Leadership transitions are inevitable — so why don’t we prepare and plan for them?
Over the past few months, we’ve been hosting conversations with board members and CEOs to have open dialogue about their experiences — both the challenges and successes of navigating Z&A leadership roles. At the 2025 AZA Annual Conference, we gathered a panel of CEOs and their board chairs from zoos and aquariums across the country to share their perspectives publicly and offer an inside look into the components of a strong collaboration.
Here, we shared a recap of best practices pertaining to communication, partnership, and managing roles/expectations. Now let’s dive more deeply into the topic of navigating leadership transitions and succession planning.
Here are 10 of the best tips we’ve gathered — both from boards and CEOs, as well as our team’s perspective from the executive search side.
1. Effective boards adapt succession models to the organizational culture at hand, but consistency and transparency are non-negotiable in every model.
2. Conducting a transparent search process for a new CEO helps staff trust that the board will choose wisely.
3. Many incoming CEOs face the challenge of succeeding iconic, long-term leaders. The key to success is being authentic, open, and making a sincere effort to engage staff and community early on. New leaders should consider launching a listening tour during their first 100–120 days to connect with stakeholders and build credibility.
4. For board chairs: Support your new CEO by taking them out into the community. Leaders need to know the context of the city/region in which they operate. Paving those pathways and making introductions can be fruitful down the line — especially for CEOs who have relocated for the role.
5. CEOs and boards should work together to develop clear processes and accountability for succession and governance. Boards want transparency, and CEOs want autonomy — being clear about the guardrails for both from the start will minimize the risk of overstepping boundaries. If there is no plan in place, that leaves a big gap for volatility should an unexpected departure occur. Invest the time and energy in planning ahead.
6. On that note: Board transitions are inevitable too! Treat recruiting a new board chair like hiring a CEO. Observe board engagement to identify potential chairs early. Create a deliberate backup plan. Use a structured interview process. Align on vision, strategy, and style.
7. Quality is more important than quantity for relationship-building. You don’t need to meet on a prescribed schedule, as long as your interactions are meaningful and well-planned. Casual conversation is important for building a real relationship, but ensuring that the board chair and the CEO both bring a substantive agenda to their meetings will maximize the value of time spent together.
8. The board is more than its board chair. It’s important for the CEO to develop relationships with all of the board members so the chair doesn’t become a bottleneck.
9. And on that note — the CEO should not exclude senior leaders (and other staff members) from exposure to the board. Those relationships will strengthen the connection between the board and the staff in both directions. Board members need to understand the organization’s mission: A great way to promote that is by asking keepers to come share stories at board meetings, having ambassador animals present at the start of meetings, inviting the board to come observe releases (butterfly releases, for example), etc.
10. Lisa New, CEO at Dallas Zoo, shared some great parting wisdom in our panel session:
“When a new leader comes in, the trust isn’t there. You have to prove yourself. And that’s whether you’re the CEO or an EVP or a Curator. You may have a great track record somewhere else, but your people don’t know. Your board doesn’t know. And the only way you can build trust is through transparency and delivering on what you say you’re going to do. So, first transparency, and that builds trust.”
Thank you to all our panelists who contributed their stories and insights at AZA 2025:
- Charles Hopper, President & CEO, Santa Barbara Zoo
- Jim Jackson, Chair, Santa Barbara Zoo Board of Directors (Vice President/COO, Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort)
- Roger Germann, President & CEO, The Florida Aquarium
- Dr. John Couris, Chair, The Florida Aquarium Board of Directors (President & CEO, Florida Health Sciences Center)
- Dr. Hayley Murphy, Executive Director & CEO, Detroit Zoo
- Anthony Earley, Chair, Detroit Zoological Society Board of Directors (Senior Executive, US electric and gas utility industry)
- Lisa New, Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Zoo
- Dawn Moore, Immediate Past Chair, Board of Directors, Dallas Zoo
- Jason Patlis, Director, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
- Clayton Fowler, Chair, Maritime Aquarium Board of Trustees (CEO, Spinnaker Real Estate Properties)
For more in-depth succession planning advice, check out Jackie Ogden’s (Former Vice President, Animals, Science & Environment, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts) personal account of her leadership transition here.
Are you undergoing a leadership transition or planning for one on the horizon? Canopy can help; send us a message.
