Lisa Marie Stevens

Lisa Marie Stevens is the former senior curator for mammals, and managed both the giant panda program and the primate program at the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo. She worked at the National Zoo from 1978 to her retirement in 2011.[1] She managed the National Zoo's panda breeding program as early as 1987, but rose to national prominence following the birth of panda cub Tai Shan (giant panda) in 2005.[2]

Lisa Marie Stevens
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materMichigan State University
Known forGiant panda and primate programs
Scientific career
InstitutionsSmithsonian Institution's National Zoo

Internationally known as "the Panda Lady,"[3] her responsibilities as a curator at the National Zoo included overseeing the budget, exhibit design, construction, and supervising personnel. She was also responsible for the zoo's primates, including gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, and macaques.[4] She is included in the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Spotlight on African American Scientists.[5]

Early life and education

Stevens' father was in the United States Army, so she moved around during her childhood. She lived in Okinawa, Japan, and Bangkok, Thailand where she came in contact with various animals. Stevens said, "I was that kid who, at age 3 and 4, was picking up caterpillars and holding snakes."[6] When she was ten years old, Stevens began taking horseback riding lessons. Of horseback riding, Stevens said, "I think that was my earliest interest in veterinarian medicine, just by watching the vet work on the horses at the polo club there in Bangkok."[7]

Stevens attended high school in Washington DC[8] and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology/Pre-Veterinary Medicine in 1977 from Michigan State University.[9] She also completed the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Professional Management Development for Zoo and Aquarium Personnel in 1986.[8][10]

Career

After graduating from university, Stevens moved to Washington, D.C. in 1978 and began working as an animal keeper at the National Zoo.[11] In 1981, she was promoted to management.[6] She began managing the primate program in 1981 and the giant panda program in 1987. Part of her responsibilities included "daily operations, personnel, budget, long-range planning, record keeping, research, education, exhibit design, and construction."[12]

In 2005, Lisa Stevens was the Assistant Curator overseeing the giant panda program when Tai Shan (giant panda) was born; Tai Shan was the first surviving panda born at the National Zoo and the third panda cub born in the US.[13] She was the primary spokeswoman for interviews about Tai Shan's birth and her colloquial descriptions of his early adventures made her a popular interviewee.[14] She was profiled in the Chicago Tribune[3] and featured in the Animal Planet documentaries "A Panda Is Born" (2005)[15][16] and "Baby Panda's First Year" (2006), which were packaged together in a 2008 re-release.[17]

Stevens participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for several species. She also co-founded and is on the Board of Directors of Beads for Education, Inc.,[12] which funds the education of more than 300 girls in Kenya.[18]

References
  1. "Q&A With 'Panda Lady' Lisa Stevens". Washington Post. June 4, 1999. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  2. "Monday Open Thread: More African-American Scientists". Pragmatic Obots Unite. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  3. Harris, Ron (December 21, 2005). "'Panda lady' a well-traveled expert". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  4. "Panda Update With Lisa Stevens National Zoo Panda Curator". Washingtonpost.com: Live Online. June 19, 2002. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  5. "Spotlight: African American Scientists". Science Update. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  6. Hayes, Dianne Williams (November 16, 1995). "Zoo Me: Lisa Stevens Finds Happiness with a Think Tank and a Giant Panda". Black Issues in Higher Education. Vol. 12, no. 19. p. 18.
  7. Barbara Manzi (March 2006). "Sisters In Charge". EBONY. Vol. 61, no. 5. Johnson Publishing Company. ISSN 0012-9011.
  8. Harris, Ron (December 21, 2005). "'Panda lady' a well-traveled expert". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  9. Robert Bao (Fall 2001). "Spartan Profiles: Lisa Stevens". MSU Alumni. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  10. "Lisa Stevens: The Inspiring Career of the "Panda Lady"". Smithsonian Institution Archives. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  11. Eisler, Kim (May 1, 1995). "Gorillas Just Want to Have Fun". Washingtonian. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  12. "Beads for Education Board of Directors". Beads for Education, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  13. Tangley, Laura (June 2006). "Learning from Tai Shan". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  14. "Panda Raising". Science Update. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). December 28, 2005. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  15. Blumenstock, Kathy. "Scouting the Panda Cub". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  16. "A Panda Is Born". Video Librarian. 23 (5). 2008.
  17. A panda is born ; and Baby panda's first year. Animal Planet. 2008. ISBN 9781594450532.
  18. "About BEADS". BEADS for Education, Inc. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
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