Association of Zoos and Aquariums

TED A. BEATTIE HONORED WITH R. MARLIN PERKINS AWARD

CONTACT: Jane Ballentine, (301)562-0777, x 252

CHICAGO, IL, – The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) today honored Ted A. Beattie, CEO and president of the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, with the R. Marlin Perkins Award for Professional Excellence. The AZA established this award for Professional Excellence to honor those outstanding zoo and aquarium professionals who have given many years of support to AZA and who are strongly committed to education, conservation, science and recreation. It is the Association's highest individual honor and is not given every year. The R. Marlin Perkins Award was bestowed upon Mr. Beattie during the AZA's 81st Annual Conference and was presented by his longtime friend and associate, Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Ted Beattie's career has been a remarkable one - a path not generally taken by traditional zoo and aquarium directors. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in journalism, which was followed by a master's degree in public relations. He held several public relations positions with corporations in Ohio before making the leap into the zoo world. Ted became the director of marketing at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1978 and was responsible for creating and launching a new marketing and development program. His skills were directed at increasing annual attendance and other revenue programs. Attendance jumped from 680,000 in 1978 to 965,000 in 1980, and membership grew from 9,800 families to nearly 18,000 families during this same period. And it was during this time that Beattie became friends with Jack Hanna.

"I have known Ted since 1978 when I first came to the Columbus Zoo. Being the new kid on the block was tough," stated Hanna. "Ted was instrumental in introducing me to the other Ohio zoo directors, men who were already legends in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo. Ted worked with me, he was always there to give me advice. I have always admired the way he handles things, calmly and fairly. He is a genius at coming up with solutions that benefit everybody."

After Cincinnati, Beattie headed north to Chicago, becoming associate director of the Brookfield Zoo, a position he held from 1981 to 1987. Here he was again responsible for implementing new marketing, development, membership, merchandising and food services programs. Beattie then headed south, to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was executive director of Knoxville Zoological Gardens for five years. He was executive director of the Fort Worth Zoological Park in Fort Worth, Texas, until moving back to Chicago. Beattie joined Chicago's John G. Shedd Aquarium in 1994 as its president and chief executive officer. A glittering jewel in Chicago's cultural landscape, Shedd is the highest-attended aquarium of its kind in the United States with about 2 million visitors per year.

Under his leadership, the aquarium deepened its commitment to education while embarking on one of its largest-ever expansion projects, a new wing that houses the $45 million Wild Reef. Opened in spring 2003, it features one of the largest and most diverse shark exhibits in North America and will be a lasting legacy to Beattie's commitment to education.

In 2001, Beattie was appointed by President Bush to the 16-member U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, formed to craft recommendations on a range of issues, from stewardship of marine resources and pollution prevention to enhancing and supporting marine science, commerce and transportation. Beattie represented the educational capacity of the zoo and aquarium community, which will be instrumental in communicating the commission's scientific and conservation conclusions to the public. The final report was presented to the President and Congress in late summer 2004.

An active member of AZA, Beattie served as president of the 6,000-member professional association, is a member of several of the association's committees and successfully chaired the $5 million conservation endowment campaign. His service to the national association also has included 15 years of teaching management courses as part of AZA's professional development programs.

"One of the biggest things to happen at AZA, in my opinion, was Ted's work in revitalizing the Conservation Endowment Fund," said Hanna. "People give to people, not necessarily causes, and Ted knows this. People believe in him, and they should. This fund is crucial to the work of zoo and aquarium research and Ted played a huge role in making this happen. Ted is also bringing up folks to be the next generation of zoo and aquarium directors. He teaches them, mentors them from a young age. No one deserves this award, no one typifies this award more than Ted."

In Chicago, he serves on the Arts Club board of directors and is a member of the Chicago Club, the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago. An avid golfer, he is a member of the Onwentsia Country Club and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

His Ohio State relationships continue to be strong. He recently was elected chairman of the Alumni Association's board of directors and continues to serve on the Provost's External Advisory Board on Teaching, the advisory board for the School of Journalism and Communication, and the OSU Chicago Major Gifts Committee. Golf continues to play an important role in his career. Following on his golf scholarship at Ohio State, Beattie has made this life-long interest an important tool in his management and fundraising responsibilities in the not-for-profit world.

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