Areas of Expertise: wildlife biology, conservation, and sustainability; habitat restoration, climate change impacts; indicator species; carnivore conservation; wildlife trade; human-wildlife coexistence; and the Central Texas Hill Country region.
Azalia is passionate about protecting endangered species and changing landscapes. As the Texas Representative, her work focuses on the Edwards Plateau focal landscape; private landowner outreach; community partnerships; terrestrial and aquatic habitat conservation; and the protection of threatened and endangered species particular to the Central Texas Hill Country including the golden-cheeked warbler and Texas blind salamander.
Before joining Defenders, Azalia served as a conservation engagement advocate for the Dallas Zoo where she empowered conservation-based actions for endangered domestic and international wildlife. She also led habitat restoration projects across Texas and assisted in the Lights Out Dallas campaign. In recent years she also worked in biological research at The University of Queensland-Australia and The University of Colorado- Boulder.
Azalia holds an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from The University of Queensland-Australia (2019), a B.S. in Animal Science Production and Management from Eastern New Mexico University (2016), and an AS in Biology from Western Texas College (2014).
Lights Out Texas!
Lights Out Texas is a campaign of education, awareness and action that focuses on turning out lights at night during the spring and fall migrations to help protect the billions of migratory birds that fly over Texas annually.
