On March 3, 2020, the zoo announced that longtime Executive Director Jim Anderson would retire at the end of the 2020 season, bringing to a close a career of 40-plus years overseeing and driving much of the Zoo’s growth into a nationally recognized attraction. Anderson has served as the Zoo’s executive director since 1994, when he succeeded its founding executive director, Earl Wells. On September 1, 2020, The Board of Directors announced Rick Schuiteman from the San Diego Zoo would replace Anderson as the new Executive Director.