Pgh. zoo has new president
PITTSBURGH — Dr. Jeremy Goodman was recently named the new Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium president and CEO.
The appointment, announced Thursday in a news release, is effective Oct. 1.
Goodman will be the eighth director since the Pittsburgh Zoo opened in 1898. He will succeed longtime zoo director Dr. Barbara Baker, who announced her plan to retire.
Goodman, a veterinarian, is executive director of the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., where he is credited with reinvigorating the nation’s third-oldest zoo since he arrived there in 2013. He is responsible for strengthening the zoo’s financial position by seeking new sources of revenue through public funding, grants and campaigns.
“Our board is delighted that Dr. Jeremy Goodman will become the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s next leader,” said Donna Hudson, Zoological Society of Pittsburgh’s chairwoman, in a statement. “Dr. Goodman is an accomplished game-changer in the advancement of city zoos and has a track record of success to bring to Pittsburgh’s unique combination zoo and aquarium.”
The zoo noted Goodman will bring new perspective and experience to advancing Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation, renewing its lease with the city and creating and updating exhibitions.
Previously, Goodman was director of the Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County, N.J., for nine years, during which time he turned around the finances of the municipal zoo and achieved its first national accreditation by AZA.
His first zoo management role was as assistant director of the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Ind. He was a private practice veterinarian after receiving his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tufts University. He is an experienced AZA accreditation inspector.
After leading the Pittsburgh organization for the past 31 years, Baker is designated as president emeritus in recognition of her many contributions to the zoo’s growth and development.
