Erica Wisniewski

Senior Trainer

Instructor - PD001 Furthering Relationships and Enrichment and PD004 Training Interactive Program

Erica has been at DRC for over 6 years and, in addition to being a trainer, has become an instructor for both the associate’s and certificate programs offered by DRCTI.  Erica grew up in a small town in New Jersey right by the ocean and that is where her love for marine life grew.  She loved any type of aquarium or zoo that her family would take her to and she dreamed at a very young age that one day she would be able to work with marine mammals, and she never let go of that dream.

Erica graduated from Monmouth University, in New Jersey with a BA in Elementary Education and English.  She volunteered as much as she could during school at the local Jenkinson’s Aquarium on the Jersey Shore boardwalk.  She was then given the amazing opportunity to do an internship in the Bahamas, at Dolphin Encounters.  It was there that her love for dolphins grew even stronger; she loved the internship so much she went back the following summer to gain further knowledge.  During this time she also completed a certificate program through the Animal Behavior Institute in Animal Training and Enrichment.

Erica visited DRC in 2008 and fell in love with the facility; walking in the door that day she knew DRC was the place for her, the connection that the staff displayed with the animals was truly inspiring.  She took an Education internship during the summer of 2008 and enjoyed every minute of it; learning more and more about DRC’s philosophy.  After completing her last semester of college, Erica landed a training internship at Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, which turned into a full time position working with Sea turtles, Stingrays, Nurse sharks, and Alligators.  She enjoyed getting the chance to work with animals she did not know much about.  After a year there she got the chance of a lifetime getting a position in the Animal Care and Training Department at DRC!