2340 Massey Lane, Holts Summit, Missouri 65043 USA
Our Staff
Gwen Becker -
Director
Gwen is a registered nurse who has had a lifelong interest in reptiles. She was one of the first women in our District to be an Assistant Scoutmaster and Reptile Study merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America. She has traveled throughout the United States, Central and South America collecting and photographing reptiles and amphibians. Gwen and Bill became particularly interested in Central and South American reptiles while taking part in a GreenTracks tour led by William W. Lamar in Peru in 1995. Since then, they have taken numerous field trips with herpetologist Bill Lamar and their species collection has grown to include about one third Central and South American reptiles. As well as coordinating day to day operations of the Serpentarium, Gwen personally maintains the tortoises, Gila monsters, rock iguanas, and montane rattlesnakes and serves as our on-site Veterinarian Technician. She is also our Accountant and Purchasing Manager.
Bill Becker -
Curator
Bill has also traveled throughout the Americas, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands, and Guam, collecting and photographing reptiles. Bill handles the day to day operations and hands-on work with the collection. He holds degrees in Biology, Zoology, and Nuclear Engineering Technology. Bill served as President of the International Herpetological Symposium from 2000 to 2003. Bill has had several articles and reptile photographs published in various herpetological publications. For an example of Bill's field photography and species collected in the Golfito region of Costa Rica
CLICK HERE. , Many of these photos have been published in Reptiles Magazine and in the proceedings of the International Herpetological Symposium.
Dr. Dan Wentz DVM - Consulting Veterinarian
After numerous bad experiences with so-called reptile veterinarians, the Curator of Reptiles at the Saint Louis Zoo, Jeff Ettling, referred us to Dr. Wentz of the Ferguson Animal Hospital, near Saint Louis. Dan has been treating our animals for fifteen years, with excellent results. At this time, he is the only veterinarian in Missouri that we recommend to our customers needing treatment for their animals.
Adam Marfisi -
Venomous Manager
Adam holds a Bachelors degree in Biology from Saint Louis University. He started keeping venomous snakes in 1989. He has been the most successful breeder of Vipera kaznakovia in the United States, as well as many other Vipera. He has given numerous presentations including speaking at the Biology of the Vipers Symposium in Sweden and has spoken at numerous International Herpetological Symposia. He spent five years at the Saint Louis Zoo in the Herpetology Department and has also worked with birds of prey at the World Bird Sanctuary prior to becoming the venomous reptiles manager at Central States Serpentarium.
Ian Long -
Senior Keeper
Ian holds a Masters degree in Public Health, and has been an enthusiastic herpetoculturist since his youth. While maintaining an extremely diverse collection of species at his private residence, he maintains both venomous and non-venomous species at the Serpentarium. Ian spends at least 100 days in the field each year and has countless stories of his field herping experiences that never fail to educate and astound the rest of our staff.
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