America’s first zoo hires first Black female president
Jo-Elle Mogerman will become the Philadelphia Zoo’s 15th president since its opening in 1874. The site is one of the top breeding facilities for rare and endangered animals.
Jo-Elle Mogerman is making history as the first woman and first African American person to hold the position of president and chief executive officer of the Philadelphia Zoo. She is currently an executive at the St. Louis Zoo, The Philadelphia Tribune reports.
In October, Mogerman will succeed Vikram Dewan, who has led the zoo for 16 years. Her appointment marks the 15th presidency for the institution in its 164-year history.
Mogerman has been the director of the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park in Missouri since 2019. According to the Philadelphia Zoo’s website, she has a master’s in conservation biology and a doctorate in biology and brings years of leadership experience to her new role.
“I look forward to leading Philadelphia’s exceptional team to advance the zoo’s mission and further its impact on the region while also contributing to conservation in ways that are meaningful locally, regionally and nationally,” Mogerman said, per The Tribune.
The Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874 and was the first in the nation. According to National Geographic, it remains one of the top breeding facilities for rare and endangered animals. Years earlier, the first modern zoo was established in Paris, in 1793. The largest zoo in the U.S. now is the San Diego Zoo, which houses over 4,000 animals (800 different species) on its 100 acres in Southern California.
The Philadelphia Zoo, in West Philadelphia, is responsible for the nation’s first successful orangutan and chimpanzee births, per the zoo’s website. It is also the first in the world to have a dedicated animal care center, to develop the first zoo foods specially formulated for animals, and to open the first Children’s Zoo. The organization began a national search for a new president earlier this year.
“Dr. Mogerman’s impressive career and accomplishments speak for themselves, but it was her clear commitment to community, animal welfare, staff development, and operational excellence that made her the right fit for our renowned Zoo,” said Joanna McNeil Lewis, chair of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Zoo, according to The Tribune.
In addition to being the first U.S. zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo also pioneered Zoo360, a concept that allows tigers and other big cats, lemurs, monkeys and other animals to move about their own campuses. More than 70 zoos across the country have replicated the initiative.
Mogerman noted that “a lot of amazing work is underway at Philadelphia Zoo.”
“I am certain we will catapult the nation’s first zoo into a model for zoos of the future,” she added.
According to The Tribune, Mogerman held leadership positions at the Brookfield Zoo in the Chicago area and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago before moving to St. Louis to take up the director’s post. She oversees the planning and development of the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, scheduled to open in 2027 on a 425-acre site in north St. Louis County.
Her time at WildCare Park will end in late October, so she can complete several tasks before starting in Philadelphia.
“Philadelphia Zoo is an important and relevant organization in wildlife conservation around the world,” said Dewan, the Philadelphia Zoo’s current president and CEO. He said he was “excited to support” Mogerman as his successor, adding that she would “undoubtedly foster a bright future” for the zoo.
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