One of the founding members of Aquamoon, Bob has a deep understanding and appreciation for natural systems. Bob is a well-respected husbandry expert with a proven track record of leading teams of animal keepers, veterinarians, facility operators and designers to achieve success, all with the business acumen required to keep projects on time and within budget.

After completing a degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois, Bob began working at the world-renowned John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. During his 17-year tenure there, he worked in the Animal Health Department, most recently as the Director of Animal Health. Bob created and implemented an animal information management system (AIMS) to manage the care of 32,500 animals, designed preventive care systems, and oversaw the staff, equipment and operations of the 5,600-square-foot animal hospital.

Bob maintains a high standard of excellence, and his work strives to improve the relationship between the viewer and nature.

As a complement to his passion for living systems, Bob has trained in the techniques of the ancient Japanese art of bonsai. The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation for the viewer, and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower. Bob’s exploration of the aesthetics of nature through bonsai has informed his study of the effects of the built environment on health, wellness and productivity.

Jim is a founding member of Aquamoon and a well-known leader in the field of aquatic plumbing and life support systems with more than 20 years of experience in commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. He is a licensed plumber who also holds a State of Illinois RPZ Backflow Prevention License, and is a PADI Rescue Certified Diver.

Having operated life support systems for decades, Jim brings an end-user focus to his projects. Jim’s technical mastery and reputation for quality and integrity have led to opportunities to work on a variety of unique and remarkable projects. He has worked with Animal Interaction Design Group and Living Exhibits as a design and installation consultant, and at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as the Director of Base Building and Life Support. In this role, Jim was a key member of exhibit design, construction, and maintenance teams.

Jim’s comprehensive skills and knowledge span all aspects of construction and design. In fact, his recent restoration of an 1800s mansion on Chicago’s South Side highlights his skills with plumbing and electrical systems as well as with a multitude of historically sensitive aspects of design. Jim is committed to continued education and has completed coursework at the Building Owners and Management Association.

You can often catch Jim in the act of appreciating and enjoying nature as he makes his daily commute on Lake Michigan via his portable kayak.

With a passion for scientific thought and environmental conservation, Brian Gauger has dedicated his career to understanding and applying biological processes. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of Illinois, Brian completed internships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Sanctuaries division of NOAA.

Brian furthered his education at the University of San Diego, earning a Master of Science degree with a focus on marine aquaculture. Brian continued his work as a research assistant with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego, where he helped establish novel culture techniques on commercially significant fish species, explored the use of alternative proteins in broodstock diets, and co-authored peer-reviewed scientific literature.

His diverse experiences in the field, laboratory, and classroom have contributed to Brian’s recognized expertise in animal care. As Director of Animal Care for Aquamoon, he oversees the training, support, and quality assurance of our animal care programs across the country.

Brian’s belief in meticulous attention to detail and a holistic approach to re-creating environments helps guide Aquamoon’s world-class professional standards. He ensures that Aquamoon’s professionalism and expertise exceed client expectations by nurturing an atmosphere of continuing education, diverse experiences, and unparalleled support.

In his downtime, Brian enjoys spending time with his family and escaping the city to go hiking, diving, and practice landscape photography.

Alyssa has always had a passion for animals. While earning her B.S. in Biology from the University of West Georgia, she worked on stream surveys with the University and volunteered at the Georgia Aquarium. These early experiences solidified her desire to pursue a career in animal care.

After graduation Alyssa was hired by Georgia Aquarium where she worked in the Aquarium’s Acquisitions and Quarantine Department as well as the Ocean Voyager gallery caring for fish, reptiles, invertebrates and elasmobranchs. She has spent the last several years in Florida working at Bass Pro Shops and is Aquamoon’s lead keeper for American alligators and wild hogs.

In her spare time Alyssa enjoys being outside, traveling as much as possible, and visiting with family and friends.

Dennis has deep roots in Chicago. He grew up in its south suburbs and frequently visited the city’s zoos and aquarium. His passion for the sciences led him north to Michigan’s untamed upper peninsula where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Northern Michigan University. A love for animals remained after graduation, so Dennis worked in the Toxicology Department for the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for six years prior to joining Aquamoon.

When he’s not taking care of aquatic animals, Dennis enjoys cheering on his favorite local baseball team (hint: it’s not the southsiders!) and spending time in his picturesque Chicago-style bungalow with his wife, their two children and three dogs.

