Leadership

Dan Smith has been with Utah’s Hogle Zoo since 2010. Starting out as Director of Capital Planning and Projects, he has seen the Master Plan of the Zoo play out from the design to completion of several major projects the Zoo has undergone. In 2020 with COVID roles changed, as with everything in the world, and merged the Capital Projects with Facilities. Currently overseeing all of Facilities and Capital Projects. Dan started going to school to be an Architect, however, changed early on to Construction Management and received his bachelor’s degree in 2004. Dan most recently opened the Zoo’s newest area, Wild Utah, which showcases animals native to Utah. Some of which are: cougars, desert bighorn sheep, burros, gray foxes, skunks, western toads, yellow-bellied marmots, and desert tortoises. Being able to take the 3-acre site, which only was accessible via a train ride, into a visitor friendly-beautifully landscaped haven for the resident animals. In Dan’s spare time (what’s that…) he, with his wife, enjoys wrangling their six children and helping them with homework and watching them grow. He finds joy in landscaping and gardening and being outdoors in the fresh mountain air which is his oasis.

Tony James has been with the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden since 1999 where he made his start as a seasonal employee in the Horticulture program. In his ten years on the Horticulture team, Tony worked his way up to the role of Project Manager. Looking to grow within the Zoo, Tony accepted a position in the Facilities Department in 2011 as the Facilities Project Manager. In this role, Tony supervised all new construction projects. In 2015, Tony was promoted to Facilities Manager and was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the Maintenance team while still staying involved with construction projects. Tony was promoted most recently in January of 2017 to Director of Facilities, allowing him to take on a more visionary role while still managing the day-to-day activities of the team and construction projects. Throughout Tony’s career one of his passions has become workforce development. He has played an integral role in the Zoo’s first ever high school internship program for the Maintenance department. He has a vision to grow this program to make workforce development a top priority at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Outside of the Zoo, Tony enjoys spending time with his family whether it’s watching his kids play sports or hanging out at his family’s farm.

James Mancari is the Division Project Manager for the North Carolina Aquariums and current Vice President of AZFA. His primary area of responsibility for the Aquariums includes overseeing the construction projects for the state’s three aquariums at Fort Fisher, at Pine Knoll Shores, on Roanoke Island, and for Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. James began in AZFA related work in 2013 as a Construction Project Manager for the North Carolina Zoo before moving to be the Division Project Manager in 2021 for the Aquariums.  Prior to that, he had worked for an architectural firm for over 8 years after more than 11 years at a structural engineering firm doing mostly non-direct AZFA related work. He earned both an architectural and civil engineering degree from the University of Tennessee and is a registered engineer in North Carolina and has completed the architectural intern program towards architectural registration. Since joining AZFA in 2016, James has served on the Conservation and Conference committees. Prior to his current role as Vice President for the 23-24 term, he served in the role of Secretary in the 22-23 term. James is seeking to fill the role of Director-at-Large as the next step in helping to serve the AZFA.  

Earle Blomberg is the Facilities Maintenance Lead at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, a division of Metro Parks Tacoma. He has worked at Trek for over 38 years, starting as a seasonal employee while he was in high school. Over the years he has been responsible for all aspects of maintenance and mechanical work throughout the park and is the certified operator for the park's water system. He has designed and overseen the construction of multiple animal holding areas. Earle is a native to the Washington area and has enjoyed running, camping, and hiking in these cascade mountains. Outside of work, Earle spends most of his time with his wife, dogs Yui and Lumen and with his growing granddaughter, 5-year-old Lily.  Earle has been active in AZFA since his first conference in 2006, serving on several committees and as current Treasurer.

Kirsty Strobridge is the Operations Administrative Assistant at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Her primary responsibilities are supporting the Campus Planning, Horticulture, Maintenance, Park Quality, and Events departments. She originally went to school for her Zookeeping Technology A.A.S., but after working as a Keeper, she decided it was not for her. She loved the Zoo, so she has worked in multiple departments, but the Operations Department is where she is meant to be. Building things and figuring out how things work has always been important to her, and in this position, she can be part of new Construction, Work Order Processing, and finding more streamlined ways to help the department. Since joining AZFA, she has been on the Conference Planning and Honors and Awards Committees. Joining the Board would allow her to support AZFA and, through it, other AZFA facilities.