Dana Brown President &
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Dana Brown President & CEO POSITION SPECIFICATION THE OPPORTUNITY The Saint Louis Zoo seeks the next Dana Brown President & CEO (President, Chief Executive Officer, CEO) to lead the Zoo at a time of financial and operational strength, as well as great potential. The CEO will provide the vision and strategy to guide an organization already established as a frontrunner in conservation and visitor experience that draws nearly 3 million attendees annually and is the most-visited attraction in the region. As the world’s first municipally supported zoo, Saint Louis Zoo is also one of the few remaining that offers free admission to the public. Guests love their time at the Zoo, with 97% of them rating their experiences as excellent or very good. Acknowledged as one of the top nine best zoos by Travel + Leisure, the Saint Louis Zoo was voted the best zoo in the nation by USA Today in their Readers’ Choice Awards contest in 2018 and by Always Pets in 2021; it is ranked number four in the world by TourScanner; and, in 2017, TripAdvisor put the Zoo among the top six globally. Position Specification: Dana Brown President & CEO 2 The CEO will be a leader with a global footprint, who builds on Saint Louis Zoo’s existing assets, spearheading all aspects of one of the world’s most important zoological parks and conservation organizations. The institution’s next leader will build on the organization’s highly credible position in a role that extends beyond the boundaries of the Zoo’s historic urban campus. The President will set the vision and strategic direction of the Zoo’s conservation efforts, exercising broad oversight of the Zoo’s global field conservation initiatives and participating in the WildCare Institute’s individual centers and programs. The Chief Executive Officer is also responsible for overseeing the development of the American Red Wolf Recovery Program at the Zoo’s breeding center in Franklin County in association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As such, the CEO will have an important platform from which to enhance public understanding, support wildlife conservation through education and advocacy, and effect inspired and lasting change on a global level. The organization has long excelled at connecting people to wildlife and nature, creating award-winning habitats that benefit the animals in their care and conserving animals to assure sustainable populations for the future. Their efforts are now positioned to be amplified. In 2018, St. Louis voters passed the historic Proposition Z, which allocated 0.125% of the county’s sales tax to the Saint Louis Zoo. This new tax augmented existing funds generated from property taxes and philanthropy, supporting essential infrastructure improvements on the original campus and facilitating the purchase of 425 acres in northern St. Louis County, as well as contributing to the future development and operational costs for the new campus. Position Specification: Dana Brown President & CEO 3 The President will be responsible for the development and expansion of the Zoo’s two campuses, which will ultimately operate under one, shared mission. This farsighted leader will approach this initiative by actively anticipating future needs and laying the groundwork to facilitate operational best practices. Because the technology driving the comfort of guests constantly changes, the successful candidate will embrace the reality that continual improvement and modernization must be well planned and implemented. The Chief Executive Officer will reaffirm the Zoo’s commitment to the environment by prioritizing a holistic approach to sustainability in all future design and construction projects. Finally, and equally important, this inclusive visionary will aspire to welcome an expanded group of guests to the Zoo such that visitor demographics reflect the diversity of an expansive and ever-changing community. On the original Forest Park campus, initiatives include developing the Zoo’s existing footprint, as well as growing the operation to include property adjacent to the campus, but outside the park. They currently own 13 acres directly across from the Zoo that generates revenue through its large, renovated parking structure. In the longer term, it will be possible to develop this property for parking and other visitor services. Moving parking outside of Forest Park will enable the Zoo to expand by developing its existing parking as exhibit space, facilitating the only possible enlargement of their public space in Forest Park. Position Specification: Dana Brown President & CEO 4 Projected to open in 2026 as the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park, the new campus is in the community of Spanish Lake in an ideal location for the realization of a dream the Zoo and its leaders have held for nearly 50 years. The WildCare Park will be one destination where two journeys come together to move the needle on species conservation, merging public experiences at the Wildlife Adventure Park with critical conservation and research at the Kent Family Conservation & Animal Science Center. As a public facility, it will combine a safari experience with nature-based encounters, sending guests through herds of animals roaming wild over grassy meadows and through native forests, which will be explorable via ground trails or high in the canopy. The Kent Family Conservation & Animal Science Center will allow conservationists to work to sustain populations of endangered species, conduct research, and engage in applied conservation programs fundamental to the Zoo’s wildlife conservation efforts. Collaborating closely with the WildCare Park Director, the President will play a leadership role in the fundraising, development, and opening of this transformative campus. Under the direction of its future chief executive and as articulated in their strategic plan, “Connect. Create. Conserve.,” Saint Louis Zoo aims to grow as a leader in animal welfare, guest experience, wildlife conservation, conservation education, sustainable operations and design, and workplace and volunteer satisfaction, aligning communications plans and technological improvements to support these objectives while ensuring sustainable growth. By achieving the goals set out in the strategic plan, the Zoo will serve as a model for and will advance animal care and welfare, while creating experiences specifically designed to connect people with animals in a profoundly emotional way so that they are inspired to become conservationists. Position Specification: Dana Brown President & CEO 5 THE ORGANIZATION SAINT LOUIS ZOO BEGINNINGS Saint Louis Zoo traces its origin to the 1904 World’s Fair, hosted in St. Louis. The Smithsonian Institution had commissioned a flight cage for the fair, which was purchased by St. Louisans to keep in their city. The popularity of the flight cage inspired civic leaders to build a zoological garden—what would become the first municipally supported zoo in the world. The Zoological Society of St. Louis was established in November 1910 and, in 1913, legislation was signed that created a Zoological Board of Control, giving it authority over more than 70 acres of Forest Park. Although much has changed in the time since the Saint Louis Zoo was first established, the Zoo’s mission remains amazingly similar to the ideals expressed by its founders. An early booklet from the Saint Louis Zoo lists the following objectives: to establish and to co-operate with the City of St. Louis in maintaining a zoological park for the instruction and recreation of the people; to exhibit wild animals under favorable conditions; to encourage zoological research; to increase public interest in wild animals; and to secure better protection of wild animal life, by educational methods. Position Specification: Dana Brown President & CEO 6 SAINT LOUIS ZOO IN THE 21ST CENTURY Guided by the mission nearly unchanged since its founding, the organization has received global recognition for its innovative approaches to animal care and management, wildlife conservation, research, and education. One of the most important goals of the Saint Louis Zoo is to educate its visitors, instilling wonder for the natural world and respect for the environment. Since all living organisms exist in bio-communities made up of different plants and animals, the Zoo has prioritized creating a more realistic, natural experience for their animals, as well as an exciting and engaging one for Zoo visitors. These immersive and mixed-species exhibits provide an interactive and dynamic experience for humans and animals alike, and the animals benefit from enrichment through species interactions. Visitors learn from observing these interactions and enjoy increased activity levels in the exhibits, improving guest experience and helping turn attendees into conservation advocates. River’s Edge was the Saint Louis Zoo’s first immersion exhibit with naturalistic environments that illuminate how animals such as rhinos and hippopotamuses live in the wild; this opened to the public in 2002. The following year saw the unveiling of Penguin and Puffin Coast, a cold and rugged coastline and bay where penguins, puffins, and water birds fly, dive, and swim. The Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel also opened in 2003. Depicting protected and endangered species that can be seen at the Saint Louis Zoo, it provides an entry point to engage children about the need for conservation. In 2004, current President Dr. Jeffrey Bonner established the Zoo’s endowment and the WildCare Institute was founded to create a sustainable future for