PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Zoo has a new leader.
Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman started her position as president and CEO Monday. She’s the first woman and African American to lead the zoo in its 164-year history.
Mogerman is originally from the South Side of Chicago and was director of the Saint Louis Zoo from 2019 until earning her current job in West Philadelphia.
Mogerman says she wants to find out more about Philadelphia and its citizens, what’s important to them and how can the zoo can feed into that.
She says conservation programs, which are already at the zoo, are important and need to be relevant to all.
“You can make science and STEM meaningful for people and, in particular, city kids.”
Mogerman succeeds Vikram Dewan’s 16-plus year tenure. He retired last week.
Dewan led the way in a number of zoo firsts over the years, including the development of the animal trail system, known as “Zoo360,” where the animals move above and beside visitors. Seventy zoos world-wide have incorporated the concept, including Mogerman’s old stomping grounds at the Saint Louis Zoo.