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Gabi - Director
Gabriella Skollar has been working for the Gibbon Conservation Center (GCC) since 2005. She graduated in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Biology at the University of Szeged, in Hungary.  She first became involved with gibbons when her University adviser asked her to record Kaszat, a northern white-cheeked gibbon in the Szeged Zoo. After many hours of early morning recording and observation, it became her passion to study gibbon vocalization. Gabriella moved to the U.S. in 2005 to work as a volunteer caregiver and researcher at the GCC, initially supported by the Rosztoczy Scholarship. In 2007, she became a full-time Primate Caregiver and Research Assistant. In November 2011, after the passing of Alan Mootnick, the Founder of the GCC, Gabriella became responsible for the day-to-day care and health of the gibbons, and the supervision of other caregivers, maintenance staff and volunteers.  In 2014, January Gabriella became the Director of the GCC. 

​Gabriella is an active participant in the gibbon zoological, conservation, and scientific communities worldwide.  As the SSA Zoo Liaison at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Primate Specialist Group, she is responsible for representing the SSA within the Zoo community, and improving links between in-situ and ex-situ conservation.  She is also a husbandry advisor for the gibbon SSP in the USA, as well as a member of the gibbon hand-rearing and surrogate team. Gabriella gives educational lectures and tours at the GCC, focusing on gibbon conservation and behavior. She has presented at international conferences on gibbon husbandry, cognition, and social behavior. Currently, her studies focus on gibbon vocalization with the goal that her studies will support gibbon conservation efforts.  Gabriella has dedicated her life to the protection and study of gibbons, while educating others about these fascinating primates. 
​Alma - Operations & Development Manager​ 
Alma was hired in 2011 as a primate caregiver and project manager.  Alma is a graduate of California Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA with a BS degree in Animal Science as well as a minor in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. She also holds an Event Planning certificate from Cal Poly Pomona, the Extended University, as well as a certificate from Safe-Capture International & San Diego Zoo Global in Safe Chemical Immobilization.  In 2015 she visited Java to see both the field and release sites of the Javan gibbons and meet with key individuals in their in-situ program. 

Alma has developed education programs and is working on expanding and improving those programs to continue to make them a valuable resource to the community.  She organizes fundraising events, manages all sponsorships and has initiated new avenues of productively raising funds.  Alma’s other responsibilities include giving tours, training volunteers, feeding and training animals, ongoing maintenance to the website, advertising, community outreach, email blasts, writing grants, bookkeeping, as well as ongoing maintenance to gibbon enclosures. 
Howard Martin DVM 
Dr. Martin is a veterinary adviser for the gibbon Species Survival Plan and an instructor for human anatomy and physiology at Moorpark College. 

Howard D. Martin, DVM, has been the Veterinarian for the GCC since January 1995.  Dr. Martin holds a B.A. in Biology from California State University, Northridge, and a DVM from the University of California, Davis, in the Zoological Medicine Program. He served his residency in Zoological and Wildlife Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville. His academic career includes a consultancy as the Director/Veterinarian for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program at Colorado State University and six years as Assistant Professor of Zoological Medicine at Colorado State University, where he developed the curriculum for clinical zoological/exotic animal medicine and surgery.  Dr. Martin has been a practicing veterinarian in the state of California since 1992. Since 2006, he has served as interim veterinarian for the Los Angeles Zoo several times. In 1997, he launched Veterinary Home Care, a mobile practice serving exotic wildlife, large animals and domestic pets. Since 1999, his surgical practice has been through Westlake Village Animal Hospital/Agoura-Westlake Animal Hospital.  

Dr. Martin has authored and co-authored more than 30 articles or chapters in professional journals, books and other publications. In June 2012, at the 1st International Conference on Gibbon Husbandry in Greensboro, NC, he chaired the program on medical issues of gibbons, and delivered two presentations: ‘Diseases of concern in gibbons’ and ‘A gamma-herpes virus infection in a white-cheeked gibbon’. 
Sophia - Animal Care Specialist
Sophia Paden started volunteering at the Gibbon Conservation Center in January of 2018 and became a staff member in 2022. She has a passion for working with gibbons and contributing to their conservation efforts. Sophia graduated from the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (EATM) at Moorpark College in 2020 with an Associate in Animal Science degree. EATM is a renowned hands-on program that teaches students a variety of animal career related skills, including positive reinforcement training. Animals she trained and/or cared for include tigers, a spider monkey, a Harris hawk, and more. Sophia holds over 17 San Diego Zoo Global certificates, which includes certificates for Enrichment and Operant Conditioning/Behavior Management. in 2022 she received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology through Oregon State University.

Sophia has a great interest in utilizing positive reinforcement training to teach gibbons to voluntarily accept medical procedures, like injections. This helps reduce their stress and keep them comfortable during veterinary exams. Sophia's duties at the GCC include feeding and training gibbons, preparing food for the gibbons, cleaning enclosures, providing enrichment, and giving tours. Sophia is also the Volunteer Coordinator. She schedules and trains volunteers for the GCC.
Jesse - Maintenance Dept. 
Jesse was hired in 2011 for his expansive skill set, although he initially came to  the center with an interest in anthropology.  Jesse has expertise in various materials and is often pulled from one project to the next. He has an understanding of both gibbons and design and is constantly working to improve the welfare of the gibbons in our care by attending conferences and consulting with staff.  
Jodi - Animal Care Specialist
Jodi’s involvement with the Gibbon Conservation Center began in 2015, transitioning from a volunteer in 2016 to a Primate Care Specialist in 2018. Residing onsite intermittently, Jodi currently focuses on gibbon anatomy and skeletal studies. 

Jodi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas, following her Associate’s degrees in Sociology, Behavioral Sciences, and Anthropology from the Los Angeles Valley College. Her passion for species protection and conservation led her to participate in a zooarchaeology field school, including experience in collections management. She currently assists with animal preparation at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and contributes to the osteological preparation lab at the Smithsonian Institution during the summers.

She has established “The Bone Shack,” an educational exhibit highlighting gibbon skeletal features, and is actively fundraising to develop “The Bone House,” a proposed onsite museum offering detailed exhibits, interactive educational materials, and a skeletal collection accessible to visiting researchers and the general public.