For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles, Marketing & Membership Manager
904-757-4463, ext. 210; cell phone 904-655-3632

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Announces
2008-2009 Board Members

December 2, 2008, Jacksonville, FL – Today, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced the 2008-2009 officers and new members of its Board of Directors. The officers serve a one-year term of office.  Each board member will serve a three-year term. The Board of Directors is the Zoo’s governing body responsible for the operation and overall management of the zoo.  They play a key role in fundraising and bring specialized experience in finance, legal services, management, medical services, education, marketing, planning and building community to the management of the zoo.   

The officers that have been elected are Ann Baker, chair, Howard Coker, immediate past chair, Lewis Lee, Jr., chair elect and treasurer and Wanyonyi Kendrick, secretary. New board members include Thomas Burke, Lucia Lindsey, Sallyn Pajcic, Greg Smith and Linda Stein.  Other board members include Dr. Pierre N. Allaire, Martha Baker, J. F. Bryan, Carl Cannon, Jack Diamond, Matthew Fairbairn, Wayne Givens, Wilfredo Gonzalez, Terry Grooms-Derreberry, Donald Harris, John Hayt, Janet Healy, Adam Hollingsworth, Rosa Maria King, David Loeb, M.D., W. Radford Lovett, Josh McGraw, Kenyon Merritt, William Morris, Kathryn Pearson Peyton, M.D., Pamela Phillips, Dean Piacente, Brooke Stein, Jon Thompson, Kathryn Umberger and Dori Walton.  Dr. Johnny Gaffney and Kevin Hyde serve as City Council representatives to the board, Adam Hollingsworth serves as the Mayor’s liaison and Mayor John Peyton serves as ex-officio member.

“The experience and background that each board member brings to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Board of Directors will be extremely beneficial as we continue to develop and grow,” remarked Dennis Pate, executive director of the Zoo.

For 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experiences in a caring environment. Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Located on Jacksonville’s Northside on Zoo Parkway between I-95 and 9A, the Zoo is open year-round (closed only on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day), 7 days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended summer hours. General admission is $13.00 for adults and $8.00 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 are always admitted for free. For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

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