PRESS RELEASES

New Chief Operating Officer Brings Extensive Retail Management Experience to San Diego Zoo Global

SAN DIEGO, CA, September 28, 2016 – San Diego Zoo Global is welcoming a new addition to its executive team, as Shawn Dixon steps in as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the nonprofit organization. As COO, Dixon will oversee all facets of the organization’s budget—including all functions of the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, from architecture and planning to merchandising and marketing. Dixon brings extensive retail managerial experience to his new position as COO, after more than a decade working with the National Park Service and the hotel industry.

“We are honored to welcome Shawn Dixon to the San Diego Zoo Global family,” said Douglas G. Myers, president and chief executive officer of San Diego Zoo Global. “Shawn is someone with a tremendous amount of leadership experience, and I believe wholeheartedly that he will be a great asset to our organization. I look forward to learning from him and working with him in the years to come.”

Among Dixon’s many career accomplishments, he served as corporate director of lodging operations and capital planning for Vail Resorts, where he directed the operations of 13 hotels, spas, retail stores and more than 30 restaurants in the Western U.S. and Jamaica. In addition, he created a culinary arts program at Vail Resorts Inc.—an educational program that helped develop and train highly skilled culinary apprentices throughout the Colorado and Wyoming region.

Along with developing and administering the organization’s budget, the COO of San Diego Zoo Global is tasked with ensuring that each department’s long-range and short-term goals are met, while representing the interests of the organization in governmental, community and social activities.

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.

About Shelli Herman and Associates, Inc.

Shelli Herman and Associates, Inc. provides retained executive search services to clients from a wide range of industries including fortune 500 companies and industry leading investment management firms to nonprofit organizations and top ranked colleges and universities. By design, our work focuses at the senior or decision-maker level within the organizations we serve. We have built a deep and robust practice within higher education and the nonprofit sector resulting from a nuanced understanding of academia and the unique needs of mission-driven organizations.

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