Lincoln Park Zoo has named Megan Ross zoo director, the first woman in the zoo’s 150-year history and the first person in more than two decades to hold that title.
Ross, 44, has climbed steadily through the ranks since joining the North Side zoo in 2000 as curator of birds, a position also previously held by Kevin Bell, the longtime CEO and president. In 2017 she was named executive vice president, meaning she was effectively the No. 2 there even before gaining the new title.
In an interview this summer about the zoo’s sesquicentennial commemoration, Ross talked about the history of the place.
“You know, it’s impossible to not say, ‘Holy cow, this has been here for a very long time,’ ” she said. “You feel the weight of it as you walk around — or I do.”
Before becoming executive vice president, Ross was general curator and then spent seven years as the zoo’s vice president of animal care. In that role, she launched the ZooMonitor app, a tool the zoo says helps the more than 280 institutions using it worldwide understand and meet the needs of their animals.
“I think it was the right time to bring back the zoo director title as the person who really is overseeing the zoo’s operations day-to-day,” said Bell. “It’s not like I’m going to be stepping back and not going to be involved, but it’s her zoo to run. … It’s not unlike some other zoos around the country where they have a CEO and a zoo director.”
He praised Ross’s commitment to science, leadership skills, and intelligence and dedication in the range of roles she’s filled at the zoo — “the same qualities that have led me to promote her three or four times.”
Bell, 66, said he has no imminent retirement plans, but he said he hopes Ross’ slightly changed role, which will include more fundraising responsibilities, will set her up to be a “very good candidate” for the top job when it comes time for the board to choose the next CEO.
Bell has been in charge at the zoo for 25 years and overseen a flurry of recent building, including new snow monkey, polar bear and penguin habitats. The zoo will open a new visitors center in the coming months, and it is raising money to revamp and modernize the Kovler Lion House, one of the oldest animal buildings on the grounds.
He was the last one to hold the zoo director title previously held by legendary mid-century leaders Marlin Perkins and Lester Fisher. The title went away when Bell became president and CEO as the institution separated from Chicago Park District management in 1995.
“As zoo director, there are large shoes to fill with Kevin Bell, Dr. Lester Fisher and Marlin Perkins in the role previously,” Ross said in a statement. “I am most looking forward to continuing to keep science at the forefront of everything we do at Lincoln Park Zoo.”
Ross earned a BS in biology and psychology from James Madison University, followed by masters and doctoral degrees in psychology from Georgia Institute of Technology. Her master’s thesis studied mating success of Chilean flamingos in captivity, and she has published research on topics including the impact of ultraviolet light on captive birds
“Every day I come to work, and I think, I don’t know how I got this lucky that I get to work here,” Ross said in the summer interview. “But I sure feel lucky that I work with amazing, committed people who are just as excited about what we can do and want to be a part of getting us there.”
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson