Candid Conversation with Columbus Zoo’s New CEO

As the song Collide states, even the best fall down sometimes.  That was the situation in 2020-2021 when one of the premier zoological institutions in the world, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, stumbled as a result of poor judgment by a few in leadership. Stepping into the fray was long time Texas State Aquarium CEO Tom Schmid to answer the call to restore stakeholder trust in the organization. Tom describes his efforts to rebuild the institution's reputation and plans for future growth and reinvestment.  He speaks frankly about the organization's loss of accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which some have deemed unfair, even as it earned accreditation through the Zoological Association of America and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. And no conversation about the zoo's past, present or future can be complete without mention of the contributions by the one and only Jungle Jack Hanna.

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