Dawn Brancheau

Dawn Brancheau was born as Dawn Therese LoVerde on April 16, 1969 to Marion LoVerde and Charles LoVerde. During a family vacation to Orlando, she set her heart on becoming an orca trainer. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in psychology and animal behavior. She spent two years working with dolphins at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey then began her career at SeaWorld Orlando working with otters and sea lions in 1994. She started working with killer whales in 1996. She worked with killer whales for 15 years as a SeaWorld trainer, eventually holding the title of senior animal trainer. On February 24, 2010, she was performing a show with Tilikum, a large bull orca (the largest in captivity, measuring 22.5 feet long and weighing roughly 12,500 pounds).