The Indianapolis Zoo announced March 16 that president and CEO Rob Shumaker is leaving his position with the organization.
Shumaker began his career at the zoo as the vice president of life sciences in 2010 and held various leadership roles until becoming president in 2018, according to a LinkedIn profile under his name.
The zoo issued a statement from Shumaker announcing his departure and said no additional information or interviews would be possible.
In the email, Shumaker thanked the Indianapolis Zoological Society’s Board of Trustees and said a short leave of absence earlier in the year offered him time to reflect on personal decisions.
“With very mixed emotions, I will be stepping down as President & CEO on March 6th of this year,” Shumaker said in the release. “Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive while these changes were discussed and finalized.”
IndyStar left messages on Facebook and LinkedIn accounts with Shumaker’s name but did not get a response on either platform.
Board Chair Beth Klapper said in the release the directors are grateful for Shumaker’s leadership.
“His contributions have been instrumental in shaping the Indianapolis Zoo into the world-class institution it is today …,” Klapper said. “We thank Dr. Rob for his service and we wish him continued success in his next chapter.”
Shumaker was injured last March when he was hand feeding a chimpanzee through a mesh barrier, according to local news reports. A news release from the Zoo at the time said Shumaker received medical attention and the chimp experienced “no ill-effects.”
The zoo’s announcement this week did not include information about who might replace Shumaker.
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Zoo president departs, no successor named
Reporting by Karl Schneider, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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