Michael A. Williamson was educated at the University of New Mexico. He is a former high school science teacher and was the first curator of birds and reptiles at the Rio Grande Zoological Park at Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a former Professional Fellow Member of the AAZPA and a co-founder of the New Mexico Herpetological Society. He has authored numerous publications in the field of vertebrate zoology, including a guide to the reptiles and amphibians of New Mexico (also published by Sunstone Press). He has edited two newsletters and reviewed an article on gila monsters for National Geographic Magazine. He also served two terms as a delegate to the New Mexico Conservation Coordinating Council. He is married and has two daughters.