LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 1, 2015) – Little Rock Zoo Director Mike Blakely announced that Zoo director of marketing and development, Susan Altrui, has been promoted to the position of assistant director of the Zoo.

In her new position as assistant director she will help develop a strategic plan for long-term funding for the Zoo’s new master plan adopted in 2014, and will also assist with the Zoo’s operational management. Her role as spokesperson for the Zoo will continue.

Altrui has worked for the Zoo since 2005 as the director of marketing and development and executive director of the Arkansas Zoological Foundation. She has been responsible for all marketing, public relations, special events, development, government relations, and fundraising for the Zoo and has also been responsible for coordinating the Zoo’s 501 (c) (3) non-profit, the Arkansas Zoological Foundation. Under Susan’s leadership the Zoo has raised funds for the new Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe exhibit, the Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost, Diamond Express Train, and is currently raising funds for a new Arkansas Heritage Farm exhibit.

Altrui developed several successful fundraisers including Zoo Brew and the annual Wild Wines event which is now one of Arkansas’s largest food and wine festivals with more than 1,000 guests, food from 50 restaurants, and more than 200 varieties of wines. She also runs Arkansas’s largest Halloween festival, Boo at the Zoo, with more than 20,000 annual attendees. The festival takes place the last two weekends in October and is in its 25 year.

Altrui served as project manager for a new zoo master plan and strategic plan that guides the growth and development of the Zoo. She also helped the Zoo maintain its accreditation by attending its hearing in 2012 before the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Accreditation Committee as interim zoo director.

Altrui gives back to the community serving as chairman of the annual Little Rock Rotary Police and Fire Awards and has also served as chairman of the board of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute for the past three years. She is currently chairman of the board of the Arkansas Motion Picture Institute and a sustainer with the Junior League of Little Rock.

Altrui is also president of the City of Little Rock Mid Managers Association. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Studies in Communication from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s degree in the same area from Arkansas State University.

About the Little Rock Zoo

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information, visit www.aza.org.

For more information on Little Rock Zoo, visit www.littlerockzoo.com or call 501-661-7208.

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