Organizations Filed Purposes:
Connect communities with animals, inspiring action to save wildlife.
We strive to be a zoo that practices exemplary animal care, delivers an outstanding guest experience, creates a workplace that instills respect and teamwork, provides learning opportunities, promotes conservation awareness, and inspires community support.
Aspiring to be one of the best zoos in the country, the Houston Zoo is focused on ensuring that visitors from both within and outside the Houston area feel like they have been as close to the wild as they can get. The Houston Zoo's animal care team, Conservation Education Department, Zoo Rangers, and our Guest Relations personnel lead this effort.The Zoo's animal keepers provide uncompromising excellence in animal care as well as world class guest experiences. During this reporting period, the Houston Zoo animal care participated in Meet the Keeper talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and many other personal animal experiences for our guests which encourage appreciation and empathy for animals in the zoo and in the wild. These experiences help our guests understand how they can help save animals in the wild and how the Houston Zoo directly supports the conservation of various species across the globe. Providing diverse learning experiences, the Houston Zoo's Education Department promotes connections with the natural world, empowering our guests to inquire, act, and conserve. During this reporting period, the Houston Zoo's Education Department personnel conducted interpretive programs on the grounds reaching approximately 481,327 participants.The Zoo is also committed to ensuring all Houstonians, regardless of means, have access to the Zoo. The Zoo ranks in the bottom 50% of zoo admission prices for comparable accredited zoos in the United States and below average for Texas zoos and similar local attractions. Guests are offered free or heavily discounted pricing through multiple programs. Lone Star Card program - Admission of up to 2 adults and 3 children for $5.25 each when card is presented. Military program - Admission of up to 2 adults and 3 children at 50% discount with military ID. Schools and Groups - Free admission to all schools (school children, teachers and chaperones), within the Houston city limits, accredited by the Texas Education Agency or the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. Free Days - Free admission to the public on the first Tuesday of each month from September to May. Lone Star, Schools Active Military & Groups Free Days Total 2019 186,010 112,053 53,081 351,144 2018 186,523 107,880 57,033 351,436
The Houston Zoos Wildlife Conservation Program was initiated in 2004 to facilitate leadership in conservation efforts related to the survival of threatened wildlife, the wise use of natural resources, and the appreciation of our natural world. As of fiscal year 2019, we currently support 42 projects in 22 countries around the world including the US. Accordingly, the Houston Zoo has committed 6% of its annual operating budget to support this program, which compares favorably with other zoos, most of which do not make such substantial commitments to conservation from their operating budgets.The Houston Zoo recognizes the need to work both close to home, supporting a number of wildlife reintroduction projects right here in Texas, and also across the globe where we support critical efforts aligned with the animals we house here at the Houston Zoo. These programs quite often focus not only on wildlife but as much on the support of the human communities living with those species on a daily basis. We believe conservation is not just about saving species but about improving the lives of the local communities so they see the benefits of protecting animals in the wild. Through partnerships with local, national, and international conservation agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Houston Zoo actively participates in programs designed to protect both animals and their natural habitats worldwide.
The Zoos conservation education programs offer a continuum of learning from birth to adulthood including fee-based educational programs, on-site live interpretation, adult volunteers and interns, and interpretive planning. Fee-based programs include family programs, early childhood programs, summer camp, overnights and ZooMobiles.Conservation Education Programs (1/1/2019 to 12/31/1019): Total persons served: 517,865 (includes onsite guest interactions by staff, teens and volunteer interpreters, pre-schedule fee-based programming) Pro-bono programming: The Houston Zoo values being a Zoo for All. Conservation Education supports this value by offering free weeklong summer camp experiences for need-based children ages 4-16. In addition, 20% of our ZooMobile programs are pro-bono for the community and we award college scholarships to our Zoo Crew teens that are graduating out of the program to college. Summer Camp scholarships: 223 campersZooMobile programs: 64 programs reaching approx. 5,407 peopleZoo Crew teen college scholarships: 4 teens36 projects in 21 countries in 2019
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
Lee Ehmke | President & CEO | 40 | $436,755 |
Sheryl Kolasinski | COO | 40 | $243,514 |
Mark Van Wickler | Exhibit Design Dir | 40 | $200,765 |
John Trahan | CFO | 40 | $200,152 |
Roberto Espinosa | VP Development | 40 | $166,606 |
Kristin Finney | VP HR | 40 | $150,518 |
Peter Riger | VP Conservation | 40 | $150,486 |
Lisa Avendano | VP Animal Ops | 40 | $150,149 |
Leslie Forestier | VP Finance | 40 | $64,640 |
Austin Young | Member Emeritus | 1 | $0 |
Randa Duncan Williams | Member Emeritus | 1 | $0 |
Cynthia Walker | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Molly Voorhees | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Macey Stokes | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Bas Solleveld | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Brent Smolik | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Tim Roberts | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Ron Rand | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Alie Pruner | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Bruce Niemeyer | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Clay Neff | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Kimberly Mckay | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Peggy Kostial | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Myrtle Jones | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Jill Jewett | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Tandra Jackson | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Gillian Hobson | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Marty Goossen | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Eureka Gilkey | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Amy Garrou | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Kat Gallagher | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Jenny Elkins | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Robert Edwards | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Anne Duncan | Member Emeritus | 1 | $0 |
Jeff Dudderar | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Mike Dishberger | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Joe Dilg | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Joshua Davidson | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Roberto Contreras | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Carlos Bueno | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Bill Barnett | Member Emeritus | 1 | $0 |
Roxanne Almaraz | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Sami Ahmad | Board Member | 1 | $0 |
Suzanne Nimocks | Imm Past Chair | 1 | $0 |
Jim Postl | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 |
Neal Manne | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 |
Robert Graham | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 |
Cullen Geiselman | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 |
Joe Cleary | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 |
Stacy Methvin | Board Chair | 4 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202003189349303240_public.xml