Joan Embery Wins the San Diego Women's Hall of Fame 2007 Spirit

Joan Embrey Born in San Diego in 1949 Joan Embery spent her childhood camping under the stars, hiking the canyons and watching the sun set. She is a champion of environmental, conservation and preservation issues around the world. While at San Diego State University Joan specialized in zoology and telecommunications and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication at Eastern Illinois University. ​

She has spent most of her life being a spokeswoman for the Zoological Society of San Diego (which includes the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park), educating the public about the wildlife and environment by making appearances on television, doing radio interviews, speaking engagements and performing animal presentations. Joan has served on many boards focusing on conservation and wildlife issues such as Morris Animal Foundation, Wildlife Health Center School of Veterinary Medicine UC Davis, San Diego River Park Foundation, Anza-Borrego Foundation, Project Wildlife (advisory board), Blue Sky Community Foundation, and as a participant or instructor for Envirovet. She has also received numerous awards for her dedication to the animals and the environment and has authored four books. In 2004 Joan established The Embery Institute for Wildlife Conservation with the hope of connecting people to wildlife and conservation issues and making people aware of the role each individual plays in insuring healthy environments. She was inducted into the San Diego Women's Hall of Fame in 2007 with the title of Spirit of Women's Hall.