Dr. Jeff Ettling is the Executive Director/CEO of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, KS. Jeff received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. He received his Ph.D. in ecology, evolution and systematics from the University of Missouri, Saint Louis. Jeff’s dissertation was based on his work in Armenia where he investigated the spatial ecology, genetic diversity, and population structure of the Armenian Viper. His fieldwork with the Armenian Viper is ongoing and has resulted in both the creation and expansion of protected areas for the species. Jeff is a native of the Saint Louis metro area where he started his zoo career 30 years ago. From 1987–1991 he worked as a reptile keeper and head keeper in the Herpetarium at the Saint Louis Zoo. He moved to the Sedgwick County Zoo in 1991 where he served as curator of herpetology. Jeff returned to the Saint Louis Zoo in 1995 as associate curator of herpetology and aquatics and was promoted to curator in March 1996, a position he held for 21 years. Jeff also served as director of both the Center for Conservation in Western Asia and the Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation for the Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute.

Dr. Ettling is a member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Wildlife Conservation Committee and serves as a member of AZA accreditation site visit teams. Jeff also served as an adjunct assistant biology professor at the University of Missouri, Saint Louis, where he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, and served on graduate student committees. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty at Friend University where he teaches herpetology.