Watching a troop of gorillas wander their Dallas Zoo enclosure on a recent weekday afternoon, Lisa New was reminded once again why she loves her job as its CEO.
It wasn't the marvel of the occasionally-humanoid great apes -- although the animals were the subject of her master's thesis -- but the wonder in the eyes of a visiting family watching them play.
"Those experiences and those connections can create a lifelong interest and love in wildlife," New said.
Fostering such a passion is now her full-time job as the first female leader of the Dallas Zoo in its 135-year history -- although her appointment comes after a critical moment for the South Dallas institution.
"I think it’s definitely a rebirth and renewal," she said. "Last year was a trying time."
In her first in-depth interview since taking over earlier this year, New described walking into a zoo traumatized by animal thefts in a high-profile crime spree, mourning the sudden loss of its former longtime leader and with an ambitious expansion plan in need of capital funding.
"Those headlines didn’t scare me," she said. "I knew of the professionalism of the zoo, I knew they were undergoing rigorous self-evaluation and finding opportunities to grow stronger."
FULL STORY: www.wfaa.com/article/life/ani...