Alan Lieberman

Director of Field Programs

After earning an undergraduate degree in zoology from San Diego State University in 1972, Alan Lieberman began working for the San Diego Zoo in 1973. Alan left the San Diego Zoo several times over the past 36 years to pursue other interests but always returned to the Zoo looking for new ways to apply his experiences to enhance the Zoo’s operations and mission. 

Alan worked for the Smithsonian-Peace Corps Environmental program in Colombia from 1977-1981 working on several projects, including the conservation of spectacled caiman and research documenting the progression of Amazonian rainforest regeneration in areas subjected to indigenous agriculture. In 1984-1986, Alan left the zoo again to work for The Nature Conservancy-International Program, establishing a Conservation Data Center in Cali, Colombia.

From 1993-2000, Alan, along with his wife Cyndi Kuehler, began the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program as part of The Peregrine Fund which continues today under the administration of the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

Over the years, wedged between all of the field experiences, Alan has had several positions in the San Diego Zoo, including curator of birds, curator of reptiles, and, most recently, Director of Field Programs at San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. 

He now administers the Hawaii bird conservation effort, the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center, the Sempra Wind Energy Condor/Eagle project and oversees the three regional programs (Asia, Africa, Caribbean) and the Post-Millenium Post-doctoral Fellow Program. Alan is a member of the IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group, and is a member of several Fish and Wildlife Recovery Teams including Hawaii Forest Birds, Alala, and Nene.