President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo, Rich Block, was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Rich Block, CEO and president of the Santa Barbara Zoo, enjoys working with animals as his colleagues. He recently was appointed to the board of directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
AZA oversees 240 zoos across the United States and 11 other countries. The organization accredits top zoos and sets standards for ethics, conservation and animal welfare. Since 1984, Mr. Block has been an active member of AZA and served on various committees.
He became CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo in 1998 after serving as vice president for scientific and program development at the Indianapolis Zoo. He has also worked at the World Wildlife Fund, served as an executive director of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, was the curator of education at Zoo Atlanta and worked as the curator of public relations and development at the Kansas City Zoo.
He stays involved in various organizations both locally and regionally, like the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary, the California Association of Museums, the California Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Visit Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is open with limited capacity. Guests must make a reservation online, and masks are required for everyone over the age of two.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres of botanic gardens and houses 500 animals in naturalistic habitats. It is accredited by AZA, a sign of high-quality care, and participates in AZA endangered species programs.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sbzoo.org.
email: ahanshaw@newspress.org
