scott-dwight

CALIFORNIA
Dwight Scott ’94
Director, San Diego Zoo

When Dwight Scott (B.L.A. ’94) got his start in the zoological business, the animals inspired him. That inspiration would take him on a path to one of the most prestigious zoos in the world.

While at UMKC, Scott started watching the Discovery Channel, specifically the animal shows. Former Assistant Sociology Professor Jeffrey Longhofer helped Scott create an independent study program with the Kansas City Zoo, where he began working
with orangutans and chimpanzees.

“I fell in love with the animals,” he says. “They are so unique. Each one has their own personality. They’re fascinating, and I could tell, even at that point, that I was into something pretty special.”

After graduation, Scott took a job as a zookeeper in the ape house at the Kansas City Zoo. A few years later he moved to Florida to work at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

After management roles at zoos in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Scott was named the director of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo.

In addition to being one of California’s most popular tourist destinations, the San Diego Zoo is fighting extinction around the world. The zoo is part of a larger organization, San Diego Global, which operates 140 animal and plant conservation projects across 80 countries and six continents.

Scott says he enjoys living the mission of protecting animals every day, both in his role at the zoo and in his position as executive chairman of the Dian Fossey International Gorilla Fund.

“It is important to us that we create empathy for wildlife, and that people understand that animals and people are better together,” he says.

Over the course of his career, Scott says he is most grateful for the people he has worked with. He also acknowledges the burden of responsibility to preserve wildlife for the next generations.

“I want to make sure that when we pass the baton to the next group of zoo leaders that we are in even better shape than we are today.”

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