So they gave me those additional responsibilities. So that was kind of the umbrella then that was the complete umbrella over all of the animal care facets. And the veterinarians reported to me. And it just kind of tidied up the organizational chart a lot. From there, in 2015, you… Read More
Yeah. Yeah, again, it was what the organization recognized. I was an officer now, you know, so as far as contract signing and those responsibilities, that allowed me to be in that position. Which the board certainly approved because they wanted to make sure that we had a robust officer… Read More
Same responsibilities?… Read More
Right. Read More
Yeah, I think visually very appealing. I mean, you know, coming into Florida where, you know, you look at a plant, it grows because of the tropical environment. So visually, a very pretty zoo. behind-the-scenes, a lot of issues, a lot of issues with exhibits, as I always characterized it,… Read More
I had to basically rework the staff, and change titles, and do all kinds of things to get it to the standards that I thought it should be at. And with support from Lex, he was very supportive of that whole thing. So basically, I would say professionalizing the small… Read More
And you then were promoted to the title Vice President and Director of Collections?… Read More
And what kind of zoo did you find when you got there, how would you describe it?… Read More
Lex Salisbury hired me, yeah. Read More
Who was the zoo director that hired you?… Read More
As, I think, they gave me the title deputy director at that time, or no, director of collections at that time. So I had a general curator working for me and curators. And so it was to oversee the animal collection, be part of the senior management team of the… Read More
And you moved to Lowry Park in what capacity?… Read More
I said well, you’re gonna have to come here to see it, number one. That’s probably the best way I can answer the question. But it was time for me to make a change and get control of my career. You know, I had put in, I thought, my tank… Read More
Why are you leaving?… Read More
And so I moved on. My wife retired at the same time, she was curator of primates and we moved to Florida, the biggest move of my entire career. Read More
And so I started to put my application out and it was no fun. You know, as I said to my wife at the time, I feel like a piece of meat, you know, you’re getting thrown around, asked questions, taken to dinner, wined and dined, and then said sorry,… Read More
And I felt wanted coming to Lowry Park but I had a lot of my colleagues who said what happened?… Read More
And that’s what I did, put collections together. I also saw a zoo that was willing to look outside of its boundaries and not just stay local, you know, it was okay with international work, which was like, great, I’ve done that, so I can help you with that. And… Read More
Am I okay staying in San Diego and continuing on as I am or is there something else?… Read More
Yeah, the question was asked of me, Mark, more times than I can remember. I was being groomed to take Dr. Dolan’s position when he retired, and I didn’t get that job. And I had to make a decision career-wise. Read More