Species360 Team: Celebrating 10 Years of Training Leadership with Josh Courteau

Over the past decade, Species360 has completely changed how we enable members to learn about using data to better inform animal care, population management, and species conservation. We introduced WalkMe within all ZIMS applications, making guidance easily available right when and where it’s needed. We began providing real-time, hands-on training and support to make it easier for members to learn new ways to work and to gain access to new information. To underscore the level of engagement, our members interact with WalkMe half a million times each year.

Leading this transformation in how we train and support our members, and continuing its remarkable success today, is Species360 Training Manager Josh Courteau. We are celebrating Josh’ ten-year anniversary with Species360 this month, and want to recognize his ongoing impact on our team and the entire Species360 community.

Serving a Global Community

In the last two years alone, almost 2,000 participants from over 400 institutions in nearly 50 countries have engaged in our instructor-led trainings. These sessions are led by Species360 staff, many of whom are also aquarists, conservationists, veterinary and population management professionals, zoo keepers and registrars — and no matter who steps up to the podium, Josh is standing beside them either virtually or in person. Sessions that begin with ZIMS for Aquatics, ZIMS for Studbooks, ZIMS for Medical or ZIMS for Husbandry extend well beyond data gathering to help members make better use of information within their own organization and shared by peers worldwide.

Extending Learning Opportunities to Universities

Josh led the creation of a unique Species360 platform that provides zoological science teachers and aquarium and zoo professionals unique access to our world-class husbandry and medical information applications. LearnZIMS allows students to work with their own data and learn from other universities, in a practice environment that both represents and benefits from real-world historical records.

Josh, we are grateful for your commitment, energy, and expertise. Congratulations on this important anniversary of your work, and thank you for your continued vision and leadership!