Raymond B. King: Nonprofit CEO

WHO:

Raymond B. King, President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, has been voted Atlanta’s Most Admired Nonprofit CEO for the third year in a row. The honor was announced during an awards breakfast hosted by the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 25, 2016.

WHAT:

Following a city-wide call for nominations from the Atlanta Business Chronicle in May, King was one of 50 chief executives to earn the qualifying number of nominations to progress into the public voting round, which began on June 10 and concluded on June 24. Nominees were evaluated based on leadership, outstanding company financial performance, vision, commitment to quality, commitment to diversity in the workplace and contributions to the metro Atlanta community.

King has served as the Zoo’s President and CEO since 2010. During his tenure, he has led Zoo Atlanta in raising $64 million in philanthropic support – more than was raised cumulatively by the organization over the previous 25 years. This includes more than $42 million raised for the Zoo’s “Grand New View: Elephants, Events and Expansion” campaign, which was successfully completed in June 2016, ahead of schedule and ahead of expectations, against an original fundraising goal of $38.1 million. The campaign launched with a $20 million matching grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation in late 2014.

Additional highlights of King’s leadership include a 36-percent increase in Zoo attendance, with consecutive five-year growth from 675,000 guests to 920,000 guests, and the successful $18 million campaign to build the award-winning Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, which opened in 2015. In addition to being voted Atlanta’s Most Admired Nonprofit CEO in 2014, 2015 and now 2016, King was named one of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2015.

WHERE:

Zoo Atlanta 800 Cherokee Avenue, S.E. Atlanta, GA 30315

CONTACT:

Rachel Davis, Director of Communications

404.624.2812 – office

404.309.2238 – cell

rdavis@zooatlanta.org

ABOUT:

About Zoo Atlanta Viewed as one of the finest zoological institutions in the U.S. and a proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoo Atlanta has a mission to inspire value and preservation of wildlife through a unique mix of education and outdoor family experiences. From well-known native wildlife to critically endangered species on the brink of extinction, the Zoo offers memorable close encounters with more than 1,000 animals from around the world. The Zoo’s newest destination, Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, featuring more than 70 species in a 111,000 square-foot complex, opened in 2015 and is the world’s first LEED Gold-certified reptile and amphibian exhibit. Zoo highlights include Mei Lun and Mei Huan, the only giant panda twins in the U.S.; North America’s largest zoological collection of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Up-close-andpersonal animal experiences include behind-the-scenes Wild Encounters with African elephants, Aldabra giant tortoises, giant pandas, lemurs and warthogs. Zoo Atlanta is open daily with the exceptions of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Keeper talks, interactive wildlife shows, education programs and special events run yearround. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.