Kristen Steinmetzer has worked at the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) since 2008. Her passion for the ASLC's mission brought her to Seward where she filled a number of roles before joining the animal care team as an Aviculturist. She advanced to Avian Curator in 2019 and now assumes the role of General Curator. She oversees all animal care departments, ensuring the highest quality of animal care and wellbeing. Kristen has a passion for combining animal wellbeing with conservation and research initiatives in order to better understand the animals in our care and their wild counterparts. She has a strong history of working closely with both ASLC researchers and outside partners on various research projects. She continues to serve in leadership positions within the Association for Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) community and serves as a board member for the International Wild Waterfowl Association. 

 

Growing up in the tide pools of the San Juan Islands in Washington State, she had a deep love for the oceans from a very young age. Her scuba diving father inspired this awe for nature and was the reason she got cold water dive certified at age 16. She volunteered through high school at the Seattle Aquarium, where her love of science communication in the aquarium world blossomed. After graduating with a B.A. in Environmental Education, she moved to Alaska to pursue her dream of combining education, conservation, and research in her career. She enjoys all the natural beauty Alaska has to offer and can often be found birding, hiking, fishing, or camping outdoors with her two children.