Vice President for Animal Care, Hollie Colahan, was selected to be the Chair of the AZA Professional Development Committee that oversees all of AZA’s professional development and training programs.
Animal Care
Conservation Biology
Denver Zoo and Tonkin snub-nosed monkey conservation collaborators Fauna and Flora International and the University of Colorado Boulder announced that joint conservation efforts have led to the designation of a new national park in Ha Giang Province, Vietnam, for the primary purpose of continued Tonkin snub-nosed monkey conservation success in the region.
Gana Wingard, Mongolia Program Director, received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Grupo Medicina de Conservacíon of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Gana also received spotlight in the 2015 Field Research Expedition Guide Mongolia by Earthwatch Institute.
Dr. Rebecca Garvoille, Conservation Social Scientist, was elected to serve as an at-large member on the Society for Conservation Biology’s Social Science Working Group Board. She is currently the Board Secretary and Communications Committee Chair.
The Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge watershed, which is managed by Denver Zoo, was identified as one of the best landscapes in northern New Mexico for migratory grassland bird species, in terms of habitat connectivity and quality, by the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) through a habitat suitability analysis.
Education
Marley Steele-Inama, Director of Audience Research and Evaluation was elected as Chair of the American Alliance of Museum’s Committee on Audience Research and Evaluation, a professional network designed to advance visitor studies and program evaluation in museums, zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens and science centers. SteeleInama also published a chapter in the Journal of Museum Education about the Denver Evaluation Network (DEN), a consortium of metro-area cultural organizations building evaluation capacity in staff.
Facilities
Denver Zoo is now one of only four zoological institutions in the world, and the first in the Western Hemisphere, to achieve the highest international distinction for its environmental, health and safety management systems. After an intensive, four-day audit in February, Denver Zoo was reaccredited with ISO 14001 certification and, for the first time, awarded the OHSAS 18001 certification. Both prestigious certifications commit the Zoo to the utmost level of sustainable practices and health and safety.
External Relations
Marketing and Public Relations each won a Gold Hermes Creative Award for the identity design package for the Zoo’s annual fundraiser, Do at the Zoo, and for the best media placement for a Denver Post article about our LEGO® exhibit, respectively.
Organization
Values Based Leadership professional development training offered to management staff was featured in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Connect Magazine. The program arms participants with tools to empower, motivate and hold teams accountable; manage tasks, people and themselves; and communicate more effectively with one another.
The following Zoo-affiliated individuals successfully completed Denver Zoo’s Advanced Inquiry Program. Brittney Weaver, Ali Young, Colby McElrath, Heather Batts, Sharon Garrison and Sara Shanahan. Each earned a master’s degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Gwen Jankowski became board certified in zoological medicine, by successfully passing the certification examination for the American College of Zoological Medicine.
Dr. R. Scott Larsen completed a two year term as President of the American College of Zoological Medicine.
Dr. R. Scott Larsen was elected as President-elect of the American Associations of Zoo Veterinarians.