Jan 4, 2008 6:45 am US/Eastern
Idaho Woman Named Salisbury Zoo Director
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) ―
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Lisa Tate has been named the first female zoo director at the Salisbury Zoo.
An official with a zoo in Boise, Idaho, has been named the first female zoo director at the Salisbury Zoo.
Lisa Tate, 43, who served in several positions at Zoo Boise, will succeed Jim Rapp, who resigned in May to head a regional tourism group. The director's job pays $66,400 a year; the director oversees a staff of 14 full-time employees and an annual budget of $955,750.
"When I came for my interview, it was my first time coming to the Eastern Shore," 43-year-old Tate said during a phone interview Thursday. "I really liked the area -- it has a small-town feel and it seems peaceful."
Tate has 18 years of experience in zoo operations. At Zoo Boise, she served as zookeeper, exhibit designer, construction manager, collection planner and manager and interim assistant zoo manager. She also had worked as director of a primate and avian conservation center in Boise.
"I felt that the zoo was a way I could make a difference in conservation," Tate said. Tate is taking correspondence classes at the University of California-Davis to obtain a master's degree in nonprofit management and ethics.
"First step when I get to Salisbury is get to know the area and see where the Salisbury Zoo is in the accreditation process," she said. Tate is expected to arrive in Salisbury on Jan. 28.
"(Tate) was very relaxed and we were very impressed with her knowledge and fundraising efforts," said Ron Alessi, chairman of the Zoo Commission, the nonprofit organization that raises zoo funding. "It took us a while, but then we finally found this outstanding person."
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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