Paul joined Aquamoon with nearly two decades of professional experience in aquatic animal care. He began his career as a fish husbandry technician at LiveAquaria, a division of Drs. Foster & Smith and one of the largest online sources for sustainably raised freshwater and saltwater fishes. At LiveAquaria he worked with various delicate, rare, and unusual fish species. Paul also managed a retail aquarium store and was an assistant curator for a zoo and aquarium subcontracting company. Most recently Paul was an aquarist with Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay where he cared for sharks, arapaima, and golden crocodiles.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. As a testament to his passion for all things aquatic, Paul always has his hands wet…even in his spare time. His favorite hobby is fishing for bass, panfish, walleye and muskie.

Ryan has always been an animal lover. Growing up in central Illinois surrounded by rural landscape, Ryan was raised with a strong appreciation for nature. He left home to study business at Illinois State University, but made a hobby out of caring for aquariums. While putting his degree to work in a career in management, Ryan’s true passion remained with animals, specifically aquatic species. The strong pull to care for animals brought him to Aquamoon, where he eventually took the leap into a full-time aquarist position.

Ryan feels extremely lucky to be in a field he loves, following his passion on a daily basis.

Keith has worked all over the United States, most extensively in Wisconsin, Texas, and Mississippi, studying animals, insects, and fish in their native habitat as well as in the lab utilizing Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Through his travels and with his degree in Environmental Policy and Analysis from Bowling Green State University, Keith has gained a wide variety of knowledge in both science and art, which he is able to apply in his role at Aquamoon.

Keith enjoys trivia in all forms, and he brings that knowledge, and an enduring curiosity to learn more, with him whenever he goes.

California native, Hannah “Doc” Dokter comes to Aquamoon with a plethora of hands-on experience with aquatics and exotics, and science education. She has been keeping aquariums since early childhood, and even started a fish-keeping club at her high school. Doc has also been a longtime member of the Sacramento Aquarium Society.

Prior to Aquamoon, Doc taught high school biological sciences, where she instilled a love and fascination of all things natural onto her students. While teaching was a passion of hers, the call to the water was always stronger. Doc spent 3 years as a senior technician at an aquarium and zoo, where she honed her husbandry skills and knowledge!

When her hands aren’t wet, Doc enjoys spending time at home with her chosen family and dogs, reading, doodling, doing puzzles, going out in nature, and playing video games.

Brandon was raised in the Chicagoland area where he acquired a deep interest for freshwater fish through many childhood trips to northern Wisconsin. His passion was further developed at the University of Arizona where he studied Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Fisheries Conservation and Marine Science. As a student, he studied the effects of flow dynamics on endangered fish, assisted with the construction of an experimental hatchery, and volunteered at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum’s stingray exhibit.

Prior to Aquamoon, Brandon worked for the Arizona Game & Fish Department and Illinois Natural History Survey where he conducted research activities related to the management of native fish. In his free time, Brandon enjoys live music, musky fishing, and watching sports.

Eric grew up on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin. He’s spent his life in the city, small towns, and everywhere in between, all the while carrying his passion for learning about the natural world. He pursued his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at U.W.-Platteville and gained fundamental experience in matters of field ecology, animal husbandry, education, and outreach. While attending, Eric split his time between field/lab research in stream ecology and working at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, IA. Eric’s time spent cultivating his education and skills in Wisconsin brought him to work in the environmental service & public health industry, where he worked around the Midwest for years to ensure the health & safety of our local waters as well as to communicate the importance of their management to the public. Eric has since returned to focus on the inspirational & educational tools aquariums offer us all by joining the team at Aquamoon. You’ll find Eric devoting much of his free time to his interests in music, exercise, botany, and being outdoors.

Matt became fascinated with the oceans by watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries as a child and began caring for aquatic life before he was 10 years old. His involvement in the hobby grew over the years and eventually led him to pursue a career as an aquarium professional. He worked for more than a decade performing aquarium maintenance for a few local Chicago companies before joining Aquamoon. Matt has a broad range of husbandry knowledge and specializes in reef environments. He is mechanically inclined and is particularly passionate about designing, installing and upgrading filtration systems.

When he’s not working on aquariums, Matt enjoys doing home improvement projects on his cottage-style home.

