Strategic and Master Planning Process Underway
(Syracuse, NY – May 17, 2013) Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo will host its annual meeting of the membership on Wednesday, May 22, in the zoo’s banquet room. The meeting will introduce the strategic master planning process launched earlier this year, which will create a vision for the zoo’s future and a road map for getting there. Onondaga County and Friends of the Zoo have enlisted Zoo Advisors, LLC and GLMZ Zoos, firms that are at the top of their field and have years of experience in zoo planning, to assist in the process.
The annual meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. A panel discussion, Planning the Future of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo: A Blue Sky Vision, follows from 6 to 7 p.m., led by Zoo Advisors, LLC consultants, David Walsh and Kathy Wagner and Craig Rhodes of GLMV Zoos.
Zoo Advisors, LLC assembled a panel of nationally-recognized thought leaders to offer their expertise during the annual meeting’s presentation. The panel is comprised of the following professionals*:
Shere Abbott, vice president for sustainability initiatives and professor of sustainability science and policy, Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Judy Braus, executive director, North American Association for Environmental Education
Washington, DC
Becca Hanson, FASLA, partner, Studio Hanson/Roberts
Bainbridge Island, WA
Steve Martin, president, Natural Encounters, Inc.
Winter Haven, FL
Eric Mower, chairman/chief executive officer, EMA
Syracuse, NY
The panel will discuss a range of issues and trends identified as key elements during the strategic master planning process. These include ideas on positioning the Rosamond Gifford Zoo as a community leader in conservation and as a regional attraction. Potential areas for growth within the zoo will also be addressed.
Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is a non-profit organization that provides financial support to the zoo through funds dedicated to the welfare of the zoo’s animals, educational programs and family-friendly facilities.