Lisa Marie Stevens

Lisa Marie Stevens
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materMichigan State University
Known forGiant panda and primate programs
Scientific career
InstitutionsSmithsonian Institution's National Zoo

Lisa Marie Stevens is an American retired zoologist who served as the senior curator for mammals, and managed both the giant panda program and the primate program, at the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo. She worked at the National Zoo from 1978 to her retirement in 2011.[1] She managed the National Zoo's panda breeding program as early as 1987, but rose to national prominence following the birth of panda cub Tai Shan in 2005.[2]

Internationally known as "the Panda Lady,"[3] her responsibilities as a curator at the National Zoo included overseeing the budget, exhibit design, construction, and supervising personnel. She was also responsible for the zoo's primates, including gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, and macaques.[4] She is included in the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Spotlight on African American Scientists.[5]

  1. ^ "Q&A With 'Panda Lady' Lisa Stevens". Washington Post. June 4, 1999. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Monday Open Thread: More African-American Scientists". Pragmatic Obots Unite. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  3. ^ Harris, Ron (December 21, 2005). "'Panda lady' a well-traveled expert". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  4. ^ "Panda Update With Lisa Stevens National Zoo Panda Curator". Washingtonpost.com: Live Online. June 19, 2002. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  5. ^ "Spotlight: African American Scientists". Science Update. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Retrieved 2019-10-12.