Clarie was born and raised in Miami, FL. She attended the University of Florida in Gainesville on a music performance scholarship and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Animal Science. In 2017, Clarie’s passion for working with animals took her to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo where she developed her skills as a keeper while providing husbandry for a variety of species. She enjoyed creating educational programs for zoo events and community outreach, and her interest in animal behavior and training grew when chosen to train a white-handed gibbon and a southern three-banded armadillo.
Following her graduation from the Teaching Zoo, Clarie joined the NEI team as a seasonal keeper at the Ranch and in May of 2019 she became a full time keeper. In her time with NEI, she has enjoyed mentoring and developing staff, traveling with the company, and assisting in the hand-rearing of several bird species.
In her spare time, Clarie enjoys exploring Florida’s wild places, sampling local beers, and loving on her cats.