Viviana Ricardez is Vice President of the conservation nonprofit Texas Turtles. Viviana generates a contagious passion that drives her research and leadership roles in Texas Turtles. When not tackling day to day business affairs of Texas Turtles, she is active in fieldwork, and outreach events that safeguard turtle populations while engaging communities in conservation science. She has studied turtles in virtually every part of Texas, authored numerous publications, appeared several times on television, radio/podcasts and worked as a turtle consultant for blue chip documentary films as well as local, state and federal policy makers and an international speaker. She has established herself as an expert in the field through hard work, dedication and a drive for herpetology.