KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After his first week on the job, Bill Street talked about his plans for the future as Zoo Knoxville's new leader.
According to the zoo, Street has more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including senior leadership roles at United Parks and Resorts, the National Wildlife Federation, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and the Indianapolis Zoo.
"I grew up in the cornfields of Illinois. I was in college, an intern at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and it was the first place I ever got a chance to dive in saltwater. Most people start in the ocean. I was in an aquarium, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and I fell in love with it. Just the ability to connect people with animals and to talk about conservation and how our behavior impacts species," said Street.
He succeeds Lisa New, who served as President and CEO from 2013 through 202. Street released a statement about joining Zoo Knoxville. It can be read below.
"I'm honored and humbled to be a part of the team here and I look forward to finding ways that we can provide even more experiences for our guests to engage and connect with animals. Although we're experts on animals and wildlife, we're really about people and connecting them with our natural world. Through these experiences that you get at the Zoo with animals and wildlife, that helps instill a sense of wonder and respect for our natural world."
Street says a lot of things attracted him to Zoo Knoxville, from Knoxville's atmosphere to the zoo itself.
"The zoo is beautiful. I mean, we're walking through this institution, there's animals interacting with people. I was just down at the otters and just watching little kids playing tag with the otters back and forth. It's just a wonderful experience," he said.
The zoo also said Street has a long history with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, having co-chaired the Trends Committee and serving on the Government of Affairs and Wildlife Conservation Committees.
Street said the 75-year-old zoo is deeply established in the community, and his role is to amplify its mission-related work. He said he hopes to engage with the community more and help facilitate conservation efforts locally and internationally.
"The zoo is a major economic driver for the City of Knoxville. It's one of the most visited cultural institutions in the city. It's a premier zoological institution within the state. And so a big part of me is working with already a very talented staff and just helping them to do more things," said Street.
He said he was humbled to be chosen to lead the zoo..
"I'm excited. I have a lot of experiences that I hope to be able to bring here to the zoo that we can um just help the zoo improve upon. It's already existing. Good work. It's a huge responsibility. This zoo is beloved. It's a gem in the Knoxville community. And so, that's a big responsibility. So I'm really looking forward to it," said Street.
He also said after elephants were removed from the zoo to be moved to a sanctuary, their old enclosure may become the new home of Zoo Knoxville's rhinos. He also said leaders will decide whether to bring elephants to the zoo while developing its master plan.
"There's a reason why the elephants went off to a sanctuary. They require a lot of space and take a special kind of care and, for the elephants that we had here — we made the decision for their welfare is best for them to go to sanctuary. One of the things I'm going to be doing here in the next year is developing a master plan for the zoo that really looks 15 years into the future," said Street.
The zoo said Street officially started in the role as president and CEO on Aug. 26.
Street says he's one of the few people at the zoo who wears a suit, and invited visitors to say "hello" if they spot him.