Sean’s husbandry expertise is diverse, and throughout his career, he has cared for a wide range of animals, including various fish species, reptiles, waterfowl and mammals. Before joining Aquamoon, Sean was an aquarist and SeaTrek diver at the Miami Seaquarium. While earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Ecological and Environmental Science from Southeastern Louisiana University, Sean gained valuable experience at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, where he spent six years in the Husbandry Department as a volunteer and intern.

In his spare time, Sean can usually be found tinkering with computers, traveling to Israel to visit family and actively learning Hebrew.

Andrew was born and raised in and around Peoria, IL. He has always been interested in biology and all life sciences. Andrew has kept aquariums as a hobby since has was a teenager. He majored in biochemistry at Illinois State University and has 10 years of laboratory science experience. In 2015 he moved to Colorado but returned to Peoria in 2020 after his son was born. Currently, he keeps numerous reptiles and amphibians, as well as fish. The specialties of his interest are slider turtles and axolotls. Andrew looks forward to combining his passion for animal care with his career.

Mallory is a North Carolina Outer Banks native, where she cultured her love and curiosity for all things marine and nautical. As a young adult, she volunteered with the North Carolina Maritime Museum, assisting with youth workshops aimed to educate coastal history – from early settlers to swashbuckling pirates to WWI and WWII attacks right off the NC coast! Her seaside hometown even provided her easy access to the banks where the wild horses have roamed for centuries and granted her frequent bottlenose dolphin sightings. Needless to say, she rarely knew boredom as a child and her love of being in the water earned her the nickname, “Tadpole”. Mallory earned her science degree at East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) and continues to further her education. Immersing herself even deeper into her love for the water, she became a NAUI Master Rescue Diver and enthusiastically offered her experiences to inspire children and adults to join the underwater adventure.

Mallory joins Aquamoon with a diverse background, including mammalian, aquatic, and reptilian husbandry. No longer a character out of a Nicholas Sparks novel, Mallory enjoys exploring, photographing adventures with her spouse, renovating her home, nautical antiquing, and, most of all, loving on her two Komondor dogs.

Jakab graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a specialization in Marine and Aquatic Biology. At BGSU, he was heavily involved in the student operated marine laboratory where he held multiple coordinator positions through his years at university. Most recently, Jakab was the research coordinator and worked as a teaching assistant to help fellow undergraduate students conduct coral studies.
Jakab’s passion for aquariums started as a hobbyist. At a young age, he kept and bred tropical fish and aquatic plants. Today, he is still active in the hobby and continues to keep his own personal aquarium. In his free time, Jakab also makes educational aquarium and science related videos on TIKTOK (@fishybusiness32).

Kevin has always enjoyed working with aquatic animals and educating people about the environment. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Trine University in Indiana. While working on his M.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University, he was hired as an aquarist for Landry’s Restaurants.

He worked for Landry’s for 18 years serving as the Curator for the Aquarium restaurant in Nashville, TN. Upon the conclusion of his time there, he was hired to work for Fish Guys by ZoOceanarium Group to manage their aquarium service company in Nashville. He joined the Aquamoon team in 2024.

In his spare time Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, serving with their local church, hiking, as well as teaching chemistry.

Michael Smith is a recent graduate of the illustrious Lincoln University of Missouri. He has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture with an emphasis in animal science. Ever since he was a child, Michael has possessed a passion for animals and loved the thought of taking care of living organisms.  Even at a young age, he knew that one day his career would focus on animal husbandry. While in college, Michael worked with several different types of animals, most notably in the school’s aquaculture facility where he was employed for over 2 ½ years. This experience ignited his interest in aquatic husbandry. He hopes to learn so much with Aquamoon and is excited to see where his journey takes him.

Michael’s interests outside of work are video games and anime.

Carl’s interest in aquatics comes from summers at the cabin, competitive swimming, and biology coursework in college. He has a background in aquatic biology from Bethany Lutheran College, Bemidji State University, and the Minnesota DNR. Aquamoon enticed Carl with an opportunity to utilize his degree, work with fish, and be in and around the water. His hobbies include hiking, board games, and motorcycles.

Carol grew up on the south side of Chicago.  Despite this, she has been known to cheer for the Cubs. 

She started working for Aquamoon in 2012 and handles the day-to-day office operations.  Carol’s past experience has included office and managerial positions with school districts, real estate brokers and construction companies.

When she’s not keeping things running at Aquamoon, Carol enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling, reading and playing around with computers and other tech products.