The fact that Roger Williams Park Zoo is run by someone with a business background may seem odd; it’s not, according to Jack Mulvena, M.B.A ’90.
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The fact that New England’s largest (by number of visitors) zoo is run by someone with a business background rather than a zoological one may seem odd. It’s not, according to John (Jack) Mulvena ’90.
“In the past, zoos were typically owned and operated by the state or local government and supported by non-profit organizations, but more and more zoos are turning to the private management model in which the government contracts out the operations of the zoo to a non-profit organization,” says Mulvena, who serves as director of the Roger Williams Park Zoo and as executive director of the Rhode Island Zoological Society. “As part of this change, zoos are increasingly looking to hire directors or chief operating officers who have business administration backgrounds, like mine.”
Roger Williams Park Zoo is an example of this changing model, having undergone a similar transfer of power recently when the City of Providence formally handed over the operations of the zoo to the Rhode Island Zoological Society.
While working as director of the Roger Williams Park Zoo and executive director of the Rhode Island Zoological Society has been a pleasure for Mulvena, it was not a lifelong dream of his to run a zoo. As an undergraduate at Boston College, he studied English literature and thought he would pursue a career in social work. Running out of money after a year of graduate school in social work at Boston College, Mulvena began a career in community service that ultimately led to a job at the United Way in Rhode Island. He thrived at United Way, working in a variety of roles, from fundraising to government relations. Though it wasn’t social work, it was community service, and he loved it.
“I’ve always gravitated towards community service work,” says Mulvena. “I suppose it’s because I grew up in that atmosphere—my father was a social worker.”
While at United Way, Mulvena was encouraged to further develop his business skills to enhance his community work, and so he enrolled in URI’s Executive M.B.A. program. United Way underwrote Mulvena’s education with the provision that he continue to serve with the organization for at least two years after he finished his degree, which he completed in 1990.
In 1993, the executive director position at the Rhode Island Zoological Society became open, and Mulvena’s colleagues at United Way recommended that he fill it. He pursued it and got the job. Although he had no zoological experience, he feels it was great fit.
“I enjoy management and the administration function, and I really wanted to apply that to something I cared about. I loved the fact that the job has a true community service aspect to it,” he says. “I was fortunate to be able to direct the non-profit arm of the zoo and to learn the job from the highly respected former zoo director, Tony Vecchio, who served as my mentor.”
In the 12 years since taking over, Mulvena has seen enormous changes at the zoo. Over the past decade, Roger Williams Park Zoo, like many other zoos across the country, has shifted its emphasis to expanding natural habitats for animals and conservation work. In fact, The New York Times termed Roger Williams Park Zoo “one of the best zoos in the country for its conservation efforts.”
Zoo staff members engage in conservation fieldwork around the world and locally in New England with many endangered species including the American burying beetle, the Karner blue butterfly, and the red wolf of North America, as well as the tree kangaroo of Papua, New Guinea. In addition, the zoo is a partner in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) administered by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, a national system of research, record keeping, and breeding for threatened and endangered animals. The zoo cares for 20 SSP species, including African elephants, lemurs, snow leopards, and Matschie’s tree kangaroos.
Mulvena and his staff have also made strides on improving the zoo animals’ quality of care. “There have been a lot of important developments over the past decade in the areas of expanding natural habitats and increasing animal enrichment efforts. As we’ve done this, we’ve seen that our visitors and stakeholders have become more interested in how—and how well—we care for the animals. Their expectations have grown,” Mulvena says.
For Mulvena, the zoo’s principal responsibilities are education and conservation, which he feels go hand in hand. According to Mulvena, national studies show that education has a measurable impact on visitors’ appreciation of animals. “I see zoos as more than just an informational resource. I see them as a conduit to stimulate people to engage in a positive way with the animals and habitats around them,” he explains.
Although Mulvena is committed to the role of the zoo as an educational resource, he is mindful of the need to equally serve the recreational needs of the community. To that end, he and his staff have recently completed a master plan for the zoo’s future, which includes $30 million in upgrades to the zoo’s exhibits that he hopes will draw in more visitors. He also intends to expand the zoo’s collaboration with community partners such as Save the Bay, the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and other environmental leaders in the region.
“I am looking forward to seeing the zoo become even better in the years to come, both in terms of serving the animals and serving the community,” he says. “But to do that, I need to run this organization like a business, because if I don’t, we won’t have the resources we need to achieve our goals.”
By Laura NelsonPhoto by Nora Lewis
