National Geographic

LUCY SPELMAN is a board-certified zoo and wildlife veterinarian with degrees from Brown University and the University of California, Davis. During her tenure as the first woman and youngest person to head the Smithsonian's National Zoo, she brought two giant pandas to the U.S. from China and launched a major renovation plan. She worked as a consultant for Animal Planet before moving to central Africa to run the field program for Gorilla Doctors. Inspired by the many connections between the arts and sciences, she began teaching biology at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010, and founded the nonprofit Creature Conserve in 2015. Spelman sees patients in clinical practice and is a National Geographic Explorer. She is also the author of numerous scientific articles and The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes, a collection of true stories. She lives in Rhode Island with her two terriers, Hatch and Trip.