Thanks to my sister Michelle McIlroy for designing the logo!

Welcome!

Ever since I was a child, I have been very interested in nature and the environment. I have a B.S. degree in wildlife biology, and have worked as a zookeeper, wildlife biologist, and ecologist. I am conducting a brief survey of world leaders, government officials, religious leaders, corporate CEOs, environmental groups, wildlife experts, and others regarding nature and the environment. I am also very interested in religious views, customs, and beliefs from around the world, and the interactions between religion, culture, society, and the environment. This is something I am doing out of personal interest, and is not connected to any group or organization. I have been working on this project since the summer of 2006, and hope to eventually turn it into a book and/or documentary. I am hoping to make this into a global project, with responses from all segments of society. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or comments. If you have not already done so, I hope that you will consider taking part in my project, and please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested! Thanks for stopping by!

TAKE THE SURVEY ONLINE HERE http://tinyurl.com/nx4ng7

May 28, 2008

Creating Magic

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about an upcoming book you might be interested in, "Creating Magic - 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies From A Life At Disney" by Lee Cockerell. I know that for the most part this blog has been used to post the results of my Earth Survey Project, but Lee was kind enough to take part in my project (http://earthsurvey.blogspot.com/2007/12/lee-cockerell.html ), so I wanted to return the favor and give some mention to his upcoming book. Lee spent many years working in the hospitality industry, and held a variety of executive positions with Hilton Hotels (8 years), Marriott Corporation (17 years) and with The Walt Disney Company, which he joined in 1990. Lee was an integral part of the team that opened the Disneyland Paris Resort, and he later went on to become the Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the position he held while I was working as an animal keeper at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was fortunate enough to meet Lee early in my Disney career, during an orientation session for newly-hired salaried employees (which all of the animal keepers were at that time), and Lee and I have shared some correspondence over the years, although he has since retired from Disney and I am no longer working there... During his time at Disney, Lee developed the Disney Great Leader Strategies, which have been taught to countless Disney Cast Members, as well as corporate executives and many others over the years at the Disney Institute, where he is a featured speaker. Lee also wrote the popular "Main Street Diary" newsletter, which was distributed weekly to WDW Cast Members. Lee's book is based on his years of experience in the hospitality industry and the leadership lessons he helped develop, and should prove to be an invaluable source of information for anyone in a leadership role, no matter how large or small. The lessons contained in Lee's book can be applied to your work role, your personal life, and other organizations you may be involved with, and has been called one of the best leadership books read or published by Doubleday, the publishers of the book. To learn more about Lee or his book, you can visit his website, http://www.LeeCockerell.com, which also contains Lee's "Lessons in Leadership" Blog. The book currently has a publication date set for 10/14/08, and will make a great gift for the holidays!