Brad has moved far away from the analytical world of numbers to the wonderful world of animals. While a young boy, he lived in Hawaii, about 40 yards from the ocean. He then moved to California spending time hiking in the back country of the Sierra Nevada. While working in the pristine areas of Alaska, he logged interactions with eagles, whales, and glaciers. These experiences, plus living in Florida’s coastal area and owning horses in Colorado, developed Brad’s love of wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Brad has benefited from the remarkable mix of talented staff and extraordinary animals at Zoology. He loves giving tours and sharing insights of the interwoven tangle between humans and animals. The opportunity to make the Zoology animal’s lives a little better and share their stories is a dream come true.
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Caelie Cummings-Animal Care Technician and Social Media Content Creator
Caelie has been enamored with animals since she was very young. She spent much of her time growing up taking horseback riding lessons in exchange for farm work, and doing competitive show jumping. When she left high school, she got her first job at a doggy daycare that sparked a love for dogs, and animal behavior science. She spent time apprenticing under dog trainers in order to further her knowledge of behavior and different training practices. She spent about 7 years in the pet care industry where she learned a lot but was ready to broaden her horizons.
The property for Zoology was one she would drive past every day to get to her previous job. And every day she would think about how cool it would be to work there. Lucky enough that’s exactly what happened! While being a part of this team she not only hopes to learn about animals she had previously not worked with, but also from her talented and well versed coworkers.
She wants to help spread the message that everyday can be an opportunity to learn something new, and how learning about the life around us can help us all care for it better.
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Andy Wainscott-Animal Care Technician and Tour Guide
Andy has always been known as “the animal guy” since he was a child. Instead of wanting to watch Sesame Street like the other kids, he would ask his parents to put on national geographic and animal planet. He would share all the interesting and wonderful facts about animals with his classmates and teachers, even if they didn’t want to hear about them.
Andy studied Psychology at Lewis, a university in Romeoville, Illinois and focused as much of his coursework as possible on animal behavior and cognition. He spent the summer of 2019 volunteering at Glen Afric in Hartbeesport, South Africa. Working with many incredible animals like Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Hyenas, Leopards, Cheetahs, Giraffes and more! It was this experience that solidified his conviction to working with animals for the rest of his life.
In 2022, Andy moved from Chicago to Colorado. He spent the year working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife as a Limited Commission Park Ranger at Chatfield State Park in Littleton. Now, Andy is excited to be working with the Zoology Foundation to spread awareness and harbor stewardship for the protection of animals and wild places.