Donna M. Fernandes

Donna M. Fernandes is the President and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo. Founded in 1875 the zoo is one of the oldest in the United States. She took over the job in 2000, and in the ensuing years under her leadership has transformed the zoo into one of the finest zoos in the United States. She is a native of Norton, Mass and a graduate of the Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. After graduation from high school she attended Brown University receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1981. She went on to attend Princeton University where she earned a master's degree in biology in 1984 and a Doctorate in ecology, evolution and behavior in 1988. She spent a year in postdoctoral study at the University of Liverpool in England, and then returned to the United States to begin her career. Her first position in that endeavor was as the Curator of Research at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, eventually being promoted to oversee education and volunteer programs there. In 1986 she accepted a position as the Curator of Animals at the Prospect Park Wildlife Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Within a year she was overseeing both the animal and education departments. During that time she served as National Public Radios resident animal expert. In 2000 she received a master's degree in business administration from the Simmons School of Management in Boston, and in that same year accepted the job at the Buffalo Zoo as President and CEO.