Ted A. Beattie Govt Leadership Advancement Program

Dear AZA members,

On behalf of the Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums board of administrators and AZA personnel, it is both equally a qualified and own honor to announce the renaming of the Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums leadership progress initiative to the Ted A. Beattie Government Management Growth Plan.

As AZA President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Ashe stated at the 2023 Administrators Policy Conference, “Ted was a committed advocate for skilled enhancement, he saw the opportunity influence ELDP could have on the zoological group. He envisioned it as a path to acknowledge, assist, and progress the following era of global zoo and aquarium community leaders. I would say his eyesight is currently being recognized.”

Ted’s son Sean, who serves as a vice president at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., shared the family’s deep appreciation of the honor. “Thanks to the AZA board and employees for this fitting recognition of our dad’s lifelong effect to an marketplace he liked. He was an instinctive strategic thinker who thought strongly that fantastic mission-driven companies can only prosper when led by fantastic people. Throughout his vocation he modeled this value proposition and inspired AZA and other people to deliberately invest in producing future zoological leaders by means of courses like ELDP. He typically reminded us that it is not only the correct thing to do but is a wise company imperative.”

Additionally, Ted’s spouse Jill Seashore Beattie shared, “From the minute we achieved, Ted constantly mentioned how very pleased he was of aiding emerging leaders advance in their careers, specially the 14 zoo and aquarium directors who worked for him. I am appreciative that AZA has identified his lifelong dedication to qualified development with this naming.”

Ted knew the foreseeable future of our community would only prosper if our organizations had strong, expert, and visionary administrators and for virtually 40 decades, he committed his time, talent, and treasure to producing a new generation of zoological leaders. No matter of one’s occupation level, or what zoological group they labored for, Ted always shared his knowledge in govt leadership and helped hundreds of AZA colleagues advance in their profession.  

“It was an remarkable honor and privilege to know Ted.  As did so quite a few throughout our job, I figured out so a great deal from him.  About leadership, and in distinct, about primary with heart.  About toughness, but also about kindness.  I will always try to remember his smile.  I can not believe of numerous people that have had the influence he had on our profession, and on me,” shared Dr. Jackie Ogden.

Previous Director of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Unwell., and longtime close friend of Ted, Kevin Bell, shared, “In 2014, a tiny group of zoo and aquarium administrators and consultants met to focus on specialist growth, which Ted very first resolved when he was the AZA board chair. Whilst we mentioned generating a leadership improvement method in the future, Ted mentioned the long run is now and ELDP was proven. Of all his achievements, this was Ted’s proudest. This initiative, together with his longstanding motivation to experienced enhancement, has had an massive affect on AZA.”

Considering that 2014, 83 zoological leaders have graduated from the plan, together with myself and 3 of my AZA board colleagues, and final week the 2023 Ted A. Beattie ELDP cohort was declared.