Ed Spevak, Director of Conservatory, has had a life long love of wildlife and nature. Ever since he was a kid he has had a desire to work with animals, learn everything he could about them and share that knowledge and appreciation with others.

"Butterfly Kingdom is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Spevak regarding the development of the butterfly conservatory. "The wonderful thing about butterflies compared to any other animal group is that anyone can relate to them. No matter what a person's age, nationality, or religion they can appreciate butterflies. Because of their public attraction, butterflies are also the perfect introduction to ecology, conservation, and the rest of the invertebrates, the little things that run the planet. Butterfly Kingdom through its exhibits, education programs, and research can become a leader in invertebrate conservation and a public voice for their importance in our lives. It will also help to set the standard for butterfly and insect exhibits around the world. "

Ed Spevak has been working in and for zoos, aquariums, and butterfly houses for the past 20 years and has worked with all animal groups from antelope and gorillas to butterflies and beetles. For the past six years he has worked as the Curator in Charge of Invertebrates and Assistant Curator of Mammals at the world-renowned Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park in the Bronx, NY. While there he developed the award winning Butterfly Zone exhibit. Prior to joining the zoo in August 1993, Ed had been a research fellow and coordinator of the Animal Car Intern Program at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, since 1989. He has worked at the Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL. He has also spent time in Europe training at the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust on the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel and studying the techniques of many of the major zoos of Europe.

Spevak has served as a design consultant for several exhibits and zoos, including The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Butterfly Experience in Stamford, Conn., and the butterfly gazebo at PRISMA, Zona Exploratoria de Puerto Rico, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He also worked on the master plans for zoos in Honolulu, Hawaii, Peoria, Illinois, and Varanasi, India.

Ed Spevak serves as chair of the Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. One of his main objectives is to encourage more institutions to exhibit insects and other invertebrates and develop comprehensive education programs regarding this often overlooked but vitally important group. In his capacity as chair he also helps coordinate conservation and research programs on invertebrates in North America and develop cooperative programs with other regional groups in Europe, Africa, India, and Australia. In addition, Ed advises on genetic and demographic issues on a number of individual captive breeding and reintroduction programs including the Mexican gray wolf and Partula snail.

Born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois outside of Chicago, Ed received his Bachelor of Science degree and a doctorate from the Department of Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution at the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana. He has published numerous articles for professional journals and popular publications on butterfly houses, insect exhibits, and conservation. He is also a member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the Pan African Association of Zoological Gardens, Aquaria and Botanical Gardens, the New York Entomological Society, the Carolina Butterfly Society, the Xerces Society, and the IUCN Conservation Breeding Specialist Group.