Norah Fletchal Hired as Vice President of Conservation at Indianapolis Zoo

By Maura Giles

Indianapolis, IN - Experienced zoo educator Norah Fletchall has accepted the position of Vice President of Conservation with the Indianapolis Zoo. In her new role, beginning November 30, Ms. Fletchall will provide leadership for the Zoo’s conservation education programs, sustainability initiatives, and the Zoo’s conservation partnerships around the world.

These programs are housed within the Polly Horton Hix Institute for Conservation and Research, which supports the Zoo’s current and future research and conservation programs.

Norah comes to the Indianapolis Zoo from the John Ball Zoological Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI, where she served as Deputy Director. She started her zoo career at the St. Louis Zoo, where she was a keeper, and over the years, she has acquired extensive experience with exhibit development, education programs, collections management, and conservation program management. With an undergraduate degree in animal science and a Masters of Business Administration, Norah Fletchall has diverse skills that will be put to good use in her new role.

Norah is an active professional fellow with Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and has held a number of volunteer positions there. She is currently serving on the AZA’s Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee, and Government Affairs Committee.  Norah was also a founding member of the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium.

As the Vice President of Conservation, Norah Fletchall will lead a multi-disciplined team of educators, scientists, conservationists, and other Zoo staff to develop and implement an ambitious and far reaching series of programs that will have a measurable, significant and positive impact on wildlife and wild places around the planet, and help transform the City of Indianapolis into a community that embraces environmental stewardship as a core value. Key among these is the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, which will next be awarded in 2010.

The Indianapolis Zoo’s core mission is animal conservation, and among the other programs that support the mission are partnerships with the Taranguire Elephant Project in Kenya and the World Conservation Union, as well as the MyCarbonPledge initiative to promote a cleaner and more sustainable environment. The Indianapolis Zoo also maintains its own inhouse and in-the-field research programs, and a comprehensive effort to convert, build and maintain “green” operations at the Zoo itself.

More information on the Zoo’s conservation programming is available on indianapoliszoo.com and indianapolisprize.org.

About the Indianapolis Zoo
Located in White River State Park downtown, the Indianapolis Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. The Indianapolis Zoo will empower people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

To view Indianapolis Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-19-Indianapolis_Zoo