Pamela Knowles Named Oregon Zoo Foundation's New Managing Director

By Bill LaMarche

Portland, OR - The Oregon Zoo Foundation has selected Pamela Knowles to be its new managing director. Knowles, who has a wide range of experience with local organizations, most recently served as chief operating officer and general counsel with the Portland Business Alliance. She begins her duties with OZF on Feb. 1.

"The Oregon Zoo Foundation has a strong reputation in our community," said Jon Kruse, chair of the OZF board of trustees. "We are very pleased to have recruited not only an extremely qualified person but a Portland native who understands the community and region. Her leadership and connections within the donor community will be of great value as we enter a new decade."

In addition to the Portland Business Alliance, Knowles has worked with Portland Center Stage and the Portland Schools Foundation, and she was a partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine. She was recently elected to the Portland Public Schools Board of Education. Because of her community involvement, she is well acquainted with many members of the OZF board.

"One of the foundation's strengths is the knowledge and experience its board members bring in operations, development, community relations and advocacy," Knowles said. "I have great respect for their abilities, and I look forward to building a strong working relationship developed through good communication and partnership."

Knowles has been a zoo supporter all her life, having visited with her parents and grandparents as a child, and with her children as an adult.

"I have had the pleasure of watching the zoo develop from a small, city-owned zoo to a regional asset that provides our children and our community with the opportunity to learn about animals from around the world and their environment," continued Knowles. "I am excited by the opportunity to help the zoo be a leader in conservation and education for our region as well as a place where we can learn about other parts of the world and see the animals that live there."

"Pam's skills and experience make her an excellent choice to lead the foundation as it defines its strategic direction and fund-raising plans for the future," said David Bragdon, president of the Metro Council, which governs the zoo. "We're confident she will help make our great zoo even better."

As OZF's managing director, Knowles will work closely with the incoming Oregon Zoo director, Kim Smith. Smith, currently vice president of animal care at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, will assume her duties at the Oregon Zoo on March 1.

The mission of The Oregon Zoo Foundation is to foster community pride and involvement in the Oregon Zoo and to secure financial support for the zoo's conservation, education and cultural programs. OZF secures private funding for the zoo from individuals, foundations and corporations, and manages a membership program of more than 46,000 households. OZF has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator (2005-2009) and its recent "Bring Back the Roar" campaign for Predators of the Serengeti exceeded goals by 25 percent, raising $6.2 million.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid's lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

CAPTION: Pamela Knowles, recently selected managing director for The Oregon Zoo Foundation, assumes her new duties Feb. 1. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561

To view Oregon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, got to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-382-Oregon_Zoo