Christine is a Brazilian-American conservation biologist whose lifelong passion for golden lion tamarins began while researching their behavior and vocalizations for the Smithsonian’s Department of Zoological Research. She later joined the World Wildlife Fund, where she supported environmental practitioners, including the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, in engaging the public to protect nature in Brazil and throughout Latin America. 

In the early 2000s, she returned to academia to pursue a masters at the University of Florida, focusing on strategies to motivate environmental stewardship. Following her graduate work, Christine worked at the American Museum of Natural History where she collaborated with Bahamian teachers to design educational resources and led the evaluation of a college level conservation education resource, the Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners. 

After her time in New York city, Christine returned to the south and joined the University of Florida as the coordinator of the Florida Climate Institute and later as a contributing evaluator for the Climate Change to Climate Variability Extension program. Today, Christine continues to support the conservation of golden lion tamarins and their Atlantic Forest home by developing environmental education opportunities for zoos and schools, creating fundraising campaigns, and serving as the secretary of the Board of Directors for the Save the Golden Lion Tamarin.

Christine and her husband, John, live in Gainesville, Florida, where they enjoy sports and spending time outdoors in the beautiful nature of North Central Florida with their two children, Beatriz and Luke, their cat Prancer, and their dog, Mr. Bond.