ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 7, 2007 – The Detroit Zoological Society has named Lisa Marie Forzley of Royal Oak to the newly created position of Humane Education Specialist.  She is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing programs designed to educate and inform audiences about the need for compassion, responsibility and respect for animals and the environment.

The Detroit Zoo’s Madeleine Berman Academy for Humane Education was created in 2002 and offers a broad range of unique and engaging programs that help people help animals.  The Academy utilizes a variety of teaching strategies – from traditional instruction to storytelling, role-playing, theater and virtual technology – to educate audiences about the need to treat other living creatures with empathy, respect and gentleness.

Forzley is the only humane education specialist at any zoo.  “An important part of our mission of ‘celebrating and saving wildlife’ is to provide the community with educational opportunities that lead to an appreciation and stewardship of animals and nature,” said Detroit Zoological Society Executive Director Ron Kagan.  “Lisa’s educational background and commitment to humane education make her the perfect choice to move this initiative forward.”

Forzley joins the Society from Dearborn Public Schools, where she served as an elementary school teacher.  Prior to that, she held teaching positions in the Ann Arbor and Pontiac school systems.  She also served as Interim Director of Children’s Ministries at Detroit’s Metropolitan United Methodist Church and has played leadership roles in several civic projects, including Habitat for Humanity and Book Buddies.

Forzley is working toward a master’s degree in Humane Education through a correspondence program with the Institute for Humane Education in Surry, Maine.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with minors in Music and Religious Studies from Michigan State University, where she graduated with honors. 

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056.
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