A More Humane World, Today​
At the Zoology Foundation, our purpose is to create a more humane world. More specifically, our mission is:
Inspire positive connections between people, animals, and the environment through education and by providing sanctuary to animals.
Losing sight of our personal role in the big picture is so easy, but it's important not to let it slip away. That intrinsic feeling of connectedness we all have, to others, to the world around us, to all living things, is a critical part of being human. That's why we've created outreach programs to help you keep connected, with your world, and all living things within. When you understand the impact humane living has on not only your life and community, but the planet as a whole, becoming a more engaged part of a more humane world is a no-brainer.
We're Firm Believers in Practicing What We Preach
Humane living isn't exactly the kind of thing you can phone in. Through every facet of our organization, we're committed to upholding the values that make humane living and creating a more humane world possible. From our hiring process to every step we take to ensure our grounds stay clean, our animals happy, and every single person and organization we partner with educated and empowered, we work hard to exemplify the values we believe in deeply. Learn about our values and the ways we bring them to life below.
We Live Compassion
Operate from a place of empathy
Showcase understanding in all situations
Care for all living things
We Cherish Integrity
Ensure all business practices are ethical
Take responsibility for the world around us and our role in it
Hold each other accountable
Always choose truth and honesty over getting a leg up
We Continuously Improve
We work smart
We utilize tools and systems to ensure efficiency
Staying organized helps us maximize our impact
We do more with less
Humane living requires a certain amount of flexibility
Humility – we admit when we don't know something or make a mistake
We aren't afraid to evolve alongside our industry
We always listen to one another
We are always willing to learn and grow
We Exude Passion
We do what other's don't
We thrive by helping others
We Foster Great Relationships
We seek out others
We build trust
We connect with animals
We connect with all members of our team
We connect with our greater community
We connect (and help others connect) with our global ecosystem
Jami J. Jensen – Founder
Jami has been involved in non-profits most of her life. With a degree from Pepperdine University in Administrative Management with an emphasis on Not for Profit Business, Jami honed her business acumen by working for her family's multiple businesses. Jami's love of animals led her to open up seven pet stores in Southern California, which she ran until 1991. Jensen then moved to Colorado to raise and train Warmblood horses for competitive jumping.
Besides overseeing the Zoology Foundation, Jami currently sits on several boards including the Jenesis Foundation, a non-profit organization that aspires to improve the quality of life for our nations young people by investing in opportunities for youth to realize their full potential.
Anna Miller – General Manager
Anna has loved nature and wildlife since she was a little girl. Her father sparked this passion in her by taking her and her twin brother on fishing and camping trips every summer, which became her best childhood memories. These experiences convinced her that her role in life was to somehow help the environment. She went on to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she earned a BA degree in Wildlife Ecology, Information and Education. She then came to Colorado to work at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. There she did everything from animal care to tours and children's programs.
Her goal in life is to ignite a curiosity in children for wildlife and nature, just like her father did for her!
Meg Schenk – Animal Care Team Lead/Veterinary Technician
Meg has been a licensed veterinary technician for 23 years and up until 2018, all of those years have been spent in equine practice. As a life-long animal lover and advocate, she is excited to apply her experience and skill set to a wide range of different animal species.
Meg has traveled to Central America five years running as part of the Equitarians/Project Samana group that provides veterinary care to working horses and donkeys. Additionally, she is an active supporter of 4H, serving the community as the Market Goat Superintendent for Douglas County the last four years. She enjoys spending her free time riding with her husband and enjoys practicing Natural Horsemanship techniques to improve her horsemanship.
Meg resides in Sedalia with her family and an entertaining menagerie of horses, goats, chickens, and a former street dog from the Dominican Republic.
Haley Kisicki – Animal Care Specialist
Haley is part of our animal care staff here at Zoology. She also assists with tours and children's programs throughout the year. She has learned much from the professionals here while working at the sanctuary. Gaining the experience in both education and animal care has been extremely valuable to her. She has loved animals all her life and is committed to educating people on how to create a humane world where people and animals can live together more peacefully. She is currently working towards her bachelor's degree in psychology at UC Denver but hopes to work with animals as well as people in her future career. Her goals for her future education include a master's degree in social work as well as a certificate in animal assisted social work to further her knowledge in the animal field.
Paula Jones – Animal Care Technician
Originally from England, Paula is a long way from her London corporate life. An unfaltering passion for animals, the environment, and traveling the world, has bought her to live in Colorado, where she resides with her two husky dogs. An active supporter of various charities such as 'The Wild Animal Refuge,' she wanted be more involved in a hands-on role and started volunteering at Zoology. Her main focus now is to learn as much as possible about animal welfare and to contribute to caring for all sentient beings. Paula is a vegan consultant and spends her spare time creating dishes using ingredients that are nutritious, sustainable and work in harmony with the environment.
Brad D. – Animal Care Technician
With a degree in mathematics and a Master's in Engineering, Brad has moved far away from the analytical world of numbers to the wonderful world of animals. While a young boy, he lived in Hawaii, about 40 yards from the ocean. He then moved to California spending time hiking in the back country of the Sierra Nevada. While working in the pristine areas of Alaska, he logged interactions with eagles, whales, and glaciers. These experiences, plus living in Florida's coastal area and owning horses in Colorado, developed Brad's love of wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Brad has benefited from the remarkable mix of talented staff and extraordinary animals at Zoology. He loves giving tours and sharing insights of the interwoven tangle between humans and animals. The opportunity to make the Zoology animal's lives a little better and share their stories is a dream come true.