Jodi Gibson is an accomplished senior nonprofit and social responsibility executive with extensive leadership experience at Fortune 200 companies and top nonprofit organizations. She was brought into the Zoological Society of Milwaukee to build upon its strong foundation and take the organization to the next level following the retirement of her predecessor.
The Zoological Society of Milwaukee is the proud charity partner of the Milwaukee County Zoo. The mission of the Society is to conserve wildlife and endangered species, educate people about the importance of wildlife and the environment, and support the Milwaukee County Zoo.
As the president of the society, Gibson provides strategic vision and leadership to an award-winning, 38,000+ membership organization. During her tenure, she helped champion the organization’s largest capital campaign, Adventure Africa, which raised more than $27 million in private funding and transformed 25% of the developed footprint of the Milwaukee County Zoo. She has also played a critical role in strengthening the Society’s vital partnership with the zoo and the county, which has been recognized regionally and across the zoo industry as one of the most successful and productive public/private partnerships.
Recognizing one of the most important responsibilities of leadership is to recruit, retain, and develop high-performing teams, Gibson has worked hard to build a positive culture focused on valuing every team member and prioritizing the value of teamwork.
“She believes that hard work speaks for itself and prefers to elevate the accomplishments of her team over her own,” said her staff. “She pours herself into her work, and while she recognizes her role is critical, she understands she is one of many people working toward the same outcome.”
Her efforts have led to several accolades for Gibson and the organization. Gibson was named a woman of influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2021, and the organization has received awards recognizing nearly every aspect of its business, including national and local awards ranging from being a finalist for nonprofit excellence by the BizTimes to numerous awards for the Adventure Africa exhibit to awards for its education programs, children’s theater program, global conservation efforts, COVID-programming, intern program and more.
“I have found great joy in my work over the past eight years and candidly, it still feels new to me, so I rarely need to reignite my passion for our mission, but on those rare occasions when I do however, I am fortunate to simply walk outside my office and walk through our beautiful zoo,” said Gibson. “It immediately immerses me in our mission, engages me with our guests, reconnects me to our staff, and reminds me of my own childhood memories at the zoo.”