NAG SC Ballot
(Term Jan 2026 – Dec 2028, 3-year term)
For the first time in ages, we have the opportunity to hold an election for the two open positions on the NAG Steering Committee that are coming open on 1 January 2026. These positions will serve on the SC from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028 (a three year term). Members of the NAG Steering Committee help move the mission and goals of the NAG forward via special projects, communications, education materials, and/or conference-related activities. It also is a great way for general members to get more involved in supporting the field as a whole and our service role to AZA.
Our nominees for the upcoming term are as follows. At the bottom of this page, please pick two of the four to fill the empty positions on the Steering Committee. Voting ends Sept 12th at midnight EST
Barbara Henry
Barbara graduated with a BS degree from Purdue University and a MS in ruminant nutrition from Kansas State University. She did a residency at the Brookfield Zoo and was hired there full time as the staff nutritionist in charge of operations in 1996. In 2005, Barbara became the Curator of Nutrition at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Barbara has been an active participant in the AZA Nutrition Advisory Group since the late 1990’s, co-advises several SSP and TAG programs within AZA, and helped form the Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition Foundation in 2012, serving as the President since its inception.
Katrina Eschweiler
Katrina has worked in the exotic animal nutrition field for over 10 years. Starting at Denver Zoo in 2014 and working various positions in both horticulture and nutrition, ultimately becoming the manager of nutrition services in 2018. In 2019 she graduated from North Carolina State University with her master’s in animal science and nutrition. In 2022 she accepted the Curator of Nutrition position at Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California. She serves as co-advisor of nutrition for both the Orangutan SSP and Elephant TAG.
Jordyn Nylander
Jordyn Nylander is the Senior Clinical Nutritionist at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) where she oversees the nutrition science program at both the Zoo and Safari Park campuses. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation Medicine from Tufts University where she focused on OneHealth impacts of long-term fire retardants in California. As the Clinical Nutritionist her primary focus is on clinical nutrition cases for the organization and the collaboration with Wildlife Care on building outcome-based diets. In addition to primary duties, she uses her background in agriculture and fire retardant research to apply to feeding systems and landscapes in SDZWA’s conservation hubs.
Taylor Papstein-Novak
Taylor is the Animal Nutritionist for the Oklahoma City Zoo and has been in her current role since Fall 2023. Her graduate research ranged from ruminant nutrigenomics to fruit-fly life history trade-offs. She was actively involved in student leadership, serving three years as president of her department’s graduate student association. Since joining the zoo field, she has been involved in NAG – reviewing several nutrition chapters and grants, serving as nutrition adviser for three groups, and co-hosting the 2025 ZWNF-NAG Conference.
Total Voters: 23
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