Joe Flanagan, DVM, Director of Veterinary Services, Houston Zoo, Inc.
Dr. Flanagan has been involved in AZA's accreditation program
for more than twenty years. In that time he has participated
in twenty inspections. He graduated from the Iowa State
University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. After
graduation, Dr. Flanagan trained at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo until
he began work as a veterinarian at the Houston Zoo in December
1982. He is currently the Director of Veterinary Services at
the Houston Zoo. A member of the American Association of Zoo
Veterinarians, Dr. Flanagan served as President of AAZV in
2005. He was the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Exotic
Animal Practitioner of the Year in 1998 and received the
"Environmental Hero Award" from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in 2000 for volunteer work in the
recovery of Kemp's Ridley sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.
Aside from AZA, he is also a current member of the American
Veterinary Medical Association, Association of Avian Veterinarians,
Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, Wildlife
Disease Association, Turtle Survival Alliance, Texas Veterinary
Medical Association, and Harris County Veterinary Medical
Association. His passion for his work coupled with his
dedication to the zoo/aquarium industry make Dr. Flanagan an
irreplaceable asset to AZA.