Cara Treadway, Vice President of Mission, Guest, and Community Engagement at the Philadelphia Zoo, talks about her personal leadership journey.
A Conversation with Cara Treadway
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Articles
Living Up to Your Mission: The Living Building Challenge
As mission-driven organizations, we talk a lot about sustainability and ‘green’ buildings, but are we really up for a challenge? Unlike other building certifications, the Living Building Challenge doesn’t stop at energy efficiency. It demands sustainability from the ground up, generating surplus energy and benefiting communities and environments in extraordinary ways.
Trends in People & Culture
Canopy was honored to present an invited keynote address at the WAZA 78th annual conference in San Diego. Vice President Lori Perkins and Senior Consultant Jackie Ogden, PhD, were joined by Kyle Lundby, PhD, of Global Aspect Human Capital Advisors in a presentation titled “Trends in People and Culture: What the Research Tells Us.” The WAZA conference offered a wonderful opportunity for networking and social connection, and we were fortunate to be able to connect with partners, colleagues, clients, and friends throughout the week.
The Future of Leadership: Interviews with International Zoo & Aquarium Leaders
Watch to hear the perspectives of nine international zoo and aquarium leaders on the future of leadership. Listen in to hear how Denise Verret, Karen Fifield, Lee Ehmke, Clément Lanthier, Judy Mann-Lang, Maria Clara Dominguez, Dolf DeJong, Martín Zordan, and Sunny Nelson think leadership will and needs to change.
A Conversation with Lisa Marie Avendaño
Lisa Marie Avendaño, Bronx Zoo’s Deputy Director shares her insights into what makes a great leader and her personal leadership journey.
An Interview with Sprina Liu
Sprina Liu, Senior Curator of Birds and Ectotherms at the Dallas Zoo, embodies the honest and empathetic leadership skills that our profession is coming to recognize as crucial to our future success.
‘It’s Been Hot! Are Visitors Still Coming?’
Canopy’s Business Analyst, Gabe Buckley, uses our Audience Analytics Platform to dive into the question ‘does this intense heat drive away visitors to zoos and botanic gardens, while concentrating visitors at indoor venues like aquariums?’
An Interview with Dr. Mandi Schook
Dr. Mandi Schook, Science Operations Director at Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, shares her perspectives on creating a sense of inspiration and connection to mission for all team members.
Crossing Departmental Divides
Last month, we brought together a panel of experts from mission-driven organizations in one of our Community Conversation webinars to explore how to cross departmental divides. Here’s how Rosalío Rubio, Marcus Harshaw, and Jennie Janssen are working to building bridges across their organizations.
An Interview with Shannon Farmer
Shannon Farmer, an emerging leader at the Pollinator Partnership, shares her perspectives on leadership qualities, strategies to enhance diversity, industry change, mentorship, and more.
AMLAZ Spotlight: Meet Chris Conner
Meet Chris Conner: Z&A leader, PhD candidate, and one of Canopy’s sponsored participants in the 2025 Advancing Minority Leadership in Aquariums & Zoos Program.
Z&A Leader Spotlights: Meet AZA’s Executive Leadership Development Program Participants
Canopy is proud to be sponsoring the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ 2025 Ted A. Beattie Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) and supporting the advancement of leaders in our field. We connected with current and former program participants to hear about their leadership journeys, including what drives them as leaders, the most valuable lessons they’ve learned, and what they envision for the future of the Z&A field.
Beyond the Plan: 5 Insights from APGA’s Strategic Planning Process
After an inclusive strategic planning process that incorporated 1,000 stakeholder touchpoints, Canopy officially launched the American Public Gardens Associations’ Strategic Plan 2030 at the Annual Conference in June. Anna Musun-Miller, who helmed the process, shares five valuable observations from the process that are applicable to all types of cultural institutions.
Executive Search Insights: What Today’s Trends Reveal About Leadership in Cultural Institutions
Canopy’s mid-year retrospective: What themes, trends, and talent gaps are we seeing in executive search and leadership?
