Mar 13, 2008 6:45 am US/Eastern
R.I. Man Named Salisbury Zoo Director
SALISBURY, Md. (CBS) ―
A Rhode Island man who designs zoo exhibits has been named director of the Salisbury Zoo, city officials said Wednesday.
Joel M. Hamilton of Providence has worked with his zoo design firm since 2001. He has worked with eight zoos in the U.S. and Mexico, drafting master plans and creating exhibits, he said.
Hamilton also was curator at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence in a tropical climates wing.
Earlier, he worked eight years at the Dallas Zoo, and supervised a bird department with at least 450 creatures.
"I've worked in and around zoos basically all my adult life," Hamilton said.
Hamilton will start his new job on March 31. He will oversee a budget of just under $1 million, and have a staff of 14 full-timers. His annual salary will be $65,063.
Jim Caldwell is director of the city Department of Public Works, which oversees the zoo. He said Hamilton's first priority will be to prepare the zoo to get its re-accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Silver Spring. Salisbury has been accredited since the designation began in 1974, according to AZA spokesman Steve Feldman.
Hamilton's hire ends a 10-month search marked by one person quitting and two others declining offers. Lisa Tate, 43, of Zoo Boise in Idaho resigned in January, days after accepting the post, because of unforeseen health problems.
"It's been a long time coming and we're excited to have the position filled, obviously," Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman said.
"We're also extremely pleased with the skills and experience Joel brings to the table."
Tilghman said Hamilton's energy and enthusiasm reminds her of former director Jim Rapp, who resigned in May after 14 years with the zoo.
Ron Alessi is chairman of the Salisbury Zoo Commission. He said the management experience put Hamilton above other applicants.
Hamilton said he visited the Salisbury Zoo last summer while on vacation with his wife and two children, ages 5 and 7.
"It was rather serene, nice and quiet," he said, adding that the zoo had the atmosphere of a museum quality rather than just than that of an outdoor venue for animals.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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