Jessica Ruthenberg  has worked as the Watchable Wildlife Biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for over five years. She also serves on the Board of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and as a Chapter Advisor for her local chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists. She has a Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment (now called School for Environment and Sustainability) where she was a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow and specialized in Conservation Biology and Environmental Behavior, Education and Communication. Prior to her current position with DGIF, Jessica completed a well-rounded body of conservation work for a variety of agencies and organizations, including work as a Conservation Assistant for Ducks Unlimited, Field Researcher on endangered songbirds for Texas A&M University, Field Researcher for Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Policy Analyst for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Consultant for the Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Michigan, Teacher-Naturalist at the Audubon Center of Debs Park in Los Angeles and Educator at the Los Angeles Zoo. Jessica is originally from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and now lives in Norfolk, Virginia with her husband, Joe, and their dog, Pancakes. In her spare time, Jessica performs improv comedy at Norfolk’s Push Comedy Theater and she serves on the Cabinet for the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division.