Aquarium

Felicia Manning

Felicia Manning

Manager at Marine Science Education & Outreach Center at Anna Maria City Pier

Felicia was born and raised in Oklahoma and is a proud member of the Cherokee Nation tribe. She has worked with and has an appreciation for both terrestrial and marine species. She received her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Science from the University of Oklahoma. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree she studied abroad for a semester in Queensland, Australia and got to participate in marine research on the Great Barrier Reef. In 2016, she spent a month in Mossel Bay, South Africa as an intern for Oceans Research where she assisted in studies pertaining to species such as whales, tidal invertebrates, pyjama sharks, and white sharks. She received her master’s degree in Marine Science from Jacksonville University. Her thesis research included using data from 13 great white sharks tagged by OCEARCH and analyzing their movements up and down the U.S. East coast. In 2022, she spent 4 months in Hoedspruit, South Africa living on a game reserve as a wildlife conservation intern. During this time she aided in collecting data for the management of various species including: rhino, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, cheetah, leopard, lion, hyena, and birds of prey. 

Her passion is wildlife conservation and she believes education and research are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity for future generations.

Education

B.S. Wildlife Science, University of Oklahoma

M.S. Marine Science, Jacksonville University