Kathy Edwards, M.S.

Kathy Edwards joined The Marine Mammal Center as an animal care volunteer working with seals and sea lions in 2016. Three years later, she was hired as part of the Response and Dispatch team and has held roles as Response Dispatcher and Response Operations Coordinator. 

In her current position as Dispatch Manager, Kathy provides administrative support, operational leadership and personnel management for the Field Operations & Response and Dispatch & Logistics teams. She also ensures that all response activities and documentation comply with The Marine Mammal Center’s mission and goals as well as all relevant guidelines and regulations, and she facilitates the integration of the Dispatch & Logistics team with other departments and external partners.

Kathy served as a member of the Center’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and serves as the Center’s primary contact for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.

Prior to joining the Center, Kathy spent 15 years as a zookeeper and assistant curator, working with a multitude of species from flamingoes to great apes.

Kathy has dual undergraduate degrees from UC Santa Cruz in Biological Anthropology and Women’s Studies. She also earned a master’s degree from Charles Sturt University, Australia, in Captive Vertebrate Management.

Areas of Expertise

• Marine Mammal Rescue and Response
• Logistics
• Community Building
• Public Outreach