TIFFANY ENGLISH — HR MANAGER @UTAH’S HOGLE ZOO: KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!
If asked to describe Tiffany English, most would say she is a quiet and caring person – and certainly not a drama queen. So it may have been a surprise to many when she disappeared for two weeks in 1999.
WHERE’S TIFFANY?
Tiffany candidly explained that when she was 18 years old, she was working full-time in Salt Lake City as a waitress for two different restaurants – opening one and closing the other. One morning in May, she woke up feeling that her life was spiraling out of control…. which led her to do the most rational thing she could think of. Get in her car and start driving east, of course! All she had with her was her tip money and a basket of clean clothes. 
Her getaway vehicle was a “junker” that featured a flat spare tire and no radio — can you imagine driving across the country without a radio? She ended up in Florida where she took a sabbatical of sorts before turning around and heading back to the city of her birth. She says she returned to Salt Lake City a better and stronger person….and decided that working around the clock wasn’t for her anymore. She quickly resigned one job and regained some focus.
Tiffany’s resume is about as deep as they come. She started in the food industry at the tender age of 14, working in a Chinese restaurant at a local mall. After several years, she took a different direction and left the food world behind to become a veterinary technician, eventually managing an animal hospital. After stints in human medicine (including working as a phlebotomist and in the 
newborn ICU), as well as in the security and banking fields, she returned to her first love – food and catering – when she was recruited by GM Seth Palmer to work at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Her diverse work background made her the ideal candidate to manage SSA’s Human Resources Department at the zoo, which she has done for the past eight years.
“WE HAVE A POSSIBLE 207”
Tiffany met her future husband, Will, on the job…they both worked for the same restaurant (yep, when she was a waitress). Some may find it surprising that they are together given how their first date went. The couple was pulled over by police on a routine traffic stop, but after running IDs, the police threatened to arrest Will as they thought he had kidnapped Tiffany. Why, you ask? Well, Tiffany’s mother forgot to cancel the missing person report that she filed on her daughter (remember that little trip to Florida?)! Thankfully, everything was straightened out and they were on their way, and we happily report that Will and Tiffany have now been married for five years. Today, they work opposite shifts – Will takes the night shift managing a local restaurant, and Tiffany enjoys her days at the zoo. She laughingly said that they communicate through notes and texts, and that’s probably why they’re still married.
Tiffany said that, next to marrying her, the smartest thing her husband has done was to buy her a Kindle e-book reader. Being an avid reader, she has downloaded more than 800 books in the past few years, enjoying science fiction, horror and other types of fiction. She shared that she has an “Amazon problem,” often downloading another book to read right after she has finished the first one … even at 2 a.m. Let’s just say she is exactly what Amazon was hoping for in a customer!
Tiffany added that she probably has as many DVDs as she has Kindle books. She particularly likes horror movies as they elicit an emotional reaction, and she thrives on that creepy fear factor even though they make her laugh more often than cringe with terror. While Tiffany definitely has an opinion on the type of movies she enjoys watching, she doesn’t limit herself to favorite entertainers or musicians. She just wants to be entertained! When she’s not reading or watching movies, Tiffany spends time with her mother, who lives nearby. Her dogs, a Pomeranian and an Australian shepherd, also bring her happiness and a relief to everyday stress.
MMM…MMM….GOOD!
When it comes to cuisine, Tiffany has her indulgences. She simply loves Capri Sun. Even though she acknowledges the kid’s drink is loaded with sugar, she believes it’s healthier than drinking soda (and don’t even think of handing her the “diet stuff”). She also believes in eating comfort food – think pasta, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, sugary desserts, and almost anything loaded with carbs. Every dentist’s dream!
While she’s been at the zoo, Tiffany has been an active participant in the eco programs. She participated in the Ultimate Alternative Transportation Challenge program, where she received a certificate for her dedication to using alternative transportation to get to work. She also received both the Devoted Diner and the Loyalty Reward awards. Outside of work, she incorporates a healthy eating program into her lifestyle by shopping with the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-Op where she buys a basket of locally sourced produce every few weeks.
Tiffany is the type of person who realized early on that the best way to overcome adversity is to just face it head on. What’s her advice to someone with a challenge? Deal with it and move on! And she does just that today, Capri Sun in hand.