Mary Kazmir
Mary Kazmir is a wildlife field professional, educator, photographer, and public speaker whose career reflects more than three decades of experience in marketing, education, and community outreach. A graduate of The University of Toledo with a degree in journalism, Mary quickly discovered her strengths were better suited to marketing, communication, and public engagement. Early in her career, she worked in student recruitment and career education, first with ITT Technical Institute and later with a technical college in the Cleveland area, where she traveled to local high schools presenting career opportunities and preparing students for the workforce. She became especially passionate about helping students build confidence through interview preparation, job placement guidance, and professional development, including educating young people about responsible social media use long before online reputation management became widely discussed.
Today, Mary works with Ohio Geese Control as a professional dog handler specializing in humane wildlife management alongside her trained border collie. Her experience in the field inspired her to create CLE Goose Girl, an educational outreach initiative focused on human–wildlife coexistence, environmental literacy, and public awareness. The idea emerged after she and her team experienced hostility and threats from individuals who misunderstood the purpose of humane goose management, reinforcing for Mary how little the public understood about wildlife behavior and ecosystem balance. Through presentations at schools, senior centers, civic organizations, garden clubs, and community groups, she educates audiences about the long-term consequences of feeding wildlife, the dangers of improper diets for migratory birds, and the ways human behavior can unintentionally disrupt local ecosystems. Her presentations combine science, storytelling, humor, and real-world field experience to make environmental education both engaging and accessible.
In addition to her educational work, Mary is an accomplished photographer with a lifelong passion for visual storytelling that began during her high school yearbook days in the 1980s. She especially enjoys photographing dogs and wildlife, interests that ultimately helped connect her to her work in goose management. Mary values the independence and connection to nature that her career provides, embracing the flexibility of working outdoors and building a life centered around purpose, service, and personal freedom. Recently becoming a grandmother to her grandson Benjamin, born on April 17, has further shaped her perspective on the importance of time, balance, and living intentionally. Through every stage of her career, Mary has remained committed to educating others, fostering compassion for wildlife, and helping communities better understand the world around them.
• Wildlife Management Professional
• Educational Outreach Program Developer
• The University of Toledo - BA, Broadcast Journalism
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my ability to combine my 30 years of experience in marketing and education with my hands-on work as a wildlife field professional, dog handler, and photographer. What really drives me is turning that hands-on experience into compelling education and outreach. I created programs that support STEM learning, environmental literacy, and personal development, and I've made them adaptable for youth, adult learners, and professional groups. My passion for photography has been with me since high school in the 80s when I worked on the yearbook, and I especially love photographing dogs, which is actually what initially connected me with the goose chasing work. But more than anything, I love being outside - there's a real freedom in being in charge of my own schedule, whether I'm getting up at 4:30 in the morning or working later in the day. As I've gotten older, I've learned that time is really a privilege, and being outside, taking those deep breaths, with nobody watching me or demanding my time - that peace and freedom is what fulfills me. I can do what I want, and that self-care and intentionality with my energy is key to everything I do.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is the widespread misinformation and lack of education about wildlife management. People see 15 to 30 seconds of what we're doing and create this whole scenario in their head of how horrible we are, that we're terrorizing these poor animals, that the dog is trained to kill them, that we must have hundreds of dead geese in our car - and none of that is what's going on. The light bulb moment for me came when we were verbally threatened by someone claiming they were going to shoot and kill us and our dog because they didn't approve of the service we were providing. That's when I realized people don't understand what we're doing here - they're getting misinformation off the internet instead of walking up to me and asking questions. There's a huge need for educational outreach to help people understand the dangers of feeding wildlife, what happens when you feed them the wrong foods, how it changes their behaviors long-term, and how those changes affect their ability to reproduce. For example, when geese eat crackers, their wings can become deformed, creating a whole domino effect. If people understood this, they wouldn't be feeding them. The opportunity is in creating programs that educate not only adults but children on these ecological issues and how just one animal can really affect the whole ecosystem.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are authenticity, freedom, and being intentional with my time and energy. I've learned not to live up to someone else's expectations or go out of my way to please other people, because I found that people don't appreciate it - you twist yourself in a pretzel to be what they want, meet their deadlines, and then it's just 'what else do you have?' with no validation or appreciation. I would say do what really makes you happy and fulfills you, and speak up for yourself, which is something I did not do growing up. My generation was taught you did not talk back to a boss or an elder - they automatically got respect but didn't earn it, and you didn't get it back even when you earned it. I really applaud the younger generation for standing up for their values, knowing their value, and maintaining those boundaries whether at work or with a partner. Another key value is knowing when to walk away - I stayed loyal to jobs far too long when there was no validation, whether verbally or in the form of raises, when I should have moved on. Now, especially as a new grandmother, I'm very selective about how I spend my time - I ask myself, is this on brand, is this really going to get the message out, or am I just spinning my wheels? Time is really a privilege as you get older, and being outside, taking those deep breaths, with nobody demanding my time - that freedom and peace is what I value most. If you're letting someone else lead you, you're going to go off course, so you have to set your own course and know where you want to spend your time and energy.