Connection, conservation at local zoo to be focus of upcoming talk

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Binder Park Zoo will be the focus at the upcoming Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series event hosted by Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business.

Diane Thompson, president and CEO, and Dr. Judilee Marrow, staff veterinarian, will give a presentation titled "Binder Park Zoo: From Guest Connection to Conservation" at 8 a.m. Friday, May 20, in 2150 Schneider Hall on WMU's campus.

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp. Free parking is available at Schneider Hall in Lot 72R.

Binder Park Zoo

Located in Battle Creek, more than 8 million people have visited Binder Park Zoo, with an additional 500,000 served through outreach programs since the zoo was established in 1975. Created on the model of an entrepreneurial, self-supporting nonprofit organization, Binder Park Zoo is managed by a zoological board of directors.

In the last 20 years the zoo has added a conservation education center, a 40-acre natural wetlands exhibit, the 50-acre Wild Africa exhibit and the Conservation Carousel to the original 80-acre zoo. In cooperation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and others, Binder Park Zoo actively works to conserve an array of endangered species both at the zoo and worldwide.

Thompson and Marrow

Thompson has 18 years of experience in nonprofit work and joined Binder Park Zoo in 2012 as the second CEO in the organization’s history.

Marrow joined the staff of the zoo in 2012 after completing a three-year residency at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois and has been published in numerous trade publications.

About the Series

The Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear top business leaders and WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current topics of interest.

For more information or to register, contact the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.